Colorado National Guard (23688721303)
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The Colorado National Guard consists of the
Colorado Army National Guard The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, United States National Guard, and Colorado National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces ...
and
Colorado Air National Guard The Colorado Air National Guard (CO ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Colorado, United States of America. It is, along with the Colorado Army National Guard, an element of the Colorado National Guard. The units of the Colorado Air Nation ...
, forming the state of
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
's component to 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.Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs The Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is the principal department of the Colorado state government that supervises both the Colorado National Guard (including the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard), a ...
.


History


Formation, Civil War, and Sand Creek

On 23 January 1860, the
Jefferson Territory The Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed from October 24, 1859 until the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861. The Jefferson Territory, named for Founding Father and Un ...
's legislature authorized the creation of two armed companies: the Jefferson Rangers and the
Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
Guards, in part to combat the “Bummers”—a band of
turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
thieves—in what was known as the “Denver City Turkey War.” Disbanded shortly thereafter, the Colorado Territorial militia was created under the name "Colorado Volunteers." Coloradan soldiers participated in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
on the
Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
side. The 1st and
2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment The 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment during the American Civil War from the state of Colorado. On October 13, 1863, the 2nd Colorado Infantry was consolidated with the 3rd Colorado Infantry Regiment in order to create the ...
s, serving alongside the
2nd Regiment New Mexico Volunteer Infantry The 2nd New Mexico Infantry Regiment, officially designated the 2nd Regiment New Mexico Volunteer Infantry or 2nd New Mexico Regiment Infantry, was a volunteer regiment in the Union Army, raised at Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe, in the Territory o ...
and Federal cavalry, won in actions against
Texan Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...
units at the
Battle of Glorieta Pass The Battle of Glorieta Pass (March 26–28, 1862) in the northern New Mexico Territory, was the decisive battle of the New Mexico campaign during the American Civil War. Dubbed the " Gettysburg of the West" by some authors (a term described ...
in February 1862 under the leadership of former
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
minister Colonel John Chivington. In November 1862, the
1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment The 1st Colorado Cavalry Regiment was formed in November 1862 by Territorial Governor John Evans, composed mostly of members of the 1st Colorado Infantry Regiment and of C and D Companies of the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment. It was formed both ...
was created. Following the
Hungate massacre The Hungate massacre involved the murder of the family of Nathan Hungate along Running Creek ( Box Elder Creek near present-day Elizabeth, Colorado) on June 11, 1864. It was a precipitating factor leading to the Sand Creek massacre of November 29 ...
that killed a family of four–including two children under three years old–
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 ...
John Evans authorized the creation of the
3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment The 3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment was a Union Army unit formed in the mid-1860s when increased traffic on the United States emigrant trails and settler encroachment resulted in numerous attacks against them by the Cheyenne and Arapaho. The Hung ...
in August 1864 to provide defense against Native Americans. The 1st and 3rd Colorado Cavalries, led by Chivington, launched an attack against an encampment of Arapaho and
Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
in modern-day Kiowa County in what is now known as the Sand Creek massacre. The attack killed at least 150 and up to 500 mostly unarmed Native Americans and left around thirty Colorado cavalrymen dead, some due to
friendly-fire In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
. Captain
Silas Soule Silas Stillman Soule (/ˈsoʊl/ ole (July 26, 1838 – April 23, 1865) was an American abolitionist, military officer and 'conductor' on the Underground Railroad. As a Kansas Jayhawker, he supported and was a proponent of John Brown's mov ...
and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, leading Companies K and D of the 1st Colorado Cavalry, had refused the orders to attack. A
Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War The Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was a United States congressional committee started on December 9, 1861, and was dismissed in May 1865. The committee investigated the progress of the war against the Confederacy. Meetings were held ...
investigation declared the Chivington had ordered and led "a foul and dastardly massacre which would have disgraced the veriest savage among those who were the victims of his cruelty." However, no charges or convictions were issued by the Committee due to the previous resignations of Chivington and other officers involved.


