U.S. ARMY 16TH MILITARY POLICE BRIGADE COMBAT SERVICE ID BADGE (CSIB)

Less than a year after its May, 1966 activation at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, the 16th Military Police (MP) Group had arrived in Vietnam and taken control of command, planning, and coordination of MP units operating in the I and II Corps Tactical Zones. It earned official credit for participation in 13 of the 17 U.S. Army offensives conducted during the Vietnam War, and was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations and the Republic of Vietnam Cross Gallantry.

In July of 1981, the Group was reorganized and redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th MP Brigade (Airborne) and since then has been deployed at various locations across the globe in support of XVIII Airborne Corps. During that time, it has been involved in hurricane relief (St. Croix following hurricane Hugo, Florida after hurricane Andrew), stabilizing interventions (Haiti), and military actions including the invasions of Grenada and Panama, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

It was awarded a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its support role in the first Gulf War and earned two more for its role in Operation Iraqi Freedom; it also garnered one for its performance during its deployment to Afghanistan in 2009-1010. The brigade’s 50-year track record of living by its motto of “Combat Support,” found on its unit crest, has resulted in it receiving the official nickname “One of a Kind" (although at one point this was also a reference the Brigade's status as the only Airborne MP unit in the Army).

The brigade’s CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) features an arrowhead superimposed over a star that symbolize leadership; the arrowhead is a reminder of the unit’s constant preparedness to provide support for combat personnel. A globe in the background is a reminder of the unit’s worldwide sphere of operations