Bumper marking translation

[BKubu]

I have an M925A2 that came out of Ft. Jackson, SC. As you face the truck from the front, the passenger side bumper marking reads TDC FJ. I know this means Tactical Doctrine Command, Ft. Jackson. The driver's side reads TAB 061. Does anyone know what TAB 061 might mean? Thanks!

 

[bigbee]

Probably something like Training Assistance Battalion. TDC is actually Training AND Doctrine Command, commonly called TRADOC. Most likely used to haul the basic trainees around when they didn't use the cattle cars.

 

[BKubu]

Thanks for the clarification, Brian. I did a search on TAB on the Ft. Jackson website, but found nothing. Your explanation sounds reasonable.

 

[Elwenil]

Another one to consider is TAB: Target Acquisition Battery. In my searches it seems to come up a lot when searched with TRADOC and Ft. Jackson. TAB 's apparently part of an MLRS battalion.

Here's an article mentioning them together:
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/army/unit/docs/mr-98may-june-jor.htm

 

[bigbee]

When I was at Ft. Jackson, MLRS hadn't been invented yet, and there were no Active Duty assets other than training support as fas I as I know.

The MLRS Battalion we had in the Michigan Army Guard (182nd FA/MLRS, 177thMP BDE) may have had a Target Acquisition Battery, but I never heard of it. I was with the Direct Support Unit and we called ourselves the "inflight missile mechanics" or "rocket docs" and only worried about the launcher getting the rounds downrange. Never wondered how they decided where the target was.

EDIT:
IIRC, TRADOC is actually HQd at Ft. Jackson and so all of the pubs and doctrine statements from TRADOC are credited with being written there. MLRS is actually considered Field Artillery (FA) and unless they've stuck a new unit at Jackson, Artillery comes out of Ft. Sill, OK.