| Unit Name: | 201st Field Artillery Regiment |
| Dates: | 1735–present |
| Country: |  United States |
| Allegiance: | West Virginia |
| Branch: | West Virginia Army National Guard |
| Type: | Field artillery regiment |
| Size: | 1 active battalion |
| Garrison: | Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Equipment: | M109A6 Paladin, HEMTT, HMMWV |
| Nickname: | First West Virginia (Special Designation)[1] |
| Motto: | Yes Sir |
| Battles: | French and Indian War American Revolutionary War War of 1812 Mexican - American War American Civil War Spanish - American War World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Gulf War Iraq War War in Afghanistan
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| Identification Symbol Label: | Distinctive unit insignia |
The 201st Field Artillery Regiment ("First West Virginia") is a West Virginia Army National Guard regiment. It currently perpetuates the Virginia elements of the Maryland and Virginia Rifle Regiment, which fought in the American Revolution. Organized by Colonel Morgan Morgan in Bunker Hill, West Virginia in 1735, it is the oldest continually-active regiment in the U.S. Army and the oldest in the West Virginia Army National Guard. Units also saw action on both sides of the American Civil War, with many companies of the regiment combined to form the Union Army's 1st West Virginia Infantry.[2]
Headquartered in Fairmont, West Virginia, the 201st Field Artillery employs the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer, and is part of the 197th Field Artillery Brigade, which is part of the New Hampshire Army National Guard.
On 6 January 1941 the 201st was inducted into federal service at Morgantown, West Virginia, and moved to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, on 10 January 1941 where it was attached to the Second Army. The regiment staged at Camp Murray, Washington, on 5 August 1941 until it departed the Seattle port of embarkation on 12 September 1941, arriving at Kodiak, Alaska, on 16 September 1941. The 201st transferred to Adak Island in November 1942 and to Amchitka in January 1943 before departing Alaska on 22 March 1944 and returning to the Seattle port of embarkation on 2 April 1944. The regiment moved to Camp Carson, Colorado on 10 April 1944 under the XVI Corps, and was reassigned to the XXXVI Corps on 17 July 1944. Beginning in April 1944, the regiment provided an accelerated six-week course of infantry training (four weeks of familiarization, qualification, and transition firing, and two weeks of tactical training) to men who were formerly members of disbanded anti-aircraft and tank destroyer units or who had volunteered for transfer to the infantry from other branches of the Army.[3] It relocated to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on 10 September 1944 under IX Corps and was assigned to XXIII Corps on 25 September 1944. It arrived at Camp Rucker (now Fort Novosel), Alabama, on 3 March 1945 under the Replacement & School Command and was inactivated there on 26 September 1945.[4]
Following the war’s end the 201st reverted to state control where it was reorganized and redesignated as the 201st Field Artillery Battalion.[5]
In December 1990, the unit was called to serve in Operation Desert Storm. The unit was activated for 180 days unless sooner released or later extended. The 201st left Fairmont and went to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for training. It joined XVIII Corps Artillery, 18th Field Artillery Brigade.[6] On the exact 256th anniversary of its founding, the unit fired 256 rounds downrange at Iraqi forces. David Tucker was a chaplain's assistant of the unit at the time and noted this in a letter to The Fairmont Times.
The units of the 201st returned to their home base in May, 1991. The "First West Virginia" did not lose a single soldier during the war.
In December 2003, the 201st was again called to active duty for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldiers trained at Fort Drum, New York in January and February, 2004 before going overseas. While in theater, the battalion was subordinated to the 197th Fires Brigade of the New Hampshire National Guard and commanded by Colonel James Guise. The 197th reported directly to III Corps Artillery, under the command of Brigadier General Richard Formica. The unit spent one year in Iraq before returning home in February 2005. The Battalion Headquarters (HHB) operated out of Camp Cedar II and Tallil Airbase, both of which are approximately 10miles west of An Nasiriyah in the Dhi Qar province of Iraq. B Battery and Service Battery were co-located with the HHB. A Battery operated out of Convoy Support Center (CSC) Scania and C Battery operated out of CSC Navistar in Kuwait. The Battalion's mission was convoy security and route clearance for Main Supply Route (MSR) Tampa, the primary route for supplies in Iraq at the time. C Battery would later move north to Camp Cedar II and Tallil Airbase and continue convoy security. Some members of C Battery were also attached to the 1st Cav Division in Jan 2005 to provide extra security in Baghdad (they were stationed in the Hotel District: the Baghdad, Palestine and Sheraton Hotels across the river from the Green Zone) for the first elections while the rest of the unit and battalion trained their replacements.
Today, 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment is the only active squadron in the regiment. Battery A, B, and C each field the M109A6 Paladin, a self-propelled howitzer utilizing a 155mm main cannon. The "First West Virginia" is also complemented by two detachments from the 1201st Forward Support Company, which are attached to the regiment.
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Symbolism:
Background: The coat of arms was originally approved for the 201st Infantry Regiment on 21 November 1929. It was redesignated for the 201st Armored Field Artillery Battalion on 20 July 1953. It was redesignated for the 201st Artillery Regiment on 18 July 1960. The insignia was redesignated for the 201st Field Artillery Regiment on 19 July 1972.