The 30th Armored Division was a

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-based unit of the

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from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Activation and service

In 1954 the 30th Infantry Division was reorganized, with units in

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and

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constituting the 30th Infantry Division, and units in Tennessee forming the nucleus of the new 30th Armored Division. Though never federalized during wartime, the 30th Armored Division (called "Volunteers," for Tennessee's "Volunteer State" nickname) was activated for support to law enforcement, including responses to civil disturbances in

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and

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after the assassination of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

In 1968 the headquarters of the

Mississippi Army National Guard The Mississippi Army National Guard is the Army National Guard component of the Mississippi National Guard. It was originally formed in 1798. It is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. It is managed by the ...

's 108th Armored Cavalry Regiment was reorganized as 1st Brigade, 30th Armored Division. (The brigade was subsequently designated the 155th Separate Armored Brigade.) In addition, in 1968 units from the

Florida Army National Guard The Florida Army National Guard is Florida's component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. In the United States, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the federal army's available combat forces ...

and

Alabama Army National Guard The Alabama Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau. Alabama Army National ...

also became part of the 30th Armored Division. The 30th Armored Division was inactivated in December, 1973.

Commanders

The following officers served as commander of the 30th Armored Division: * MG Paul H. Jordan, 1954-1957 *MG Robert E. Frankland, 1957-1959 *MG Warren C. Giles, 1959-1962 *MG Clarence B. Johnson, 1962-1963 *MG William R. Douglas, 1963-1966 *MG Thomas G. Wells Jr., 1966-1968 *MG Hugh B. Mott, 1968-1969 *MG Glynn C. Ellison, 1969-1971 *MG Carl M. Lay, 1971-1973 *MG John M. Calhoun, 1973

Lineage

During its existence the 30th Armored Division was never deployed as an organization, and received no combat honors. Several members volunteered individually to join regular Army units during the

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. The 30th Armored Division's lineage was carried by the

Tennessee Army National Guard The Tennessee Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one ...

's 30th Armored Brigade until the brigade's inactivation in 1996.Timothy S Aumiller
United States Army Infantry, Artillery, Armor/Cavalry Battalions 1957-2011
2007, page 25

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:030 30th Armored Division, U.S. Divisions of the United States Army National Guard Military units and formations established in 1954 Military units and formations disestablished in 1973