The unit was constituted into the Regular Army on 13 January 1941 as Company B, 240th Quartermaster Battalion and composed of African-American Soldiers. On 15 February 1944, the unit was redesignated as the 3251st Quartermaster Service Company. During World War II, the unit served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and served during the Rome-Arno campaign, the invasion of Southern France (Operation Dragoon); the Rhineland campaign; the Ardennes-Alsace campaign; and the campaign in Central Europe. The unit was inactivated following World War II. It briefly served in Korea from December 1946 until July 1947 when it was redesignated from the 3251st to the 59th. From September 1950 until December 1957 the company served at Fort Lee, Virginia. The 59th deployed to Vietnam in 1965 and served until its inactivation in 1972. The 59th's latest period of service began in 1995 and includes service during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.