214th Fires Brigade (United States)

214th Fires Brigade
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active	1944-2015
Country	United States
Branch	Field Artillery Branch (United States)
Garrison/HQ	Fort Sill
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The 214th Fires Brigade is an inactive field artillery brigade in the United States Army. The brigade inactivated on May 28, 2015, at Fort Sill, OK.

Following its transformation to a modular field artillery brigade in 2006, the 214th Fires Brigade consisted of 2 MLRS battalions (2-4th Field Artillery "Deep Attack" and 1-14th Field Artillery), a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer battalion (2-5th Field Artillery), a target acquisition battery (H/26th Field Artillery), the 168th Brigade Support Battalion, and the 529th Signal Company. Prior to the modular transformation, the 214th Field Artillery Brigade consisted of 3 MLRS battalions: 2-4th Field Artillery, 3-13th Field Artillery, and 1-14th Field Artillery. The Brigade's mission was to performs a wide variety of functions ranging from the delivery of rocket artillery fires to operating a field hospital. Soldiers from the Brigade were regularly deployed worldwide and trained for many different missions. The 214th Field Artillery Brigade maintained a high state of combat readiness for priority worldwide contingency missions and supported Fort Sill with medical, personnel, transportation, engineer, aviation, maintenance, and chemical assets.

The 214th Fires Brigade was first constituted on 3 February 1944 in the Army of the United States as the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 214th Field Artillery Group and was assigned to XXI Corps, 4th US Army, at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The Group was activated on 17 April 1944. After activation at Camp Van Dorn, Mississippi, the Group moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma on 18 November 1944 for training. The unit was moved to Europe, to Camp Twenty Grand, France on 21 April 1945. European assignments included Simmern, Neidormendig, Bassenheim, and Trier, Germany. After being assigned twice in France, at Camp Atlanta and Camp Lucky Strike, the unit returned to Continental United States (CONUS) at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. On 13 November 1945, after moving to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, the 214th Artillery Group was inactivated.

The 214th Artillery Group was re-designated on 15 September 1958 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 214th Artillery Group, and allotted to the Regular Army. It remained inactive until 15 October 1958, when it was reactivated and assigned to the United States Army Artillery and Missile Center at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

On 15 March 1972, the Group was re-designated as the 214th Field Artillery Group. On 5 July 1979, the 3 missile battalions of the 9th Field Artillery Missile Group were reassigned to the 214th Field Artillery Group. On 16 September 1979, the 214th Field Artillery Group was re-designated as the 214th Field Artillery Brigade.

During 2000, the "Naturally We Lead" Brigade, the only pure MLRS brigade in the US Army, deployed elements of its 3 battalions throughout CONUS and OCONUS. The Brigade Headquarters deployed twice to Fort Hood, first for Exercise Road Runner and then the 1st Cavalry Warfighter exercise. During the exercise, the 214th FA Brigade reinforced the 4th Infantry Division Artillery (DIVARTY) and delivered devastating fires on the OPFOR, enhancing the Division's success.