The Indiana National Guard (INNG) is a component of the

United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...

, 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.United States military awards. The INNG also awards a number of state awards for local services rendered in or to the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. The Indiana National Guard consists of 14,000 Soldiers and Airmen, and maintains Army National Guard armories across the state, training facilities at Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck, and Air National Guard wings at Fort Wayne and Terre Haute. During peacetime, the National Guard is commanded by the Governor. In its state role, the National Guard assists local law enforcement agencies during emergencies at the direction of the governor. The distribution of soldiers, equipment and facilities across the state allows the National Guard to respond quickly and efficiently to emergencies statewide. During times of national emergency, National Guard members may be called into active federal service by the President of the United States. The National Guard's dual federal-state mission is unique to the U.S. military and sets the National Guard apart from any other reserve component. The Indiana National Guard is supported by the state's military defense force, the

Indiana Guard Reserve The Indiana Guard Reserve (INGR), formerly the Liberty Guard and the Indiana Legion, is the state defense force of the state of Indiana. The Indiana Guard Reserve serves under the exclusive authority of the governor of the State of Indiana throug ...

, a supplemental military force authorized by both the State Code of Indiana and Executive Order. The IGR assumes the state mission of the Indiana National Guard in the event the Guard is federally mobilized.

Indiana Army National Guard

38th Infantry Division ("Cyclone")

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company * 38th Infantry Division Band 38SustainBdeSSI

38th Sustainment Brigade ("Avengers") * Headquarters and Headquarters Company * 38th Special Troops Battalion * 190th Motor Transportation Battalion * 519th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion 38th_Infantry_Division_SSI

38th Combat Aviation Brigade ("Falcons") * Headquarters and Headquarters Company * 2nd Battalion, 238th General Support Aviation Battalion * 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment * DET 1, Company C, 1st Battalion, 136th Aviation Regiment *

638th Aviation Support Battalion The 638th Aviation Support Battalion (638th ASB) is a US Army National Guard battalion. The unit earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation for the period 1 May 2019 to 8 January 2020. References {{Reflist AVN 638 ...

76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team The 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Night Hawks") is a modular infantry brigade of the United States Army National Guard of Indiana. It is headquartered in Lawrence Readiness Training Center, on the grounds of Fort Benjamin Harrison. His ...

("Nighthawk Brigade") * 151st_INF_REGT_DUI

1st Battalion,

151st Infantry Regiment The 151st Infantry Regiment is an infantry unit in the Indiana National Guard, part of the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Separate). History The 151st Infantry Regiment traces its roots to the Indiana Territory Indiana Rangers militia. It ...

2nd Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment * 152nd_INF_REGT_DUI

2nd Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment * 293rd_INF_REGT_DUI

1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment * 152nd_INF_REGT_DUI

1st Squadron, 152nd Cavalry Regiment * 163rd_FA_REGT_DUI

1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery Regiment * 113th_Sustainment_BN

113th Brigade Support Battalion * 776th_BEB_DUI

776th Brigade Engineer Battalion

54th Security Force Assistance Brigade ("To the Very End")

219th Engineer Brigade ("Steel Soldiers - Anytime, Anywhere")

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company * 113th_EN_BN_DUI

113th Engineer Battalion The 113th Engineer Battalion is an Engineer unit of the Indiana Army National Guard with a record of accomplishment in both peace and war. Their missions include providing sustained engineer support across the full spectrum of military operation ...

2nd Battalion,

150th Field Artillery Regiment The 150th Field Artillery Regiment ("The Raiders") is a field artillery unit in the Indiana Army National Guard. History The 150th Field Artillery was formed from the 1st Indiana Field Artillery, which served during the Spanish–American War. ...

738th Signal Company

81st Troop Command ("War Eagles")

* A Company, 2-20 Special Forces * 19th CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package Battalion * 81st Military Police Battalion * 127th Cyber Protection Battalion * 53rd Civil Support Team * 120th Public Affairs Detachment * 135th Chaplain Detachment * 138th Military History Detachment * 1938th Acquisition Team * 1976th Acquisition Team

138th Regiment - Combat Arms ("Seek and Destroy")

* Headquarters, 138th Regiment (Combat Arms) Indiana Regional Training Institute

Indiana Air National Guard

Indiana Air National Guard Headquarters

* Headquarters and Headquarters Company

122nd Fighter Wing ("Blacksnakes")

* 122nd Operations Group * 163rd Fighter Squadron * 122nd Maintenance Group * 122nd Mission Support Group * 122nd Medical Group

181st Intelligence Wing ("Racers")

* 181st Mission Support Group * 181st Intelligence Group * 181st Medical Group *

113th Air Support Operations Squadron The 113th Air Support Operations Squadron is a unit of the Indiana Air National Guard 181st Intelligence Wing located at Terre Haute Air National Guard Base (Hulman Field), Indiana. The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 1 ...

