Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion
The Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion was established in June 1964 as a Recruiting Main Station (RMS) when USAREC began to organize Army recruiting into several districts. Under the 4th Recruiting District, the RMS was based in the American General Building, now the Journal Record Building, in downtown Oklahoma City. The Armed Forces Entrance and Examining Station (now called MEPS or the Military Entrance Processing Station) was housed in the same building. In 1974, the RMS transitioned into the District Recruiting Command (DRC). The DRC relocated to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in March 1977. The name DRC changed to battalion in October 1983.
In June 1991, the Little Rock Recruiting Battalion closed, and the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion inherited its area of responsibility.
On 19 April 1995, Battalion Headquarters and the Oklahoma City Recruiting Company were destroyed in a terrorist attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast killed seven members of the headquarters staff and one dependent child. More than a dozen employees were injured in the explosion. Temporary headquarters operations resumed from the Capitol Hill Recruiting Station, and later Tinker Air Force Base.
The Battalion moved to 300 North Meridian in November 1995. At the new building dedication and open house held April 24, 1996, a granite and wood memorial to battalion bombing victims was presented and permanently placed on display at the entrance of the Battalion’s Headquarters. The memorial reads, in part: “This memorial is dedicated to the Soldier’s and Department of the Army Civilian Employees of the U.S. Army Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion whose lives were lost by the tragic event of April 19, 1995.”
In February of 2004, the Battalion Headquarters moved into the new Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, located at 301 N.W. 6th Street.
Today, the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion is one of seven battalions within the United States Army Recruiting Command’s 5th Brigade. The Battalion manages recruiting operations in 170 counties covering approximately 207,309 square miles throughout Oklahoma, Arkansas, portions of Kansas, and portions of Texas. Within this region, battalion recruiters contract the best and brightest young people from the area’s 1,294 high schools, 325 colleges and universities, 105 junior colleges, and 27 vocational-technical centers.
The Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion consists of approximately 300+ officers, noncommissioned officers and civilian personnel, eight recruiting companies, 49 recruiting stations, and three Military Entrance Processing Stations. The battalion is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Brian R. Horvath and Command Sergeant Major John C. Carroll.
The Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion continues the fine traditions of the United States Army Recruiting Command, striving to “PROVIDE THE STRENGTH.” As a part of the Total Army Team, the Oklahoma City Recruiting Battalion takes pride in its mission of encouraging our region’s morally, mentally, physically, and administratively qualified young men and women to enlist in the United States Army and serve our great Nation.
ROUGH RIDERS!