The 1st Personnel Command, or 1st PERSCOM, was activated on 20 October 1978 and tasked with providing a complete range of administrative and personnel support for the Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Europe, the first line of defense against any Soviet or Eastern Bloc incursion into Europe in general and Germany in particular.
The 1st Perscom shoulder sleeve insignia, or unit patch, was authorized on 7 November 1978, consisting of a white Arabic numeral one on a blue field with a red border, a design that emphasized the unit’s unique role as the Theater Army Personnel Command deployed overseas to handle personnel issues and administrative functions. The same design was used for the Command's Combat Service ID Badge when the Army introduced the Army Service Uniform to replace the Class A Army Green Service uniform.
Three years later, on 14 August 1981, 1st PERSCOM was authorized a Distinctive Unit Insignia, and shortly thereafter it received approval for its motto, “Soldiers 1st”—a reference to both the mission of 1st PERSCOM as well as the Soldiers working to achieve that goal.
1st Personnel Command was disbanded on 26 June 2008, and its duties and responsibilities assigned to 21st Theater Sustainment Command.
Related Items
1st Personnel Command Unit Crest (DUI)
1st Personnel Command Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB)