The New Hampshire Army National Guard is a federal military reserve force of the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Along with the

New Hampshire Air National Guard The New Hampshire Air National Guard (NH ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is, along with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, an element of the New Hampshire National Guard. As state militia units, the units ...

, it is an element of the

New Hampshire National Guard The New Hampshire National Guard is the militia of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As a state militia, units in the New Hampshire National Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of New Hampshire through the office of the state adjuta ...

. As a state militia, units in the New Hampshire Army National Guard are not in the normal

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 ...

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

. They are under the jurisdiction of the

Governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...

through the office of the state adjutant general unless they are federalized by order of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

History

A New Hampshire militia dates to 1679 (as seen on the

emblem) when the

Province of New Hampshire The Province of New Hampshire was a colony of England and later a British province in North America. The name was first given in 1629 to the territory between the Merrimack and Piscataqua rivers on the eastern coast of North America, and was nam ...

was a colony of England and later a British province. The lineal ancestor of the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, the 197th Field Artillery Brigade, began life as the Concord Volunteers in 1861. They were mustered into federal service 3 June 1861 at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

as Company E, 2d New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry; mustered out of federal service 19 December 1865 at

Cabin Point, Virginia Cabin Point is an unincorporated community in Surry County, Virginia, United States. Cabin Point is located on Virginia State Route 10, southwest of Claremont. Montpelier, a home which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

. They were involved in the U.S. Civil War battles of Bull Run, the

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

, Manassas, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg,

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

, and Petersburg in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

from 1862 to 1864. After the end of

World War I 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 New Hampshire National Guard was reorganized in 1921–1922 as a pure artillery force composed of the 172nd Field Artillery Regiment (155 mm howitzer) and the 197th Coast Artillery Regiment (Antiaircraft). Despite the Coast Artillery designation, the 197th was actually equipped with anti-aircraft guns. Battery G Farewell Parade, Keene NH -1940 (2702073220)

Battery G Farewell Parade, Keene NH -1940 (2702073220)

During

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 New Hampshire National Guard was mobilized into federal service on 16 September 1940. The 197th Coast Artillery was sent to Australia in 1942. When antiaircraft units were split from coast artillery in May 1943, the regiment was reorganized and became the 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Group, including the 744th (Gun) and 210th (Automatic Weapons) Antiaircraft Artillery Battalions and the 237th Antiaircraft Artillery (Searchlight) Battalion. These units provided air defense during the

island-hopping Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea is to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to ca ...

campaigns in the

South West Pacific theatre The South West Pacific theatre, during World War II, was a major theatre of the war between the Allies and the Axis. It included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (except for Sumatra), Borneo, Australia and its mandate Territory of ...

from 1942 to 1944 and the Philippines campaign in 1944 and 1945. The 172nd Field Artillery Regiment remained stateside until it was broken up in 1943 and eventually formed the XVI Corps Artillery headquarters, 172nd Field Artillery Battalion and 941st Field Artillery Battalion. The latter two battalions served with V Corps artillery with in France and Germany. Back in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire State Guard was reactivated in 1941 to fill the state responsibilities of the National Guard in 1941. The 195th Infantry Regiment, as a Regimental Combat Team, was allocated to the New Hampshire National Guard after the war as its primary combat unit and organized throughout 1947 and 1948. Outside of the 195th RCT, the postwar NH ARNG also included the 210th and 744th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalions under the 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Group. The 197th Antiaircraft Artillery Group headquarters was mobilized for federal service from 1950 to 1952 during the

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 ...

, fulfilling training responsibilities at

Camp Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long and Tattnall counties. The population was 11,205 at the 2000 census. Th ...

. The Guard was expanded with the addition of the 237th Military Police Battalion in 1950. The NH ARNG restructured as a pure artillery force in 1954 with the breakup of the 195th Infantry Regiment, in which it and pre-existing military police and engineer company were converted into artillery units. The new force structure consisted of the 172nd Field Artillery Group with 105 mm self-propelled howitzers and the 148th Field Artillery Group with 8-inch self-propelled howitzers. The 172nd Field Artillery Group included the 172nd Field Artillery Battalion, the former artillery unit of the 195th RCT, and the 737th and 941st Armored Field Artillery Battalions. The 148th Field Artillery Group included the 421st and 574th Field Artillery Battalions. By 1958, the New Hampshire Army National Guard had a total strength of 3,700 men, with 3,000 in the field artillery groups and 700 in the anti-aircraft group. 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 ...

