The Arizona Army National Guard is a component of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and the

United States National Guard The National Guard is a state-based military force that becomes part of the reserve components of the United States Army and the United States Air Force when activated for federal missions.National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

. Arizona 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 Arizona National Guard also bestows a number of

state awards State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

for local services rendered in or to the state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. Currently, there are over 5,000 soldiers serving in the Arizona Army Guard.

History

In response to the

Indian wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, were fought by European governments and colonists in North America, and later by the United States and Canadian governments and American and Canadian settle ...

, the Arizona Army National Guard was formed on September 2, 1865. In 1898, hundreds of Arizonans joined the ranks of the

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. The

Militia Act of 1903 The Militia Act of 1903 (), also known as the Efficiency in Militia Act of 1903 or the Dick Act, was legislation enacted by the United States Congress to create an early National Guard and which codified the circumstances under which the Guard cou ...

organized the various state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

s into the present National Guard system. Since then, the Arizona Army National Guard has been deployed to

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

, and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Units from Arizona also deployed to

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

to assist with the

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

aftermath. The 158th Infantry Regiment was created September 2, 1865, as the First Arizona Volunteer Infantry. Subsequent to Pancho Villa's murder of American civilians and soldiers in

Columbus, New Mexico Columbus is a village in Luna County, New Mexico, United States, about north of the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border. It is considered a place of historical interest, as the scene of Battle of Columbus (1916), a 1916 attack by Mexico, ...

in 1916, the 1st Arizona Infantry was activated and headquartered at

Camp Naco, Arizona Fort Naco, Camp Naco, or Fort Newell began as a camp in the Southwest United States, on the outskirts of Naco, Arizona as part of the Mexican Border Project. Over time adobe and wooden buildings were constructed to house the garrison along with ...

and assigned border protection duties. The regiment was drafted into Federal Service for World War I, 5 August 1917 as part of the 40th Infantry Division. Reorganization after the 1st World War assigned the 158th Infantry to the 45th Infantry Division. On 16 September 1940, the declaration of the National Emergency, the 158th Infantry joined its parent organization, the 45th Division at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After being relieved by divisions in campaign after campaign across the Pacific, the 158th Infantry was selected to spearhead the final invasion of Japan. Units from Arizona were called into action on September 26, 1940. The 158th Regimental Combat Team were given the name the "Bushmasters," named after the deadly Bushmaster snake in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

General Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

said, "No greater fighting combat team has ever deployed for battle." The 158th Infantry was demobilized and returned to state service following the end of World War II. It was redesignated in June 1967 as the 258th Infantry Brigade. It was subsequently reorganized and redesignated in August 1968 as the 258th Military Police Brigade. In August 1976 the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 258th Support Center, later the 258th Rear Area Operations Center. The Cannon Company, 158th Infantry was reorganized as the 153d Field Artillery Brigade (including units of the 180th Field Artillery Regiment). The 153d FA Brigade was reorganized and redesignated as the 98th Troop command in 2006. In September 2010 the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 158th Maneuver Enhanced Brigade. The 1st Battalion, 180th Field Artillery Regiment was reorganized and redesignated in 2006 as the 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment and assigned as an element of the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (HI ARNG). The official national motto of the Army National Guard i
"Always Ready, Always There"
Like the majority of all 54 states and territories, the Arizona Army National Guard has its own official mott
"Protecting What Matters"

Duties

Arizona Guard Apache pilots hone skills at AF Weapons School 140409-Z-CZ735-005

National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential order to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a

state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...

by the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the state in which they serve. Unlike

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

troops
Arizona Army National Guard
Soldiers cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers or approved temporary duty assignments), but only as part of their respective

units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * ''Unit'' (alb ...

Active duty callups

For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "

One weekend a month, two weeks a year "One weekend a month, two weeks a year" is a former recruiting slogan used by the U.S. Army National Guard. It indicated the amount of time an individual would need to spend actively in the Guard to be a Guardsman with benefits. Though never offici ...

", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six-year enlistment period (this policy is due to change 1 August 2007, the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months, individual states have differing policies).

Units

2015 Adjutant General's Match 130215-Z-LW032-007

* Arizona National Guard Recruiting, 1000 E University Dr. Tempe, AZ 8528

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC),

Camp Navajo Camp Navajo was originally opened in 1942 in Bellemont, Arizona. It was originally designated Navajo Ordnance Depot, and its primary use was the storage of ammunition used in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was renamed Navajo Army Depot in ...

, AZ *

98th Aviation Troop Command Pinal Airpark , also known as Pinal County Airpark, is a Non-towered airport, non-towered, county-owned, public-use airport located northwest of the central business district of Marana, Arizona, Marana, in Pinal County, Arizona, Pinal County, ...

(Silverbell Army Heliport) ** 1st Battalion (Attack Reconnaissance ), 285th Aviation Regiment ** 2nd Battalion (Assault Helicopter), 285th Aviation Regiment * 158 MEB SSI

158th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (

Papago Park Military Reservation Papago Park Military Reservation is a facility of the Arizona Army National Guard in Phoenix, Arizona that is home to the Papago Army Aviation Support Facility, Papago Army Heliport and the Arizona Military Museum. Formerly, it was also home t ...

(PPMR)) ** 253rd Engineer Battalion *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) **

850th Military Police Battalion *** 855th Military Police Company, Phoenix, AZ with det at Yuma, AZ *** 856th Military Police Company,

, AZ *** 860th Military Police Company, Tucson, AZ ** 158th Inf DUI

1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) *** Company A *** Company B *** Company C *** Company D *** Company G ** Detachment 1 (FIST), HHB, 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery Regiment ** 153rd Brigade Support Battalion * 198th RSG

198th Regional Support Group (Papago Park Military Reservation) * 819th Engineer Company (Sapper) ** 158th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (158th CSSB) (Stofft Armory) *** 108th Army Band (PPMR) *** 123rd Mobile Public Affairs ( Petty Crew Armory, PPMR) *** 159th Finance Management Support Detachment (Petty Crew Armory, PPMR) *** 160th Finance Management Support Detachment (Petty Crew Armory, PPMR) *** 363rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company (Coolidge, AZ) *** 996th Area Support Medical Company (Tempe, AZ) *** 3666th Support Maintenance Company (Petty Crew Armory, PPMR

** 1120th Transportation Battalion (Glendale, AZ) *** 222nd Transportation Company (Florence Military Reservation) *** 1404th Transportation Company (Bellemont, AZ with det at Show Low, AZ) *** 2220th Transportation Company (Tucson, AZ with det at Douglas, AZ) *** Company A, 422nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion (Phoenix, AZ) Other * 215th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) * 258th Rear Area Operations Center (deployed to OIF 5) * 91st Civil Support Team (WMD) * 194th Engineer Detachment (Fire fighter) * 257th Engineer Detachment (Well Drilling)
258th Engineer Company (Horizontal)
* 259th Engineer Platoon (Quarry) * 260th Engineer Detachment (Fire Fighter) * 159 Avn Rgt DUI

5th Battalion (Air Ambulance), 159th Aviation Regiment * Recon Air Interdiction Detachment (RAID) * Army Aviation Support Facility #1 * Western ARNG Aviation Training Site (WAATS)

References

External links