The 338th Army Band is a United States Army Reserve military band stationed in Whitehall, Ohio and Livonia, Michigan. Currently the unit serves under the 88th Regional Support Command, headquartered at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
The 338th Army Band was originally formed in 1943 at Camp Siebert, Alabama as part of a support group for General Patton's 3rd Army in Europe. The band was deactivated before overseas deployment in 1945. The 338th was reactivated in 1952 as part of the Second United States Army. Later, the 338th became part of the XX Corps of the First United States Army. In 1967, the band was reassigned to the 83rd Army Reserve Command at Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio. In July 1995, the 338th moved its location to Whitehall, Ohio near the Defense Supply Center, Columbus. In September 1995, the 338th was transferred to the 88th Reserve Support Command with headquarters at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Subsequently, that command became the 88th Regional Support Command and then became the 88th Regional Readiness Command. In 2002, the former members of the 70th Division Band (Reserve), based in Livonia, Michigan, became the First Detachment of the 338th. In 2006, the 338th was reassigned to the 310th Expeditionary Support Command, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. In 2008, the 338th was reassigned as a DRU to the 88th Regional Support Command newly headquartered at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin.
The 70th Division U.S. Army Band was activated on May 15, 1943 at Camp Adair, Oregon, and served with the division in Italy, France, and Germany. During this period, the division saw combat in numerous battles, including the capture of Monte Cassino, Italy, and the Battle of the Bulge. The band itself earned campaign credit for service in the Rhineland and Central Europe. The band was inactivated in Germany in Dec. 1945, but reactivated in Michigan during the Korean War. In 2002, the band was moved to Seattle, WA and many of the members became attached to the 338th Columbus, OH, with station in Livonia, MI. The newly based 70th Division Band in Washington became attached to the 204th band and later decommissioned in 2009.