Originally constituted as the 108th Airborne Division in 1946 and briefly tabbed to be an Infantry Division (1952 to 1956), the 108th Training Command has been training Soldiers for more than sixty years at variety of organizational levels and with different focuses, from basic and initial entry training to specialized mobilization training and special skills. Since it became a training unit in 1956, it has been designated as the 108th Division (Training) and 108th Division (Institutional Training) before being given its current title, 108th Training Command (Initial Entry Training).
Over that time, the Command has developed and introduced new training techniques and methods, including testing of new rifle qualification methods and development of its own Drill Sergeant school, leading the way in Soldier training and inspiring the unit motto “First In Training.”
The unit’s nickname “Golden Griffons” was chosen because the griffon, a mythical creature that is half-eagle and half-lion, reflected the Division’s initial capabilities as an Airborne Division to strike from both the air and the ground. Incorporated into the insignia that eventually was approved for the 108th Training Command, the griffon is in a passant position with one foreleg in the air, a symbol of guardian protection. The griffon is charged inside a seven-sided polygon (heptagon) that reflects the seven states within which the Division was activated.
The 108th Training Command is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina at the United States Army Reserve Center. It has command and control of three training divisions: the 95th, 98th, and the 104th.
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