US Army Training Center - Yearbook (Fort Sill, OK)

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fl- v-pf . I ' HERBERT F. LAYLE LIEUTENANT COLONEL, FIELD ARTILLERY Commanding 39

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HEADQUARTERS 623D FIELD ARTILLERY GBSERVATION BATTALION Pom SILL, OKLAHOMA ir To fhe Officers and Men of fhe 623rd FA Observafion Baffalion: Greefings. The fime now being fhe eve of peace and nof of baffle assures us fhaf fhis unif will nof long remain on acfive dufy sfafus wifh a primary mission of observing for fhe field arfillery. Some will soon refurn fo civilian life, some will aid in governing occu- pied counfries. Whafever is in sfore for us lef each man resolve fo fulfill fhe dufies and responsibilifies of American cifizenship wifh fhe same unselfish spirif fhaf has confrolled our efforfs while af war. Working fogefher we have affained proficiency. The officers and men of fhis baffalion have displayed common sense, courage. abilify and indusfryq characferisfics which give us pleasanf memories and confidence in fhe fufure. fwwffgfl HERBERT F. LAYLE Lieufenanf Colonel, Field Arfillery Commanding 38

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IIISTIIRY 0F THE 623RII FIELD ARTILLERY IIBSERVIITIDN BI-ITTALION ir The 623d Field ArTiIIery ObservaTion baTTalion i was acTivaTed January I5, i945 aT ForT Sill Okla- homa and assigned To The 3lsT Field ArTillery Brigade. To build a baTTalion Tor combaT baTTle Trained personnel were reTur,ned Trom ObsrevaTion BaT- Talions engaged in The European TheaTre oT Op- eraTions, and arrived aT ForT Sill during The period beTween IO February and I8 February. Under The direcTion oT LieuTenanT Colonel Her- berT F. Layle The baTTlion sTarTed Trom The day of birTh To Train Tor iTs combaT missions. OT- Ticers Trom The Field ArTilIery School, The Field ArTillery ReplacemenT Training CenTer and The 624-Th Field ArTilIery ObservaTion BaTTalion and enlisTed men who had come Trom Topographic Engineer UniTs wiTh a Tew Trom Advanced In- TanTry Training CenTers sTarTed wiThouT delay To geT The iob oT building a baTTalion under way. Individual and Cadre Training was conTinued unTil The baTTalion was broughT To approximaTe Tull sTrengTh upon The arrival oT individually Trained Tillers during The lasT halT oT March. While Turnishing many replacemenTs and suT- Tering losses due To TransTers boTh in enlisTed and oTTicer sTrengTh The baTTalion perTormed The mission oT Turnishing Troops and personnel on re- quiremenTs Tor The Field ArTilIery School and aT The same Time carried on an inTensive uniT Train- ing program Trom The daTe oT arrival oT Tillers. On I9 June The baTTalion was ordered To move by rail wiThouT delay To Chicago, Illinois Tor Tem- porary duTy under The operaTional conTrol oT The Commanding General, SixTh Service Command. This duTy in Chicago was Tor a period slighTly less Than Two weeks and The baTTalion arrived baclc aT iTs home sTaTion aT ForT Sill on The nighT oT 3 July. For The worlc done in Chicago The baTTalion received a leTTer oT commendaTion Trom The Commander oT Troops, DisTricT No. 3. SixTh Service Command, ASF, Chicago, Illinois. InTensive Training has been conTinued since The reTurn To ForT Sill and The baTTalion awaiTs whaT ever mission may be in sTore wiTh conTidence ThaT eiTher as a uniT or as individuals iT will per- Torm iTs missions in The True TradiTion oT all well Trained and disciplined soldiers. HILL. wiiLiAMMI::o, I Elecuiive OWU ! N I JOHN H, M, Fir I L' Meleiroli