(1965-1973), the 3/197 Field Artillery (FA, "New Hampshire's Finest") served in Ap Phu Loi,

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...

, providing FA Forward Observer Teams and Artillery Liaison Teams in the II Field Force Area. The 197th Field Artillery Group was reorganized as the 197th Field Artillery Brigade in 1978. In 1991, the 744 Transportation Company (T.C.) was deployed to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

, and

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 ...

during the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

. The 744 T.C., 6th Transportation Battalion, 2nd Corps Support Command- 2nd COSCOM,

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII ...

, US Army, was awarded the U.S. Army Meritorious Unit Commendation for their service in the Gulf War. Captain Timothy Ainsworth was the 744 T.C. Commander. In 1995 the New Hampshire Army National Guard deployed to

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

to support

Operation Joint Endeavor The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one-year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename ''Operation Joint Endeavour''. Background NATO ...

. In 1999 they deployed to the Central American republic of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

. From 2004 to 2005, the 744 T.C. ran missions out of LSA Anaconda,

Balad, Iraq Balad ( ar, بلد), also transliterated ''Beled'' or ''Belad'', is a city in Saladin Governorate, Iraq, north of the national capital, Baghdad. It is the capital of Balad District. Located between the towns of Al Dhuluiya, Yathrib and Ishaqi, B ...

, during the

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. Sergeant Jeremiah Holmes was killed in action caused by a powerful enemy improvised explosive device (IED) on a bridge, south of LSA Anaconda in Habbiniyah, Anbar Province, Iraq on March 29, 2004. Captain Mary Bergner was the 744 T.C. Commander. The 2nd Battalion 197th Artillery deployed in 2004–2005 to Iraq, serving as an MP unit, in the cities of Tikrit, Mosul, and Baqubah. SPC Allan J. Burgess was killed in action by a large VBIED (Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device) in the city of Mosul on October 15, 2004. The newly formed 237th MP CO deployed roughly 40 soldiers from 2007 to 2008 where they augment the NC 1159th MP CO in mentoring the Iraqi Police. Sergeant David Stelmat was killed in action along with four members of the NC national guard (in separate incidents). The 197th Field Artillery (FA) Brigade was ordered again into active Federal service on September 11, 2010, at Manchester. This time, they were deployed in Kuwait for Operation New Dawn. They were released from active Federal service October 15, 2011 and reverted to state control. During the 2010-2011 Kuwait Deployment for the 197 Fires Brigade (FIB)

Chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

was Commander- Colonel (Col) Peter Corey, Deputy Commander- Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Mark W. Leahey, Executive Officer (XO)- LTC Daniel T. Wilson, and 197 FIB Command Sergeant Major (CSM) was CSM Thomas Considine. The New Hampshire units involved were Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB), 3-197thFA, 3643rd, and 372nd Signal. The 237th MP Co deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. There they provided base security and customs support to multiple locations throughout the country. The 744th T.C. was later renamed the 744th F.S.C. (Forward Support Company), and its garrison is located in

Hillsborough, New Hampshire Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,939 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Fox State Forest and part of Low State Forest. The main village of the t ...

Major commands

197th Fires Brigade at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

3rd Battalion, 197th Field Artillery Regiment (

HIMARS The M142 HIMARS (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard United States Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) truc ...

) at

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

*** A Battery at

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

*** B Battery at

Nashua Nashua may refer to: * Nashaway people, Native American tribe living in 17th-century New England Places In Australia: * Nashua, New South Wales In the United States: * Nashua, California * Nashua, Iowa * Nashua, Minnesota * Nashua, Kansas City ...

*** C Battery at

** 3643rd Brigade Support Battalion at Manchester *** Headquarters and Headquarters Company *** Field Distribution Company at Somersworth *** B Company (Field Maintenance) at Manchester *** Forward Support Company **** Detachment 1 at Hillsborough **** Detachment 2 at Littleton *** 372d Signal Company * 54th Troop Command (HQ at Concord) ** 114th Public Affairs Detachment ** 39th Army Band at Manchester ** 172 Inf Rgt DUI

Company C, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) at

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

** 160th Engineer Detachment at Concord ** 237th Military Police Company *** Detachment 1 at

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

*** Detachment 2 at Concord ** 1986th Support Detachment (CCT) at Concord * 12th Civil Support Team * 195 Inf Rgt DUI