Statehood and early mining strikes

After Colorado attained statehood in 1876, the then Colorado State Militia was occasionally activated to participate in actions in the American Indian Wars and to deal with
striking Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
miners. The 1st Infantry Battalion was constituted on 8 February 1879 and organized on 29 December 1881 in Denver. The unit was redesignated as the 1st Colorado Infantry Regiment and merged with the 2nd Colorado Infantry Regiment in the last quarter of the 19th Century. Three hundred state militia under Adjutant General
T.J. Tarsney Thomas J. Tarsney (1846 – 1902?) was a Populist politician and author in Colorado in the late 19th century. Early life and political career Tarsney was born in Ohio, but later moved to Pueblo, Colorado. With Governor Davis H. Waite and Lie ...
were ordered by Governor
Davis H. Waite Davis Hanson Waite (April 9, 1825 – November 27, 1901) was an American politician. He was a member of the Populist Party, and he served as the eighth Governor of Colorado from 1893 to 1895. Biography Early years Davis Hanson Waite was bor ...
in March 1894 to subdue the Cripple Creek miners' strike, led by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM). Despite some dynamiting of mines by strikers, violence was relatively low compared to later strikes in Colorado. The strike ended in June 1894.Suggs, Jr., George G. ''Colorado's War on Militant Unionism: James H. Peabody and the Western Federation of Miners.'' 2nd ed. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. 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 ...
reorganized the state militias and established the modern National Guard system. In March that same year, the
Colorado Labor Wars The Colorado Labor Wars were a series of labor strikes in 1903 and 1904 in the U.S. state of Colorado, by gold and silver miners and mill workers represented by the Western Federation of Miners (WFM). Opposing the WFM were associations of mi ...
began when discontented
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
and silver miners, led by the WFM, went on strike throughout the state. The various groups of strikers faced opposition from
strike-breaker A strikebreaker (sometimes called a scab, blackleg, or knobstick) is a person who works despite a strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who were not employed by the company before the trade union dispute but hired after or during the str ...
s,
Pinkertons Pinkerton is a private security guard and detective agency established around 1850 in the United States by Scottish-born cooper Allan Pinkerton and Chicago attorney Edward Rucker as the North-Western Police Agency, which later became Pinker ...
, the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency, and the vigilante
Citizens' Alliance Citizens' Alliances were state and local anti-trade union organizations prominent in the United States of America during the first decade of the 20th century. The Citizen's Alliances were closely related to employers' associations but allowed par ...
. In
Idaho Springs The City of Idaho Springs is the Statutory City that is the most populous municipality in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. Idaho Springs is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 ...
, the strike there sought an eight-hour workday. The now National Guard was deployed to deal with the various sites of violence throughout the state. The unrest saw the deployment of around 1,000 guardsmen, equipped with 60,000 rounds of
.30-40 The .30-40 Krag (also known as .30 U.S. and .30 Army) was a cartridge developed in the early 1890s to provide the U.S. armed forces with a smokeless powder cartridge suited for use with modern small-bore repeating rifles to be selected in the 1 ...
for their Krag-Jørgensen rifles. Adjutant General
Sherman Bell Adjutant General Sherman M. Bell was a controversial leader of the Colorado Army National Guard, Colorado National Guard during the Colorado Labor Wars of 1903–04. While Bell received high praise from Theodore Roosevelt and others, he was vilif ...
and General John Chase commanded the force, though the military district established on 4 September 1903 was headed by Colonel Edward Verdeckberg of the 1st Brigade of the guard. The National Guard would perform arrests, execute warrants, and protect mines from strikers until the military district was disestablished on 12 April 1904. During this time, Governor
James H. Peabody James Hamilton Peabody (August 21, 1852 – November 23, 1917) was the 13th and 15th Governor of Colorado, and is noted by some for his public service in Cañon City and by others for his brutality in crushing the miners' strike in Cripple Creek ...
authorized the use of lethal force to subdue the strikers, particularly near Cripple Creek. On 4 December 1903, the governor declared Teller County to be in a "state of insurrection and rebellion," but by 28 January 1904 had assessed that the situation to be "rapidly changing" and suspended military authority, but left the soldiers in the region for almost three more months. In March 1904, WFM offices were reported to be displaying U.S. flags defaced with words "deemed of obnoxious character," which were seized and destroyed by troops. In June 1913, the cornerstone for the
Colorado National Guard Armory The Colorado National Guard Armory, known commonly by locals simply as the Armory, is a landmark in Golden, Colorado, Golden, Colorado. Unusual in its construction, it was at one time the largest cobblestone building in the United States. It was b ...
was laid in
Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
. Designed by James A. Gow to resemble a castle, it was constructed by Company A of the National Guard Engineer Corps. Built from 3,330 wagonloads of stone and including a 65 foot tower originally intended for observation, it has been described by
Ripley's Believe It or Not ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fea ...
as the largest
cobblestone Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings. Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
building in the U.S.