History

Revolutionary War

The Indiana National Guard's roots began in pre-Independence North America. Around the time of the Beaver Wars, French colonists established trading posts and villages, forming militias for their defense. When the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

began, many militias in modern-day Indiana,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

and

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

declared for the United States against the British. To express his support, militia Captain

François Riday Busseron François Riday Busseron (Bosseron, Beauceron) was a Canadien fur trader, general store operator, and militia captain in the American village of Vincennes, Indiana, Vincennes. He supported the Americans during the American Revolution and funded the ...

commissioned the first American flag of Indiana in 1778. Militias in southern-Indiana, aided by George Rogers Clark and

Piankeshaw The Piankeshaw, Piankashaw or Pianguichia were members of the Miami tribe who lived apart from the rest of the Miami nation, therefore they were known as Peeyankihšiaki ("splitting off" from the others, Sing.: ''Peeyankihšia'' - "Piankeshaw Per ...

natives, captured

Fort Sackville During the 18th and early 19th centuries, the French, British and U.S. forces built and occupied a number of forts at Vincennes, Indiana. These outposts commanded a strategic position on the Wabash River. The names of the installations were change ...

in February 1779, an important British fort in the Ohio River Valley.

Indiana Territory

After the American victory in the Revolutionary War, on 25 July 1788 Governor Arthur St. Clair, the first governor of the newly purchased Northwest Territory, published a law organizing the territory's militias into an official armed force of the United States. The Northwest Territory proved difficult to subdue, however, as the local Miami and Shawnee tribes resisted the United States. This resistance escalated to begin the Northwest Indian War, as many American generals, still fresh from their victory over the British, took it upon themselves to defeat any resistance to the rapidly expanding United States. The War began horribly for the United States, and in quick succession the United States suffered two horrendous defeats in the 1790 Harmar campaign and the 1791 St. Clair's defeat - still to this day the most decisive defeat in the history of the American military. After the failures of Harmar and St. Clair, General

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

reorganized and expanded the Continental Army, calling his force the

Legion of the United States The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...

. Wayne marched his army into the Northwest Territory, where he broke America's string of bad luck with his decisive victory at the 1794

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United State ...

. After his victory, he marched into Indiana and founded

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. The Northwest Territory was broken up upon Ohio's admittance into the Union, and was renamed the

Indiana Territory The Indiana Territory, officially the Territory of Indiana, was created by a congressional act that President John Adams signed into law on May 7, 1800, to form an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, ...

in 1800. The Indiana National Guard traces its unbroken history to 1801, when Indiana's first governor,

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, formed the Indiana Legion to defend settlers against the aggressive actions of the Native American tribes in the territory. Years later, in 1807, Harrison founded the

Indiana Rangers The Indiana Rangers, also known as the Indiana Territorial Mounted Rangers, were a mounted militia formed in 1807 and operated in the early part of the 19th century to defend settlers in Indiana Territory from attacks by Native Americans. The ra ...

, modeling them after General Wayne's mounted troops used at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The Indiana Legion was charged with the defense of all settlements in the Territory, while the Rangers were tasked with safeguarding the Buffalo Trace, the main transportation route between

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

and Vincennes. This era in Indiana history was particularly hazardous, as the Shawnee leader Tecumseh sought to unify the tribes of the Indiana Territory and drive the Americans out. Tensions climaxed when Harrison led the Indiana Legion, 1000 strong, to attack Tecumseh's capital of Prophetstown. Outside of Prophetstown, the Legion was ambushed early in the morning of November 7, 1811. The Legion and Rangers held their ground for two hours, defeating the ambush and burning Prophetstown to the ground. Over the next two years, simultaneously with the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, Harrison and the Indiana Legion continued to battle against Tecumeh's confederacy, chasing him into Canada and taking part in Tecumseh's final defeat at the 1813

Battle of the Thames The Battle of the Thames , also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, was an American victory in the War of 1812 against Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies. It took place on October 5, 1813, in Upper Canada, near Chatham. The Britis ...

. The Legion continued to fight the British in Canada until the cessation of the war in 1815. Tragically, between the movement of Indiana's capital from Vincennes to

Corydon, Indiana Corydon is a town in Harrison Township, Harrison County, Indiana. Located north of the Ohio River in the extreme southern part of the U.S. state of Indiana, it is the seat of government for Harrison County. Corydon was founded in 1808 and served ...

, and then again to Indianapolis, most documents regarding the Indiana Legion have been lost. In one unfortunate incident, a janitor sold a wagon load of official Legion papers as "waste paper."

Mexican-American War

Indiana units were first officially called to federal service in 1846, taking part in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. General Joseph Lane's Indiana Brigade played a critical role on American army's left flank in the

Battle of Buena Vista The Battle of Buena Vista (February 22–23, 1847), known as the Battle of La Angostura in Mexico, and sometimes as Battle of Buena Vista/La Angostura, was a battle of the Mexican–American War. It was fought between the US invading forces, l ...

, a critical battle that routed the Mexican Army and open the way for Mexico's rapid occupation.

American Civil War

Indiana answered

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's call to federal service against the Confederacy. Indiana's governor,

Oliver P. Morton Oliver Hazard Perry Throck Morton (August 4, 1823 – November 1, 1877), commonly known as Oliver P. Morton, was a U.S. Republican Party politician from Indiana. He served as the 14th governor (the first native-born) of Indiana during the Amer ...

