Our Battalion
The U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion, Miami, has contributed toward the achievement of the Army’s manpower and mobilization requirements for more than a quarter of a century. Recruiting in South Florida was formally organized in 1968 under the purview of the Jacksonville Recruiting Main Station, one of 40 within the United States. On 1 July 1972, the Army Recruiting Command reorganized into 64 Recruiting Main Stations, to include one in Miami.
Redesignated as the Miami District Recruiting Command (DRC) in 1974, Regular Army applicants were recruited from Sarasota on the west coast of Florida, to Fort Pierce on the east coast, and south to Key West. In 1978 USAREC assumed responsibility for recruiting applicants for the U.S. Army Reserve and providing support to local reserve units. The redesignation of DRCs as Recruiting Battalions in October, 1983, established the current title of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion Miami. In addition to the three original recruiting companies in Miami, Sarasota, and Fort Lauderdale, a fourth company, Tampa, was transferred to the Battalion from Jacksonville in April of 1986. Also in 1986, the Battalion’s mission expanded to include recruiting for the Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps. In January 1988, the Miami Battalion increased its recruiting stations to a strength of 39, covering every zip code in south Florida.
In April, 1989, Palm Beach Company was authorized comprising recruiting stations drawn from Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota Companies. The Tampa and Sarasota Companies, along with some of the Jacksonville Battalion, separated to become the new Tampa Recruiting Battalion in October 1991. San Juan became a company under the Miami Battalion at that time. Palm Beach Company was renamed to Jupiter Company in the spring of 1992. Aguadilla Company was activated in December of 1995. In September of 1999, Miami Company split into Dade North and Dade South Companies.
The Battalion presently consists of six companies: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Jupiter, San Juan, Aguadilla and Puerto Rico District. Our recruiting boundaries extend from Vero Beach to the Florida Keys, and includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.