U.S. IX Corps
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IX Corps | |
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IX Corps Shoulder Sleeve Insignia |
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Active | June 1940 - March 1950 August 1950 - September 1995 |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Federal |
Branch | Regular Army Army Reserve |
Type | Corps |
Colors | Red and Blue |
For the IX Corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War, see IX Corps (ACW).
The U.S. IX Corps was a corps of the United States Army which served in World War II and throughout the Cold War. In time throughout its history it has been known as IX Army Corps, and is the foundation for both the U.S. 9th Theater Support Command at Camp Zama, Japan, and the U.S. 9th Regional Readiness Command at Fort Shafter, Hawaii, of the U.S. Army Reserve.
[edit] History
IX Corps was activated at the IX Army Corps at Fort Lewis, Washington, on 1 June 1940. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the corps was put in command of defensive operations along central and northern regions of the Pacific coast. On 1 September 1943, the formation was redesinated IX Corps. One year later on 25 September 1944, the corps closed headquarters at Fort McPherson, Georgia, in preparation for deployment to Hawaii. Once in Hawaii, the corps was placed under the command of U.S. Tenth Army and tasked with developing strategies for the invasion of the Japanese-held Chinese coast as well as preparation for the deployment of Tenth Army soldiers to Okinawa. When General of the Army Douglas MacArthur took overall command of Pacific Forces, IX Corps moved to Leyte in the Philippine Islands and was assigned to U.S. Sixth Army in July 1945. There it was tasked with the planning of the U.S. invasion of Japan and the subsequent occupation. In October 1945, Japan surrendered, which brought IX Corps to headquarters at Sapporo for occupation duties. In March of 1950, U.S. occupational duties were reduced and IX Corps was inactivated.
On 10 August 1950, IX Corps was reactivated at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, for combat in Korea. Throughout the conflict, the formation served with distinction under U.S. Eighth Army in operations to limit further Communist reinforcements entering the peninsula. On 1 January 1954, the corps was transferred from Eighth Army to Far East United States Army Forces. On 2 February 1956, the corps moved its headquarters from mainland Japan to Fort Buckner on Okinawa.
In 1961, IX Corps headquarters was reorganized as the U.S. 9th Regional Support Command in Hawaii. 15 May 1972 saw the corps' return to Japan where it merged its headquarters with U.S. Army Japan, though the Regional Support Command remained in Hawaii. IX Corps was inacivated in September 1995 at Camp Zama, Japan, and in its place was activated U.S. 9th Theater Army Area Command, predecessor of the current U.S. 9th Theater Support Command. The units in Hawaii were redesignated headquarters U.S. 9th Army Reserve Command, the foundation unit for the Army Reserve's current U.S. 9th Regional Readiness Command.