Washington Army National Guard Explained

Unit Name:	Headquarters, State Area Command Washington Army National Guard
Dates:	1854–Present
Country:	United States
Type:	ARNG Headquarters Command
Command Structure:	Washington National Guard
Current Commander:	BG Paul T. Sellars
Commander2:	CW5 Marc Brackett
Commander2 Label:	Command Chief Warrant Officer
Commander3:	CSM Eric D. Honeycutt
Commander3 Label:	Command Sergeant Major
Garrison:	Camp Murray, Washington
Battles:	World War I World War II Korean War Persian Gulf War Kosovo War War in Afghanistan Iraq War War Against the Islamic State
Identification Symbol Label:	Distinctive unit insignia

The Washington Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the Washington National Guard based in Washington. The history of the Washington Army National Guard dates back to 1854 with formation of the Washington Territorial Militia.^[1] The command is headquartered at Camp Murray in Pierce County. It consists of 6,200 soldiers in two brigades and various smaller units located throughout the state.

Units

• Joint Forces Headquarters
• 10th Civil Support Team (WMD)^[2]
• 56th Theater Information Operations Group^[3]
  • 156th Information Operations Battalion
    • Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 156th IO BN
    • Company A, 156th IO BN
    • Company B, 156th IO BN
  • 122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element
    • 141st Military History Detachment
  • 341st Military Intelligence Battalion (Linguist)
    • Headquarters and Headquarters Company
    • Company A, 341st MI BN
    • Company B, 341st MI BN
    • Company D, 341st MI BN
  • Company A, 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
  • Special Operations Detachment - Pacific Command
    • 1161st Rigger Detachment
• 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team
  • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
  • 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment
  • 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery Regiment
  • 898th Brigade Engineer Battalion
  • 181st Brigade Support Battalion^[4]
• 96th Aviation Troop Command
  • 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion [GSAB])^[5]
    • Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-168th GSAB
    • Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th GSAB
    • Detachment 2, Company C, 1st Battalion, 168th GSAB
    • Company D, 1st Battalion, 168th GSAB
    • Company E, 1st Battalion, 168th GSAB
    • Company C, 140th
    • Detachment 1, Company B, 351st
  • Company C, 1st Battalion, 112th Aviation^[6]
  • Detachment 7, 2nd Battalion, 245th Aviation Regiment
  • Detachment 51, Washington Army National Guard Operational Support Air Lift Command
• 96th Troop Command^[7]
  • Headquarters & Headquarters Detachment
  • 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment
  • 144th Digital Liaison Detachment
  • 133rd Army National Guard Band
  • 420th Chemical Battalion^[8]
    • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
    • 506th Military Police Company
    • 540th Chemical Detachment
    • 176th Engineer Company
    • 792nd Chemical Company
    • 1041st Transportation Company
  • 741st Ordnance Battalion^[9]
    • Headquarters & Headquarters Company
    • 319th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company (EOD)
    • 741st Explosive Ordnance Battalion
• 205th Regiment (Regional Training Institute)^{[10] [11]}
  • Headquarters Company
  • 1st Battalion, 205th Regiment
  • 2nd Battalion, 205th Regiment

History

The history of the National Guard of Washington begins in 1855 before it was granted statehood, when the Washington Territorial Legislature created an organized militia. Washington was granted statehood in 1890, after which the organized militia transformed into a state militia. This militia was known as the Washington State Militia, and fought its first major conflict during the Spanish American War.^[12] In 1903, the Washington National Guard (Alongside all other state militias) were given to joint federal-state control after the passage of the Militia Act of 1903.^[13]

Activations

• 1917 — World War I
• 1940 — World War II
• 1948 — Flood relief in Ellensburg
• 1950 — Korean War
• 1980 — Mount St. Helens eruption
• 1990-1991 — Persian Gulf War
• 1990s — Bosnia-Herzegovina
• 1994 — Central Washington forest fires
• 1999 — Seattle WTO Protests
• 2000 — Operation Joint Guardian
• 2000 — North Macedonia
• 2002–2014 — Operation Enduring Freedom
  • 2002-2014 — Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines
  • 2002-2014 — Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa
• 2003-2011 — Operation Iraqi Freedom
• 2006 — Eastern Washington forest fires
• 2007 — Flood relief for five western counties
• 2014-Present — Operation Inherent Resolve
• 2014 — Oso landslide
• 2014 — 2014 Wildfires
• 2015 — 2015 Wildfires
• 2015-2021 — Operation Freedom's Sentinel
• 2017 — 2017 Wildfires
• 2018 — 2018 Wildfires
• 2021 ― Operation Capitol Response

