Texas Army National Guard

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Texas Army National Guard
Texas Army National Guard Coat of Arms.svg
Joint Forces Headquarters Texas Army National Guard distinctive insignia
Allegiance Texas
BranchUnited States Army
TypeARNG Headquarters Command
Part ofTexas Military Forces
Commanders
Commanding GeneralMG Tracy Norris

The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces (along with the Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard).

Texas Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ranks and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards. The Texas Guard also bestows a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of Texas.

The Texas Army National Guard is composed of approximately 19,000 soldiers, and maintains 117 armories in 102 communities.[citation needed] State duties include disaster relief, emergency preparedness, security assistance to state law enforcement agencies, and some aspects of border security. The Governor can activate the National Guard components under his control for state active duty in Texas, and in support of adjacent states.

History[edit]

The Texas Army National Guard has its roots in the Texas Militia formed by Sam Houston during the Texas Revolution of 1835–1836.

The Militia Act of 1903 organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system. After World War II, the previous Texas ARNG 36th Infantry Division was reorganised as the 49th Armored Division.[1]

The 49th Armored Division was ordered to active federal service in October 1961 at Dallas, for the 1961 Berlin Crisis, and reverted to state control in August 1962.[1] The 49th was inactivated in 1968 and reorganized into three separate brigades, the 36th Infantry Brigade, 71st Infantry Brigade and 72d Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) (Dallas). The division was reactivated on 1 November 1973, with its headquarters at Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas.

McGrath says the 36th Brigade insignia with star was authorized for wear from 10 May 1967 – 1 November 1973, but never worn, because the brigade at the time was designated 71st.[2] The 36th Airborne Brigade was active from 1973 to 1980 and inactivated on 1 April 1980. It was reconstituted as a divisional formation (36th Brigade, 50th Armored Division) from 1988–92. In 1992 it became the 36th Brigade of the 49th Armored Division based at Houston, TX. It seems likely to have been active between 1992 and May 2004 when the 49th Armored Division became the 36th Infantry Division.

Major subordinate commands[edit]

  • 36th Infantry Division
  • Medical Command
  • Office of the State Surgeon
  • Recruiting and Retention Battalion
  • State Army Aviation Office
  • 136th Regiment (CA) (RTI)
  • Army Ground Safety Office
  • Training Centers Command
  • 71st Theater Information Operations Group
  • 176th Engineer Brigade

On 1 September 2009, the Texas Army National Guard activated the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment, the only Airborne infantry battalion in the Army National Guard. The unit includes a battalion headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), three rifle companies (Companies A, B, and C), a weapons company (Company D), and a forward support company (FSC). Most elements of the battalion is located in Texas, with Co B in Alaska and Co C in Rhode Island. Rather than converting an existing TX ARNG unit, the battalion was built from the ground up.[3] [1] According to the U.S. Army Center for Military History, "1st Battalion, 143d Infantry Regiment is a separate infantry battalion." As such, it is not subordinate to other commands in the state, although it is attached to the 71st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade for local administration. In 2016 Company B was inactivated and reflagged as a unit of the 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, AK ARNG.[4] Following this, Troop C (LRS), 3d Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, TX ARNG was redesigned as Company B. During that same year the battalion became affiliated with the 173d Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy, and adopted the wear of the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 173d.[5]

Historic units[edit]

Additional Units[edit]

  • 49th Finance Battalion
  • 111th Engineer Battalion
  • 111th Medical Battalion
  • 136th Military Police Battalion
  • 136th Signal Battalion
  • 136th Signal Battalion (Obsolete)
  • 149th Aviation Regiment
  • 149th Personnel Services Battalion
  • 156th Engineer Battalion
  • 176th Engineer Battalion
  • 386th Engineer Battalion
  • 449th Support Battalion
  • 636th Support Battalion
  • 649th Military Intelligence Battalion
  • 949th Support Battalion
  • Special Troops Battalion, 36th Infantry Division
  • Special Troops Battalion, 72nd Brigade Combat Team, 36th Infantry Division

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Brian Schenk, An Introduction to the 49th (Lone Star) Armored Division (1947–), Texas Military Forces Museum, Camp Mabry, Texas. Note that Globalsecurity.org appears to have infringed the Texas Military Forces' Museum's copyright in not acknowledging the sources of their data.
  2. ^ McGrath, 'The Brigade,' 233. Patch can be seen at http://www.usarmypatches.com/Infantry.htm
  3. ^ Submitted by: CW3 Rodney Hammack (16 September 2009). "36th Infantry Division - TXARNG". Agd.state.tx.us. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  4. ^ https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2777038/bravo-company-1st-battalion-airborne-143rd-infantry-regiment-deactivation
  5. ^ https://tmd.texas.gov/texas-national-guard-patch-ceremony-to-initiate-army-of-one

External links[edit]

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