beginning in December 2009 with attachments from Michigan, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and West Virginia National Guard units. The 278th acted as the convoy security element for the 13th ESC, and was tasked with the protection of retrograde activities and FOB closures from the Turkish border to Kuwait. FOB Assignments: Camp Taji: RHHT/278 ACR, SPT/278 ACR, RTS/278 ACR COB Speicher: 3/278 ACR Joint Base Balad: 2/278 ACR FOB Q-West: 1/278 ACR FOB Marez/Diamond Back: RFS/278 ACR FOB Prosperity: Spc. Robert D. West received a Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge for injuries sustained on 31 May 2010 while assigned to 2nd Platoon RFS/278 ACR on a return mission to Marez/Diamond. After passing through an Iraqi Army checkpoint his vehicle was hit with two IEDs, injuring West. West climbed back into the turret and manned the .50BMG until he and the vehicle's crew were moved to surrounding vehicles. After undergoing medical treatment West returned to his unit and remained in theatre until his unit redeployed to the United States in August 2010 with no fatalities. Equipment 1st and 3rd Squadrons are armored battalions and have 2 tank companies each and 1 mechanized infantry company each. Each tank company (troop) is equipped with 14 M1A1 SA (situational awareness variant) main battle tanks. Each Infantry company (troop) is equipped with M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle. 2nd squadron is a mechanized infantry battalion and consists of 2 mechanized infantry companies and 1 tank company. The Field Artillery Squadron (FAS) consists of three artillery batteries (fielding M109A6 Paladins), a support troop, and headquarters troop. Honors Campaign participation credit WORLD WAR I Offensive Ypres-Lys Flanders 1918 WORLD WAR II Normandy Northern France Rhineland Ardennes-Alsace Central Europe Guinea Leyte Luzon Ryukyus (with arrowhead) HHT/2/278 ACR (Cookeville); HQ/SPT/278 ACR (Smyrna); and B(-)/1/278 ACR (Clarksville) each additionally entitled to: WORLD WAR II Southern Philippines Decorations Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered ST. BARTHELMY Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered UBACH Presidential Unit Citation (Army), Streamer embroidered SCHERPENSEEL French Croix de Guerre with Silver Star, World War II, Steamer embroidered SCHERPENSEEL French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Steamer embroidered FRANCE Belgian Fourragere 1940 Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for actions in Belgium Cited in the Order of the Day of the Belgian Army for actions in ARDENNES A(-)/RFS/278 ACR (Maryville), additionally entitled to: French Croix de Guerre with Palm, World War II, Steamer embroidered