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7830th
Signal Service Company |
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| Company History | |||
| 1954 | |||
| (Source: Material found at the USAREUR Military History Office, early 1980s) | |||
| The 7830th Signal
Service Company is located (1954) at Turenne Kaserne, Zweibrücken. The Company's MISSION: - to provide security for four highly classified operational outposts located near:  BattweilerBärenhütteDietrichingenContwig- to perform maintenance and light construction on approximately 106 miles of aerially suspended Spiral-4 communications lines from the outposts to operations and headquarters; - to provide logistical support for the 9571st TSU (SCRU) attached. ORGANIZATION (1954): Commanding Officer Headquarters (Pltn) Personnel SectionSupply SectionMotor SectionOperations & Training (Pltn) Wire SectionDog (Guard) SectionSecurity Pltn |
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If you have more
information on the history or organization of the 7830th Signal Service
Company, please contact me . |
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| MISCELLANEOUS
UNIT INFORMATION: On Arne Mahlum's Field Station Augsburg website, the 7830th Sig Sv Pltn is listed as being stationed at Herzogenaurach in 1949 and 1950. Another entry states that the 7830th is attached to the 52nd Signal Service Detachment. Don't know if that is operationally or for admin only. In a guestbook entry on the 38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron website, the 7830th is mentioned with location at Zweibrücken, 1955-56 |
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| (Source: Email from Ben Marberry, 7830th Sig Svc Co, 1954-56) | |||
| I served with
the 7830th Signal Service Company in
Zweibrucken, Germany 1954 thru 1956. Sometime during about '55 the
name of the Unit was changed to Signal Service Company 7830th A.U.
I have been unable to find any mention of this outfit on any webpage.
We provided guards for 4 fenced in outposts located about 10 miles
from the post. We were never told what we were guarding, but rumor
was it was some short of communications equipment. We also had contact
with a "secret" outfit and it was called, I believe, the 9571st also
located at Zweibrucken. I arrived in Germany in August of 1954. We caught a train to Zweibrucken for processing to other units in Europe. I believe at that time, all US Army personnel were processed through Zweibrucken. During the formation the next morning, long before daylight, a somewhat short, red haired, freckle faced SFC was calling the roll. When he got to my name, he stopped and ordered me to "front and center". His name was Sgt. Charles O. Farris and he had been one of my High School ROTC instructors at South Side High School in Memphis, TN. That night he picked me up at the billets we were in and invited me to dinner at the Enlisted Men's Club on post. I was introduced to Parkbrau beer and Champaign and a huge steak to celebrate our reunion. Sgt. Farris was also assigned to C&A (Classification & Assignment) and offered me an assignment anywhere in Europe that had a need for my MOS, Military Police. He said about the best duty in Germany was right there at Zweibrucken with the "secret" signal outfit stationed there. He did not know anything about their activities, but stated from what he had heard it was a good outfit. That's how I came to join the 7830th Signal Service Company. We were a small company, about 80 men as I recall. At that time our C.O. was Captain Winfield A. Sprague and the exec. was 1st Leut. Donald Pomeroy. I believe our First Sgt. was Warren Gannaway. The Company's mission, as I understood it, was to furnish guards for 4 outposts located just a few miles from Zweibrucken. We had a line platoon that maintained the communication wire from each outpost to the 9571st. We used EE-8 Field Phones for commo. Each outpost was manned by a Corporal of the Guard, three guards and a cook. One guard at each post was a dog handler and assigned a German Police guard dog. We lived in a nice little two room house, the back room with cots and the front room with a kitchen, dining table and chairs and a sort of recliner. We walked the perimeter 4 hours on and 8 hours off. If you happened to have an understanding Corp. of the Guard, he would occasionally take a turn walking a tour. We manned the posts 24/7 365 days a year. I spent one Christmas and one Thanksgiving on outpost duty. Now the big mystery to all of us was; what in the hell were we guarding ? I spent two years, off and on, walking around the outpost guarding a little wooden shack, about the size of an outdoor toilet, surrounded by chain link fence with a locked gate. The bad part was the cold winter nights, below freezing, snow on the ground, walking with the dog from 4 a.m. -- 8 a.m. The good part was when we were relieved from that tour, we had 2 1/2 days off. Passes both days and the Company was very generous with 3 day passes. Every one knew that, in the parlance of the day, we had it made and didn't want to do anything that might jeopardize staying with the 7830th. I have some pictures of that time and when I gather them together, maybe you can post them on your site. Some of the men I remember were SFC Tony Stec, Sgt. Vernon Duke, Spec. David Brown, Spec. Danny Thomas, "Shaky" Hansen, Don Miller and many whose names escape me right now. In April of '91, just after the first Gulf War, I went back to Germany for a short visit. I went alone and spent most of my time in Zweibrucken, just driving around and trying to find old landmarks. The post was still manned at that time, and our billets were now manned by female soldiers ! What a change and how welcome they would have been in 1954. I know that most veterans remember fondly their time in the military and sometimes their memory is very "selective". But any man that was in the 7830th during the time period of '54, '55, and '56, KNEW they truly had it made. |
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