Colorado Coalfield War

In September 1913, after months of sporadic strikes and years of mining accidents, the
United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American Labor history of the United States, labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing worke ...
union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
declared a general strike in Colorado's southern counties in opposition to
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
companies violating state laws surrounding safety, pay, and compensation. The strike targeted in particular the partially
Rockefeller Rockefeller is a German surname, originally given to people from the village of Rockenfeld near Neuwied in the Rhineland and commonly referring to subjects associated with the Rockefeller family. It may refer to: People with the name Rockefeller fa ...
-owned Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) in Huerfano, Las Animas, and Pueblo counties. After over 10,000 miners were evicted from company-owned towns across Southern Colorado in the immediate aftermath of the strike's declaration, sporadic violence began between strikers and the company-backed strikebreakers, mine guards, and deputized local militia hired by Baldwin-Felts detectives. Now Adjutant General, General John Chase was ordered by Governor
Elias M. Ammons Elias Milton Ammons (July 28, 1860 – May 20, 1925) served as the 19th Governor of Colorado from 1913 to 1915. Born in 1860 in Macon County, North Carolina, he is perhaps best remembered for ordering National Guard troops into Ludlow, Colorado ...
to dispatch troops to
Walsenburg The City of Walsenburg is the Statutory City that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,049 at the 2020 census, down from 3,068 in 2010. History Walsenbur ...
and other sites along the
Colorado and Southern The Colorado and Southern Railway was an American Class I railroad in the western United States that operated independently from 1898 to 1908, then as part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad until it was absorbed into the Burli ...
railway to disarm strikers and prevent further violence. Chase, a veteran of the 1903-1904 strikes, favored an aggressive strategy in dealing with the strikers. A company from the National Guard and four artillery pieces arrived in the strike zone by train on 9 October 1913 to supplement a growing local militia. Following the shooting deaths of several strikers by deputized horsemen in
Walsenburg The City of Walsenburg is the Statutory City that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 3,049 at the 2020 census, down from 3,068 in 2010. History Walsenbur ...
on 24 October, strikers, and militia engaged in a shootout in Berwind Canyon, Las Animas County. The militia was led by
Karl Linderfelt Karl E. Linderfelt (November 7, 1876 – June 3, 1957) was a soldier, mine worker, soldier of fortune, and officer in the Colorado National Guard. He was reported to have been responsible for an attack upon, and the ultimate death of, strike lead ...
, a lieutenant in the National Guard. A National Guardsman from Denver was killed by the strikers. Militia backed by a machine gun ultimately drove off the strikers. The National Guard was mobilized on 28 October and began field operations the next day, arresting strikers accused of arson and assault. On 1 November, after an agreement between General Chase and
John R. Lawson John Rankin Lawson (March 5, 1871 – May 12, 1945) was a Colorado union leader and businessman. He was the leader of District 15 of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) at the time of the Colorado Coalfield War and the Ludlow Massacre. He w ...
, the National Guard marched between the mines and tent colonies to effect disarmament on both sides. The military report of the incident records a warm reception by the strikers, especially at Ludlow, though the National Guard only received a reported 20-30 weapons, including a toy gun, and were ultimately mocked by the strikers. In January 1914, Ammons and Chase authorized the arrest and detention of
Mother Jones Mary G. Harris Jones (1837 (baptized) – November 30, 1930), known as Mother Jones from 1897 onwards, was an Irish-born American schoolteacher and dressmaker who became a prominent union organizer, community organizer, and activist. She h ...
, a labor activist, in
Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...
. Multiple attempts by strikers and Trinidad residents to liberate her by both demonstration and riots failed. In late January, an unexploded bomb was located near the encampment of several National Guardsmen, likely in relation to these events. After six months of having soldiers deployed to the southern part of the state and with tensions easing due to the pacifying influence of union leader
Louis Tikas Louis Tikas ( el, Λούης Τίκας), born Elias Anastasios Spantidakis ( el, Ηλίας Αναστάσιος Σπαντιδάκης, link=no; 13 March, 1886 – 20 April, 1914), was the main labor union organizer at the Ludlow camp during t ...
and the National Guard–and despite a murder in Forbes in March 1914 that saw the Guard burn a striker tent colony down–the vast majority of the troops are withdrawn back towards garrisons in Denver in mid-April 1914 to reduce cost.


Ludlow Massacre

On 20 April 1914, 177 remaining Colorado National Guard troops and militia engaged in a shootout at the Ludlow tent colony, resulting in what is known as the Ludlow Massacre. Major Patrick Hamrock and Linderfelt organized the battle against the strikers, which killed around twenty on the UMWA side, including at least eleven women and children who died in a fire started by the soldiers and a boy struck by a machine gun bullet. Louis Tikas was also killed, with Linderfelt later being found responsible for his murder but was not convicted or punished by a military trial. A single National Guard soldier was killed by gunfire from the strikers. During the following week, strikers sought revenge against the mining companies and National Guard, launching dozens of deadly attacks across the state in what became known as the 10-Day War. General Chase immediately moved hundreds of troops back south to pacify the strikers. Captain
Hildreth Frost Hildreth Frost (1880–1955) was a lawyer and soldier from Colorado who commanded Company A of the 2nd Infantry Regiment during the Colorado Coalfield War. He also served as Judge Advocate for the military courts-martial for prosecuting members ...
led a small group of National Guard troops on 28 April in the northernmost battle at a mine in Louisville. The same day, a National Guard medic was killed and several wounded in a firefight for the hogback near Walsenburg. The fighting ceased on 29 April after
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
ordered the federal-level Army to disarm the strikers and turn-back the National Guard. The strike concluded without much further violence in December 1914.


First World War and interwar period

In June 1916, prior to the United States' involvement in the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Colorado National Guard was deployed to the Mexican–American border to support General Pershing's expedition against the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa. The deployed troops returned in February 1917. After the National Guard was activated in 1917 to deploy to Europe to participate in the First World War, the
Colorado State Defense Force The Colorado State Defense Force, formerly known as the Colorado State Service, is the current, albeit inactive state defense force of Colorado. The Colorado State Defense Force served as the stateside replacement for the Colorado National Guard wh ...
was activated for the first time to take over the responsibilities of the departing Guard. Called to federal service on 5 August 1917, the 1st Infantry Battalion was redesignated as the 157th Infantry Regiment on 24 September as the 157th Infantry Regiment as part of the 40th Infantry Division. The 157th received campaign credit for Champagne-Marne, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, and Champagne 1918 during their deployment to
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. For much of the decade following the First World War, the Colorado National Guard was plagued with low enlistment numbers and limited funding. Despite this, it was mustered against striking Denver Tramway Company workers in August 1920, where the Guard’s limited numbers meant it was unable to effectively break up the strikers. In June 1921, the
Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...
flooded, killing at least 120—with some estimates of up to 1,500 dying—and destroying hundreds of homes in and around Pueblo. The National Guard and local
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...
chapters helped rescue and recover victims. The Colorado Army National Guard added the 120th Aero Observation Squadron 27 June 1923, the first unit of what would become the Colorado Air National Guard. The 120th was one of the 29 original National Guard observation squadrons and was part of the 45th Division. It began flying
Curtiss JN-4 Jenny The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...
biplanes out of the new Lowry Airfield in Denver in 1924. As Adjutant General, Hamrock ordered the National Guard and the state-wide police force, the
Colorado Rangers The Colorado Rangers Law Enforcement Shared Reserve (known publicly as the Colorado Rangers) is a governmental police agency in the U.S. state of Colorado. Colorado Rangers are sworn, Colorado P.O.S.T. Certified police officers who serve as forc ...
, to subdue striking miners in 1922. The National Guard was not present at the November 1927
Columbine Mine massacre The Columbine Mine massacre, sometimes called the first Columbine massacre, occurred in 1927, in the town of Serene, Colorado. A fight broke out between Colorado state militia and a group of striking coal miners, during which the unarmed mine ...
, though the Colorado Rangers—which had been disbanded in April that year and were recalled up from the Guard to deal with the strike—were. On 18 April 1936, during the economic trials of the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
and Dust Bowl, Governor
Edwin C. Johnson Edwin Carl Johnson (January 1, 1884 – May 30, 1970) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as both governor of and U.S. senator from the state of Colorado. Background Johnson was born in Scandia in Republic County in ...
declared
martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...
and ordered the closure of Colorado’s southern state borders to migrants. The National Guard effected this order with troops posted on the border by 20 April. Following a threatened
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of Colorado businesses by New Mexico and New Mexican Senators
Dennis Chávez Dionisio "Dennis" Chávez (April 8, 1888November 18, 1962) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1931 to 1935, and in the United States Senate from 1935 to 1962. He was the first Hispanic to be ...
and
Carl Hatch Carl Atwood Hatch (November 27, 1889 – September 15, 1963) was a United States senator from New Mexico and later was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico. Education and career Hatch w ...
condemning the measures as unconstitutional, the governor lifted his orders after only ten days.


Second World War

With the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the 3rd Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment was attached to the 45th Infantry Division "Thunderbirds" and largely composed of Coloradans, Native Americans, and Mexican-Americans, but also included many troops from
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
and
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
. It deployed to the European Theatre of WWII, first seeing combat on 10 July 1943 while landing as part of Invasion of Sicily, losing 27 men to drowning. The unit landed at
Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
on 10 September during the second day of
Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...
. Landing again as part of
Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...
on 15 August 1944, now in southern
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, the unit pushed eastward. On 29 April 1945, the 3rd Battalion was ordered to secure the
Dachau concentration camp , , commandant = List of commandants , known for = , location = Upper Bavaria, Southern Germany , built by = Germany , operated by = ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) , original use = Political prison , construction ...
. Upon reaching the camp and witnessing the aftermath of the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...
crimes perpetrated there, enraged members of the unit killed upwards of 35 SS camp guards and workers as reprisal. Other elements of the 157th Infantry participated in the Pacific Theatre against Japanese forces. The 1st Battalion, 157th Regiment as organized in 2008 traces its lineage through these troops, who fought during the
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...
and Luzon campaigns, with service during the latter entitling the unit to the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation streamer. Camp George West near Golden, constructed as a training facility for Colorado National Guardsmen in 1903, was utilized as a rifle range during the war.
Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
training was executed nearby at
Green Mountain Green Mountain is a common name for "The Peak", the highest point on Ascension Island, which has gained some fame for claims that it is one of very few large-scale artificial forests. History and vegetation Many early 19th-century accounts, in ...
.


