The Wisconsin Army National Guard ("Guard") has dual state and federal roles, and is jointly funded and maintained by both governments. Its federal mission is to provide trained units to 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, ...

in time of war or national emergency. Its state mission is to help civil authorities protect life and property and preserve peace, order, and public safety in times of natural or human-caused emergencies. The governor, who is the commander in chief of the Guard when it is not activated for federal service, appoints the adjutant general who directs the

Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs The Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs is the military arm of the State of Wisconsin. It oversees the Wisconsin Army National Guard, the Wisconsin Air National Guard, the Wisconsin Emergency Management, and, when organized, the Wisconsin Stat ...

, of which the Guard is a part. Members of the National Guard are typically part-time soldiers who attend unit drills one weekend per month and serve a two-week annual tour of active duty. All officers and enlisted personnel must meet the same physical, education, and other eligibility requirements as members of the active-duty services.

History

In 1848, the first session of the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Repub ...

provided for the distribution of federal arms and military equipment. Wisconsin Guard troops fought in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

, 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 ...

, both the First and

Second World Wars 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 ...

, and the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. Guard members have been activated on numerous other occasions, including for the Berlin Crisis, the

Persian 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, ...

, peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, and current operations in

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 borde ...

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 ...

Pre–World War I

Called the State Militia until 1879, the Wisconsin National Guard was appointed by the first adjutant general of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

in 1839. The modern history of the division originated in the spring of 1861 with the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry and the 2nd Regiment,

1st Wisconsin Cavalry The 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment was a volunteer cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment is most notable as one of two cavalry regiments credited with the final capture of Confederate preside ...

. They were made up of independent

companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

recruited from throughout Wisconsin and was organized and activated into Federal service. The 2nd Wisconsin was joined by several other regiments to form the famous

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 ...

, which soon became one of the most feared and respected units on either side in the Civil War for its performance in such battles as Antietam and Gettysburg. It was nicknamed the ''Iron Jaw Division'' for its toughness in combat. The 4th Infantry Battalion, Wisconsin National Guard, was organized on 25 April 1884 from Milwaukee companies. They were expanded and in 1890 redesignated as the 4th Infantry Regiment which was activated for Federal service in the war with Spain. They were reorganized on 10 June 1899 as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Regiments in the Wisconsin National Guard. In 1916, Troop A was stationed at the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

border under General

John Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

to guard against the raiding Mexican General

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

during the

Pancho Villa Expedition The Pancho Villa Expedition—now known officially in the United States as the Mexican Expedition, but originally referred to as the "Punitive Expedition, U.S. Army"—was a military operation conducted by the United States Army against the p ...

. Troop B was ordered to Camp Wilson near San Diego, California, and on arrival were assigned as the Divisional Headquarters Troop of the 12th Provisional Division until the final breaking up of that division. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Regiments were mustered into Federal service on 30 June 1916 for Mexican Border service. The Guard unit's Troop A and Troop B were mustered out of Federal Service on 20 October 1916 and 6 March 1917, respectively. The regiments were mustered out at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, on 19 January 1917 (1st), 28 February 1917 (2nd), and 14 December 1916 (3rd).

World War I

When the United States declared war on Germany on 11 April 1917, the Wisconsin

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

ordered the Milwaukee Troops to add a squadron, and Troop C and Troop D were added. The Guard units' Troop A and Troop B had been mustered out of Federal Service less than a year earlier on 20 October 1916 and 6 March 1917, respectively. The Adjutant General then directed the unit to add a new regiment, and the Second and Third Squadrons were formed as the First Wisconsin Cavalry, with units organized in various cities. Troop E commanded by Captain John S. Coney was formed in Kenosha on 10 May 1917, and the Wisconsin Cavalry was officially formed on 29 May 1917. Only two months later, the 32nd Division was activated in July 1917 at Camp MacArthur,

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

, Texas of

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

units from Wisconsin and Michigan. Wisconsin furnished approximately 15,000 men, and another 8,000 troops came from Michigan. The division was made up of the 125th and

126th Infantry Regiment The 126th Infantry Regiment ("Second Michigan") is a United States military unit of the Michigan Army National Guard. The 126th was originally an infantry regiment, then was converted into an armoured role, and then was converted to a light ...

s (63rd Infantry Brigade) and the 127th and

128th Infantry Regiment The 128th Infantry Regiment ("Les Terribles") is a United States military unit of the Wisconsin National Guard, currently represented by the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment. The 128th has served as part of the American Civil War, Spanish� ...

s (64th Infantry Brigade), as well as three artillery regiments within the

57th Field Artillery Brigade The 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade, is based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was formerly known as the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, at which time its subordinate organizations included the 1st Battalion, 126 ...

. On 4 August 1917, Battery F, 121st Field Artillery regiment was the first unit to arrive at Camp MacArthur. The remainder arrived as soon as trains could be mustered for transportation. While the Wisconsin National Guard was deployed abroad, the Wisconsin State Guard was organized to temporarily replace the Wisconsin National Guard as the designated militia of Wisconsin and to assume the duties of the National Guard units until the National Guard units returned.

Structure

There are currently about 9,600 members in the Wisconsin National Guard. They reside in all of the state's 72 counties, ranging from fewer than ten in several lightly populated counties in the northeastern part of the state to about 1,100 each in Dane and

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

counties. Over 600 live in other states, with 70 percent of those residing in

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 Rock ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

. The approximately 7,400 Army Guard soldiers train in armories located in 67 communities throughout the state. Most of the units are assigned to one of three major commands: the 32nd Infantry Brigade, headquartered at Camp Douglas; the 64th Troop Command, headquartered at

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

; and the

157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade The 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, also known as the Iron Brigade, is based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was formerly known as the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, at which time its subordinate organizations included the 1st Battalion, 126 ...

, headquartered at

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

. In addition, the 426th Regiment (Regional Training Institute) is also active, heir to the traditions of the 426th Infantry Regiment.

32nd Infantry Brigade

The 32nd Infantry Brigade is the largest unit in the

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Formed in 1967 from the inactivated 32nd Infantry Division, the Red Arrow Brigade consists of three battalions of light infantry, one squadron of cavalry, as well as support and engineer units.

157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade

The 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade is based at

. It was formed from the inactivated 57th Field Artillery Brigade and 264th Engineer Group.

64th Troop Command

The 64th Troop Command provides administrative, training and logistical support to unique, specialized or smaller Wisconsin Army National Guard units that are not part of other major deployable units. The command includes aviation, sustainment and support, personnel, CBRN, band, transportation, maintenance, public affairs, rear area operations command, and medical units.

Historic units

The Wisconsin blue book (1893) (14776049974)

127th Infantry Regiment * 128InfRegCOA

120th Field Artillery Regiment The 120th Field Artillery Regiment is a field artillery regiment of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. The regiment's 1st Battalion, its only active element, is the cannon battalion assigned to the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. History ...

121st Field Artillery Regiment * 126FARegtCOA

126th Field Artillery Regiment The 126th Field Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the United States Army National Guard. Lineage Constituted in the National Guard of Wisconsin as the 1st Cavalry and partially organized by redesignation of Light Horse Squadron of Milwaukee ...

References

External links

;Army National Guard, official sites
Wisconsin Army National Guard
;History

at 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 ...

{{Navboxes, list1={{Wisconsin, expanded Wisconsin National Guard Military in Wisconsin United States Army National Guard by state