MISSION:
The 81st Readiness Division provides programs and installation services for commands and assigned units enabling mission readiness.
VISION:
Be the best Readiness Division - in the eyes of our supported commanders and leaders - committed to excellence, living the Army Values and focused on Wildcat PRIDE.
LINEAGE:
"TRAIN, MAINTAIN, SUSTAIN"
The 81st Division was established in August 1917 during World War I at Camp Jackson, South Carolina. Commanded by Major General Charles Bailey, the unit deployed to Europe in support of actions on the Western Front.
During World War I, the unit fought in the Lorraine and Meuse-Argonne campaigns before demobilization in 1919. It was during their time in Europe and after seeing similar items in use by Allied troops, Maj. Gen. Bailey ordered the creation of a divisional shoulder patch for his men. The symbol of the Wildcat was chosen by the unit, given the number of actual wildcats found on Camp Jackson. General John J, Pershing eventually approved the use of the patch, and the Wildcat Patch became the first official divisional patch of the Army. The initial patch design was sketched by a Wildcat Soldier; that basic design is still the foundation for patch worn by today’s 81st Soldiers.
The 81st Infantry Division (ID) was reactivated in support of World War II in June 1942 at Camp Rucker, Alabama. The 81st ID fought in the Palau and Philippine campaigns before inactivating in Japan in January 1946. In November 1947, the 81st ID was reconstituted in the Organized Reserve with the division headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Reorganized as the 81st Army Reserve Command (ARCOM) in 1967, it deployed reserve units to Vietnam, Southwest Asia, and the Balkans.
The 81st was relocated in 1996 to Birmingham, Alabama, and reorganized as the 81st Regional Support Command (RSC). It was responsible for command and control of all Army Reserve units in the southeast United States and Puerto Rico.
In 2003, the 81st RSC was reorganized as the 81st Regional Readiness Command (RRC). In September 2008, the 81st RRC inactivated at Birmingham, Alabama. In its place, a reorganized 81st Regional Support Command (RSC) activated at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
On October 1, 2018, the 81st RSC was reorganized as the 81st Readiness Division and designated to gain additional responsibilities from other Army Reserve Functional Commands in addition to the enduring Base Operations (BASOPS) mission.
Today the 81st RD provides the Army Reserve with “Ready Soldiers, Ready Facilities and Ready Equipment” through base operations, administrative support, and vehicle and equipment maintenance for over 50,000 Soldiers throughout nine southeastern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This footprint covers 254 facilities, 45 maintenance shops, and a New Equipment Fielding Facility. All this supports essential capabilities for warfighting and civil homeland emergency response through Defense Support to Civil Authorities.