108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade ( United States ) The 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an air defense artillery brigade of the United States Army . The mission of the brigade is to train and maintain a strategic crisis response air defense artillery brigade capable of deploying worldwide , on short notice , to provide air defense force protection from air - breathing threats and tactical ballistic missiles , as well as allow freedom of maneuver for XVIII Airborne Corps operations . History . World War II . The 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade traces its lineage to the 514th Coast Artillery Regiment ( Antiaircraft ) , which was formed in Schenectady , New York in October , 1923 . The Regiment was reorganized as the 108th Coast Artillery Group ( Antiaircraft ) on 3 January 1943 at Camp Davis , North Carolina , and again reorganized as the 108th Antiaircraft Artillery Group , in May of the same year . The 108th was then moved to Camp Stewart , Georgia on 14 October 1943 . Two months later , the 108th staged at Camp Shanks , New York on 22 December and remained there until they deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 6 days later , and arrived in England on 7 January 1944 . The brigade deployed to Europe during World War II , and participated in the landings at Normandy , going ashore at Utah Beach on 28 June 1944 . The 108th then went on to provide antiaircraft defense for the city and port of Cherbourg , for eleven months , and then moved forward to the cities of Rheims and Rouen . The brigade was moved forward to Germany on 2 May 1945 , and was stationed in Kaufhueren on 20 August . The Group was deactivated there on 14 December 1945 , and returned to the Army reserve . The personnel and equipment from the brigade were dispersed to the occupation units . 1 / 514th CAR ( AA ) became 217th Coast Artillery Battalion on 20 January 1943 , and was again redesignated as 217th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion on 28 June 1943 . The 217th deployed from the Boston Port of Embarkation on 7 April 1944 and arrived in England on 17 April 1944 . The 217th moved forward to France on 25 June 1944 , where they remained until they moved forward to participate in the Ardennes - Alsace Offensive . The 217th was relocated to Stubenag , Germany on 20 August 1945 . The 217th returned to the continental US via the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation on 2 February 1946 , and was deactivated and returned to the US Army Reserve the same day . 2 / 514th CAR ( AA ) became 639th Coast Artillery Battalion ( Auto Weapons ) on 20 January 1943 , And was again redesignated as the 639th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion ( Auto Weapons ) on 15 May . The 639th deployed from the New York Port of Embarkation on 29 September 1944 , and landed in France on 10 October 1944 . The 639th was then relocated to Braunfels , Germany on 20 August 1945 . The 639th returned to the continental US via the New York Port of Embarkation on 2 February 1946 , and was deactivated at Camp Kilmer , and returned to the US Army Reserve on the same day . 3 / 514th CAR ( AA ) became 363rd Coast Artillery Battalion ( Search Light ) on 20 January 1943 , and was redesignated as the 363rd Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion ( Searchlight ) on 3 March 1943 . The 363rd did not deploy , but remained at Fort Gordon , Georgia until 31 October 1944 , whereupon the unit was deactivated and returned to the US Army Reserve , with the personnel and equipment transferred elsewhere as required . Post - War . In September , 1956 , the 108th AA Group was reactivated in Los Angeles , California . It was again redesignated as the 108th Artillery Group ( Air Defense ) . The 108th was deactivated in April 1960 , in Fort MacArthur , California . Vietnam War . In May 1967 , the group was reactivated at Fort Riley , Kansas as the 108th Artillery Group and deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in October 1967 . The Group participated in every major operation conducted in I Corps area of operations and credited with participation in eleven different campaigns while in Vietnam . For its service it was awarded the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm . The 108th departed from Vietnam on 22 November 1971 for Fort Lewis , Washington , where the unit was again inactivated . Post - Vietnam . On 26 August 1974 , the group was again reactivated at Kapun Barracks , Kaiserslautern , West Germany , as the 108th Air Defense Group , the only Chaparral / Vulcan Group in the US Army . In September 1975 the group moved to Kleber Kaserne and on 1 October 1982 it was redesignated the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade . On 15 April 1992 the Brigade was moved to Fort Polk , Louisiana , becoming a Patriot ( 2 – 43rd ) and Avenger ( 1 – 2nd ) unit , and on 15 August 1996 the brigade moved to Fort Bliss , Texas . At Fort Bliss the brigade was aligned under the Fort Bragg - based XVIII Airborne Corps and , because of this alignment , added an Airborne tab above its patch ; however , according to the U . S . Army Institute of Heraldry , the alignment with XVIII Airborne Corps does not serve as authorization to add the Airborne tab and the brigade has never been authorized to wear it . The IOH also notes the brigade asked to be authorized a beret flash and parachute wing oval but was turned down because the brigade is not an Airborne unit and is not authorized either a flash or oval . The brigade ' s only unit to serve on jump status was the Stinger Platoon of 2 – 52nd ADA . This platoon , under the command of 1LT Evan Phelps , had the distinction of being the first ADA unit to be deployed in the opening days of the Gulf War . 2 – 52 ADA was disbanded shortly after the Gulf War in the early 1990s . Later in 2007 , the brigade would again have Airborne units assigned to its command with the addition of the 3 – 4th ADA when it was reassigned from the 82nd Airborne Division . Under the ongoing reorganization , only Battery E of 3 – 4th ADA is on jump status . In 2007 – 2008 , the unit was to be moved to Fort Bragg as part of the 2005 BRAC realignment . The 108th saw its 1 – 7th ADA deployed to South Korea ( the first U . S . deployment since the Korean War ) and gained 3 – 4th ADA , previously an Avenger battalion . The 3 – 4th ADA is now organized as an " Air and Missile Defense " battalion . Additionally , the brigade lost the 2 – 43rd ADA to the 11th ADA Brigade .