The
94th Air Defense Artillery was constituted on 16 December
1940 in the Regular Army as the 94th Coast Artillery. On 17
April 1941 it was activated at Camp Davis, North Carolina. The Regiment
was later broken up on 15 May 1943 and its elements reorganized and
re-designated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 94th
Antiaircraft Artillery Group. During the Second World War, the 94th
Coast Artillery participated in major war campaigns within the East
Indies, New Guinea, Leyte, and Luzon during which it received
commemorate streamers and was additionally decorated with the Philippine
Presidential Unit Citation streamer.
After
World War II, the
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 94th Antiaircraft
Artillery Group, was inactivated on 15 March 1947 in the Philippine
Islands. On 01 April 1960, it was re designated in Kaiserslautern,
Germany as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 94th
Artillery Group, as part of the 32nd Army Air Defense
Command. The 94th Air Defense Artillery Group was
re-designated on 15 March 1972 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery,
94th Air Defense Artillery Group.
The 94th Air
Defense Artillery Group was later re-designated on 16 July 1983 as
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 94th Air Defense
Artillery Brigade.
During
the Cold War period, the 94th Artillery Group defended NATO
with Nike Hercules, HAWK, PATRIOT, Chaparral and Vulcan Air Defense
Systems inspiring the motto of “First Line of Defense.” After the
collapse of communism in Europe, the 94th Air Defense
Artillery Brigade continued to support European Command contingencies
throughout the European Command Area of Operations.
From September 1991 thru February 1992, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery,
94th Air Defense Artillery Brigade earned the Army Superior Unit
Award for its direct support of United States led multinational operation
“Determined Resolve” in the Persian Gulf. Before it’s inactivation in 1998, the
94th Air Defense Artillery Brigade formed the nucleus for the first
ever Joint Theater Missile Defense Task Force that deployed to Israel in support
of Operation Noble Safeguard and Desert Thunder.
The 94th Air
Defense patch initially authorized for wear on 29 June 1984 is described by its
red rectangle arched at the top and bottom with a yellow border. A red sea lion
grasping a sword on a yellow tower issuant from base all below two yellow
parallel arrows pointing up from lower right to upper left. The colors red and
yellow allude to the Air Defense Artillery organization. The sea lion grasping
the sword is from the Seal of the President of the Philippines which
commemorates the actions during World War II for which the unit received the
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The two arrows stand for the amphibious
assault landings during World War II campaigns in New Guinea and Luzon. The
arrows in flight also represent ground to air missiles referring to the unit’s
Air Defense mission. The domed tower, characteristic of Germany, symbolizes a
strong defensive position.
The
94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command was activated at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, under Headquarters, United
States Army Pacific, to provide support under the Pacific Command (PACOM),
with a mission of on order, deploying in the PACOM AOR and conducting Joint
and Combined Theater Air and Missile Defense in support of designated OPLANS
and contingency operations. The 94th AAMDC serves as a joint integrator
providing synchronization of Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines Joint
Theater Air and Missile Defense Operations.