Cold War and late twentieth century

During the 1950-1953
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, no elements of the Colorado National Guard were deployed into the combat area, though other states' National Guards served in combat and support roles in the combat theatre. During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, 900 Colorado Air National Guardsmen were deployed. Most of these men arrived in 1968 and served a 15 month deployment through 27 March 1969. Of the Colorado Air National Guard deployed, 250 were stationed at
Phan Rang Air Base Phan Rang Air Base (also called Thành Sơn Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm in Ninh Thuận Provi ...
. Two of the airmen did not return following crashes in 1969: Maj. Clyde Seiler was killed when his
F-100 F-100 or F100 may refer to: Aerospace and defense * North American F-100 Super Sabre, a fighter aircraft formerly in the service of the United States Air Force * Fokker 100, a regional jet * Pratt & Whitney F100, afterburning turbofan engine * ' ...
was brought down by ground fire during a combat mission and intelligence officer Capt. Perry Jefferson (posthumously promoted to major) who went missing during an observation flight. Jefferson's remains were recovered in 2007. The Coloradan National Guard airmen contributed 9,000 combat hours and 18,000 dropped munitions to the conflict. Woodstock West, a
student protest Campus protest or student protest is a form of student activism that takes the form of protest at university campuses. Such protests encompass a wide range of activities that indicate student dissatisfaction with a given political or academ ...
on the campus of the
University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
in May 1970 in response to the
Kent State shootings The Kent State shootings, also known as the May 4 massacre and the Kent State massacre,"These would be the first of many probes into what soon became known as the Kent State Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre almost exactly two hundred years bef ...
, drew thousands to a shanty town constructed on the university's campus. University officials called upon the Colorado National Guard to clear a second encampment that had been established shortly after the Denver Police Department had successfully cleared the first tent city. Most residents evacuated the encampment prior to the arrival of the guardsmen on the morning of the 13 May. The National Guard blocked off the area, enabling dump trucks to remove material from the protest site. The guardsmen withdrew the next day. Following the 28 May 1998 killing of Cortez police officer Dale Claxton and wounding of two fellow officers by a trio of shooters, the Colorado National Guard assisted in the over 500-man, 17-helicopter manhunt that sprawled across the canyons and
uranium mines Uranium production is carried out in about 13 countries around the world, in 2017 producing a cumulative total of 59,462 tonnes of uranium (tU). The international producers were Kazakhstan (39%), Canada (22%), Australia (10%), Namibia (7.1%), Nig ...
of the
Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
region. The bodies of all three criminals would be discovered in the region, with Jason McVean the last found in southeastern
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
nine years later in 2007.


