Our Battalion

The Dallas Recruiting Battalion can trace its organizational roots back to October 1946 when Fourth U.S. Army established seven separate recruiting districts in the Southwestern United States. Recruiting District Dallas was one of these original districts. In 1949, the seven districts were consolidated into two districts. One was the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Texas Recruiting District with its headquarters to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and it was subsequently re-designated the U.S. Army Recruiting District as the Army and Air Force established separate recruiting services.

In December 1956, the name was changed to Fourth U.S. Army Recruiting District and covered the five states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

In September 1964, Headquarters, U.S. Army Recruiting Command was activated as part of the USA Continental Army Command, and the Fourth U.S. Army Recruiting District was separated from Fourth U.S. Army and re-designated U.S. Army Fourth Recruiting District. Eleven subordinate stations, know as U.S. Army Recruiting Main Stations, were established at this time. One of these Recruiting Main Stations was headquartered in Dallas.

Of all the changes taking place in the past fifty years, the most dramatic and certainly most challenging has been the change in the recruiting concept itself - the evolution of the Volunteer Army.

It was October 13, 1970 that General William C. Westmoreland announced the Army's commitment to an all-out effort to end the draft. In December 1972 the last draftee was inducted, and on June 30, 1973 the Induction Authority expired. From that time, and for the first time in 25 years the Army's strength had to be maintained entirely from volunteers.

On March 1, 1976, the recruiting Command underwent another reorganization. The U.S. Army Recruiting Main Station was re-designated U.S. Army Dallas District Recruiting Command (DRC). The DRC was organized with an authorized strength of nine officers, ninety-seven enlisted, and thirteen civilians.

In an effort to realign the Recruiting Command organizational structure as the Army moved to the regimental designation system, another reorganization occurred in October 1983. At that the District Recruiting Command was re-designated as the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Dallas.

Today the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Dallas encompasses 127 counties in north, central, and west Texas consisting of 123,487 square miles. In addition to the Battalion Headquarters, there are seven Recruiting Companies and forty-seven Recruiting Stations, with a total of 11 officers, 400 enlisted personnel, and 45 Department of the Army civilians and contractors.

The Mission of this Battalion is - Recruit the strength of the Army through Leadership; The Vision of this Battalion is - Team ranger - consisting of Families, Civilians, Community Partners and Disciplined Soldiers - is an adaptive network of values-based leaders who inspire the growth of the next "Greatest Generation", while taking care of our most precious asset... People.

Over the years, Dallas Battalion has been directly responsible for placing thousands of qualified soldiers in Today's Army and Army Reserve.