, is famously remembered as one of Lincoln's "war governors," and stalwartly pledged Indiana's support for the Union. Indiana committed over 200,000 soldiers throughout the war, with Indiana units serving in some of the most famous units of the Union Army, including the

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

, the Lightning Brigade, and Colonel Eli Lilly's 18th Indiana Battery of Light Artillery. Indiana units on average suffered approximately 35% casualties throughout the war. With so many Hoosiers serving in the Union Army, the Indiana Legion was reactivated to guard the home front, taking part in the Battle of Corydon. After the war, the Indiana Legion was renamed the Indiana National Guard in 1895.

Twentieth century

The Indiana National Guard took part in its first overseas operations in 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 = (cloc ...

, taking part in the occupation of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. After the war, 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 co ...

organized the various state militias into the present National Guard system, making state forces easier to federalize and improving the quality of professionalism and training.

Fort Benjamin Harrison Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis, between 1906 and 1991. It is named for the 23rd United States president, Benjamin Harrison. History In 1901, ...

was established north of Indianapolis in 1906 as both a Regular Army post and the headquarters of the Indiana Army National Guard. In 1916, the Indiana guard was mobilized to patrol the

Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the southe ...

as part of the Mexican Border War. The next year in 1917, Indiana Guardsmen were mobilized as the United States joined

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 ...

. It was in this year that the modern organization of the Indiana National Guard took form, with the creation of the 38th Infantry Division at Camp Shelby, MS and the 113th Aero Squadron, the predecessor of the 181st Intelligence Wing. The

, the successors of Eli Lilly's 18th Battery of Light Artillery, saw extensive action in 1918 under the command of Indiana legend

Robert Tyndall Robert Henry Tyndall (2 May 1877 – 9 July 1947) was a United States artillery officer in World War I, a major general, and mayor of Indianapolis during World War II. Early career Robert Tyndall was born in Indianapolis, the son of William Ed ...

, who would later serve as commander of the 38th Infantry Division, mayor of Indianapolis, and would be vital to the founding of the American Legion. After World War I, amendments were made to the

National Defense Act of 1916 The National Defense Act of 1916, , was a United States federal law that updated the Militia Act of 1903, which related to the organization of the military, particularly the National Guard. The principal change of the act was to supersede prov ...

which codified the National Guard as a permanent part of the United States Army. The final amendment in 1921 allowed the National Guard to "preserve the names, numbers and other designations, flags and records of the division that served in the World War." Stout Army Airfield was established in 1926, serving as the headquarters for the Indiana Guard's Army Air Corps. When America joined

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 opposing ...

, the Indiana Guard was once again federalized. Camp Atterbury was established in 1942, training hundreds of thousands of Soldiers until the war's conclusion. The 38th Infantry Division was activated at Camp Shelby, MS, and would serve in the Pacific from 1944-1945, earning the nickname "Avengers of Bataan." After World War II, the Army debated the necessity of a separate National Guard at all, deciding finally in 1947 to maintain the unique dual-status purpose of the National Guard. From 1947, the Indiana National Guard has had an unbroken federally-recognized status. Indiana Guard units served in 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 ...

, and famously had the only National Guard combat arms unit that saw combat during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...

- Company D (Ranger), 151st Infantry Regiment, gaining the moniker "The Indiana Rangers." Company D is recognized as the spiritual successors to the Indiana Rangers established prior to Indiana's statehood. During their one-year deployment to Vietnam, "Delta Company" was awarded 510 medals for valor and service, making it one of the most decorated units in United States Army history. After the Vietnam War, Chief of Staff

Creighton Abrams Creighton Williams Abrams Jr. (September 15, 1914 – September 4, 1974) was a United States Army general who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968 to 1972, which saw United States troop strength in South Vietnam reduced ...

saw the negative effects of President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

's decision to use the draft rather than activate the National Guard and Reserve. In response, he made it the policy of the United States Army that going forward, the U.S. will never again go to war without calling up the Guard. With the revitalization of the National Guard, the Indiana National Guard was federally activated in much larger numbers in the last years of the 20th century. Taking on their full duty as a dual-purpose force, the Indiana National Guard served in response to hurricanes, natural disasters, and were activated to serve in the 1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and the U.S. intervention during the Bosnian War and the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the wa ...

Twenty-first century

Following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, the Indiana Guard was further expanded and had a significant part in the

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 the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

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 ...

Wars, serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Spartan Shield. Indiana Guard units were present during the 2004 elections in Afghanistan and the 2005 elections in Iraq. As of 2020, 133 Indiana Guardsmen had been killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. As recently as 2022, Indiana Guard units are present in Kuwait and Kosovo.

References

Sources

National Guard of the United States 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.Indiana National Guard
accessed 20 November 2006

accessed 20 November 2006

Notes

External links

compiled by the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Ar ...

Indiana National Guard Homepage
{{Authority control United States Army National Guard by state Military in Indiana United States Air National Guard