Twenty-first century

During World War II, the well-known
10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
had been stationed and trained at Camp Hale, just outside Leadville. Following the war's end, the unit was demobilized at
Camp Carson Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs i ...
in 1945. It was reactivated at Fort Riley,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, in 1948, then moved to
Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...
, Germany, in 1954, and deactivated again at
Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
, Georgia. It was reactivated more permanently out of Fort Drum,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
, in 1985. Partially in order to reestablish the 10th Mountain Division's relationship with Colorado, the 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment (Mountain) of the Colorado Army National Guard was put under the 10th Mountain Division in 2016, making 1-157 one of only three mountain infantry battalions in the Army. Despite the reintroduction of an infantry unit, the lineage of the historic Colorado infantry follows through the 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery. During the
COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado The COVID-19 pandemic reached Colorado on March 5, 2020, when the state's first two cases were confirmed. Many of the early COVID-19 cases in Colorado occurred in mountain resort towns such as Crested Butte, Aspen, and Vail, apparently brought ...
, the Colorado National Guard and
Colorado State Patrol The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) (originally known as the Colorado State Highway Courtesy Patrol), based in Lakewood, Colorado, is a division of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, and is one of the official state patrol agencies of Colorad ...
helped staff testing facilities. With the arrival of the
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...
s in December 2020, Brigadier General Scott Sherman was placed in charge of distribution of vaccines in the state. Due to security concerns,
Colorado State Patrol The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) (originally known as the Colorado State Highway Courtesy Patrol), based in Lakewood, Colorado, is a division of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, and is one of the official state patrol agencies of Colorad ...
were assigned to protect shipments. As part of
Operation Spartan Shield Operation Spartan Shield (OSS) is a United States Army Central operation in the Middle East. OSS is commanded by United States Army Central and includes units from all service branches. Task Force Spartan is the U.S. Army component of OSS. The ...
–a general U.S. military effort in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
, including in
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
–roughly 70 members of A Company of the 1st Battalion, 157th Infantry Regiment became the first Colorado National Guard infantry deployment since World War II. Departing in late January 2021, the unit joined elements of the Vermont National Guard, aligned with the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Prior to the deployment, "Attack Company" received training from the
4th Security Force Assistance Brigade The 4th Security Force Assistance Brigade (4th SFAB) is a Security Force Assistance Brigade of the United States Army. It is based in Fort Carson, Colorado, under the Security Force Assistance Command. 4th SFAB is aligned with EUCOM. Formation ...
of Fort Carson.


Units


Army National Guard

The Colorado Army National Guard is currently composed of a variety of units, including the
169th Field Artillery Brigade The 169th Field Artillery Brigade (formerly the 169th Fires Brigade) is an artillery brigade in the US Army National Guard. It is part of the Colorado Army National Guard. History The brigade headquarters was organized on 19 June 1909 as Comp ...
(of which the 157th Field Artillery Regiment "First Colorado" is a component), the 1st Battalion of the 157th Infantry Regiment (attached to the
10th Mountain Division The 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) is a light infantry division in the United States Army based at Fort Drum, New York. Formerly designated as a mountain warfare unit, the division was the only one of its size in the US military to re ...
), and the 117th Space Support Battalion. The
United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...
certifies Colorado Army National Guard helicopter pilots who fly UH-72 Lakotas, UH-60 Black Hawks, and CH-47 Chinooks.


Air National Guard

The Colorado Air National Guard is primarily stationed at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora (where the F-16C/D-equipped
140th Fighter Wing Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...
is stationed). The missile defense-oriented
137th Space Warning Squadron 137th may refer to: * 137th (Calgary) Battalion, CEF, unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War * 137th Air Reconnaissance Regiment, air reconnaissance and guidance regiment, part of the SFR Yugoslav Air Force * 137th Spec ...
is stationed in Greeley.


State Defense Force

A separate unit, the
Colorado State Defense Force The Colorado State Defense Force, formerly known as the Colorado State Service, is the current, albeit inactive state defense force of Colorado. The Colorado State Defense Force served as the stateside replacement for the Colorado National Guard wh ...
is a state defense force that has been mobilized twice–during the First and Second World War–which functions in lieu of the Colorado National Guard when the Guard is deployed with the Army and Air Force. The state's defense force is presently inactive, though may be reactivated by the state government at any time.


Installations

, the Colorado National Guard had over 30 facilities spread across the state. The Colorado National Guard maintains the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado in Grand Junction on behalf of the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.


See also

* Camp Hale *
Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol Colorado Wing Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is the highest echelon of CAP in the state of Colorado. Its headquarters are located at Peterson Space Force Base, and the wing is under the command of Col Michael Fay. Colorado Wing (COWG) operates in the ...
*
Colorado National Guard Armory The Colorado National Guard Armory, known commonly by locals simply as the Armory, is a landmark in Golden, Colorado, Golden, Colorado. Unusual in its construction, it was at one time the largest cobblestone building in the United States. It was b ...


References


External links


Official website
{{authority control United States Army National Guard by state Military in Colorado State agencies of Colorado