Our Battalion
United States Army Recruiting Battalion- Tampa, nicknamed the "Gators", consists of the battalion headquarters and five company headquarters. Battalion Recruiting NCOs are responsible for enlisting young men and women into both the active and reserve components of the U.S. Army.
Gator Battalion Recruiting NCOs cover the majority of West and Central Florida, from St Petersburg in the West to Melbourne in the East, from Inverness in the North to Naples in the South. The Battalion Headquarters is located in Tampa and the Company Headquarters are located in Sarasota, Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland and Saint Petersburg.
United States Army Recruiting Battalion- Tampa is a part of the 2nd Recruiting Brigade, which is currently headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, and U.S. Army Recruiting Command, headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Tampa Battalion History
U.S. Army Recruiting traces its history in Florida to 1918 when U.S. A0326rmy Recruiters were located in Jacksonville. Recruiting in Florida was formally organized in 1968 under the purview of the Jacksonville Recruiting Main Station, one of 40 within the United States. The Jacksonville Recruiting Main Station recruited throughout the entire state of Florida and a portion of southern Georgia. On 1 July 1972, the Army Recruiting Command reorganized into 64 Recruiting Main Stations, to include one in Miami. Redesignated as the Jacksonville District Recruiting Command (DRC) and Miami District Recruiting Command (DRC) in 1974, the two commands divided responsibility for Florida. Jacksonville’s southern border ran from south of Tampa eastward across the state to Melbourne and Miami’s borders included Sarasota on the west coast of Florida, to Fort Pierce on the east coast, and south to Key West. Each recruiting area was commanded by a Master Sergeant. In October 1983, the redesignation of District Recruiting Commands to Recruiting Battalions established the current title of the U.S. Army Recruiting Battalions in Jacksonville and Miami. The Jacksonville Battalion consisted of the Jacksonville, Tampa, Valdosta, Orlando and St. Petersburg Companies, and the Miami Battalion consisted of the Miami, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach Companies. An Army Captain commanded each company. In 1986, the Tampa Company was transferred to the Miami Battalion.
On Sep. 14, 1991, the Tampa Recruiting Battalion was activated in a ceremony at the Marriott Westshore Hotel. LTC Frankie L. Moman accepted the command of the new battalion from 2d Brigade Commander COL Robert Enyeart. The new Tampa Recruiting Battalion drew from portions of the Jacksonville and Miami Battalions and originally consisted of four companies, the Sarasota Company, the Orlando Company, the Tampa Company and the St. Petersburg Company. In October 1995, the Tampa Recruiting Battalion added a fifth recruiting company, the Lakeland Company and in March 2008, the Tampa Recruiting Battalion gained a sixth recruiting company, the Daytona Company. WHEN DID WE LOSE DAYTONA.
The Tampa Recruiting Battalion Headquarters has been located at 3350 Buschwood Park Drive, Tampa, since its activation.
Throughout its proud history, the Recruiting NCOs of the United States Army Recruiting Battalion- Tampa have been successful in providing the quality young men and women for our Army.