Historic units

• 41st Infantry Division^[14]
• 66th Theater Aviation Command
• 116th Rear Area Operations Center (RAOC)
• 161st Infantry Regiment
• 144th Transportation Battalion (Terminal), Pier 23, Tacoma. The last watercraft battalion in the National Guard.^[15]
  • 506th Transportation Company: operated MV Betsy Ross (FS-313) (Sister ship of U.S.S. Pueblo)^{[16] [17]}
  • 604th Transportation Detachment: operated USAV General Brehon B. Somervell (LSV-3)^[18] 3
  • 783rd Transportation Company: operated 100-foot long tugboats (LT), 65-foot short tugboats (ST),^[19] and the 188-foot MV Encounter Bay, purchased from the DEA after it was seized smuggling marijuana in 1988.
  • 1118th Transportation Company: operated LCM-8 landing craft
• 1444th and 241st TC Detachment^[20]
• 146th Field Artillery Regiment
• 205th Air Defense Artillery Regiment
• 248th Coast Artillery Regiment^[21]
• 248th Rear Area Operations Center (RAOC)
• 303d Armor - The regiment traces its history from the 803d Tank Battalion, redesignated from 803d Tank Destroyer Battalion on 13 September 1946. Reorganized and federally recognized 18 March 1947 with HQ at Centralia. Reorganized and redesignated 15 April 1959 as the 303d Armor, with one battalion (1959-1963), two battalions (1963-1968), and one battalion from that date. Consolidated with 803d Armor (constituted 1 January 1974) between 15 April and 1 September 1993.
• 303d Cavalry Regiment - The Regiment was constituted on 1 January 1968 as the 303d Cavalry, a parent regiment under CARS, and on the same day ('concurrently') organized to consist of Troop E, a component of the 81st Infantry Brigade. Transferred from CARS to USARS 1 June 1989 with headquarters at Camp Murray. Reorganized, redesignated, and consolidated 1 May 1992, consisting (unchanged) as Troop E, a component of the 81st Infantry Brigade, at Puyallup.^[22]

See also

• Troop B, Washington Cavalry
• Washington Air National Guard
• Washington State Guard
• Washington Military Department

Further reading

• McLatchy, Patrick H., The Development of the National Guard of Washington as an Instrument of Social Control, 1854-1916. Unpub. Ph.D dissertation, University of Washington, 1973.
• Carey, Daniel C., The Washington State National Guard, 1901-1917. Unpub. MA thesis, Washington State University, 1993.
• Washington State, Military Department, Office of the Adjutant General. Washington National Guard Pamphlet: The Official History of the Washington National Guard. 7 vols. Compiled by Virgil F. Field. Camp Murray, WA, 1959.
• Washington State, Military Department, Office of the Adjutant General. A Brief History of the Washington Territorial Militia, 1855–1889 and the National Guard of the State of Washington, 1889-1957. Compiled by Virgil F. Field. Mimeographed, 1957.

External links

• Wash. Military Dept. - Army National Guard
• Bibliography of Washington Army National Guard History compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History
• Coast Defense Study Group: The 248th Coast Artillery Regiment

Notes and References

1. Web site: History - Washington National Guard: 248th SC . 28 September 2008 . 6 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090106205100/http://96tc.washingtonarmyguard.org/248th/sponsor/historywng.htm . dead .
2. Web site: 10th Civil Support Team | Washington State Military Department, Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition. mil.wa.gov.
3. Web site: 56th Information Operations Brigade Washington State Military Department . mil.wa.gov.
4. Web site: Coat of Arms . 13 April 2014 . 14 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414015635/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=8881&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services . dead .
5. Web site: 1-168th General Support Aviation Battalion Washington State Military Department, Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition . 2022-08-04 . mil.wa.gov.
6. Web site: 96th Aviation Troop Command Washington State Military Department, Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition . 2022-08-04 . mil.wa.gov.
7. Web site: 96th Troop Command Washington State Military Department, Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition . 2022-08-04 . mil.wa.gov.
8. Web site: 420th Chemical Battalion .
9. Web site: 741st Ordnance Battalion Washington State Military Department, Citizens Serving Citizens with Pride & Tradition . 2022-08-04 . mil.wa.gov.
10. Web site: 205th Regiment Regional Training Institute.
11. Web site: Coat of Arms . 13 April 2014 . 14 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140414044319/http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=7519&grp=2&menu=Uniformed%20Services . dead .
12. Web site: A Short History of the Washington State Guard . Washington National Guard . 20 December 2022.
13. WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD PAMPHLET . The Official History of the Washington National Guard . 5 . 5-12 .
14. Book: Biennial Report of the Adjutant General of Washington . June 30, 1964 . State of Washington Military Department . Camp Murray, Tacoma, WA . 15 December 2023.
15. Web site: National Guard buys ship used in drug-smuggling . UPI . 19 January 2024.
16. Sidnez . Leonardo . Damn the torpedoes! Send the nets to Alaska! . The Evergreen O.D. . December 1980 . 10 . 4 . 8-9 . 19 January 2024.
17. Web site: fwohp4481 . Interview With Joseph Harrison . Fort Worden Oral History Program Blog . 19 January 2024.
18. Sidnez . Leonardo . Damn the torpedoes! Send the nets to Alaska! . The Evergreen O.D. . December 1980 . 10 . 4 . 8-9 . 19 January 2024.
19. Zambone . Joe . Treacherous currents, nasty winds abound as Somervell challenges the mighty Columbia River . Evergreen . November 1989 . 13 . 19 January 2024.
20. Web site: U.S. Army Transportation Corps - Fort Lee, Virginia. www.transportation.army.mil. 21 April 2018.
21. Web site: The 248th Coast Artillery Regiment . Coast Defense Study Group . 24 May 2016 . 15 December 2023.
22. Jeffrey Lynn Pope, Leonid E. Kondratiuk, Army National Guard Lineage Series: Armor-Cavalry Regiments, National Guards Bureau, Historical Services Division, Washington DC 20310-2500, April 1995. DIANE Publishing edition, 9780788182068