Wisconsin National Guard
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| Wisconsin Army National Guard | |
|---|---|
 Wisconsin Army National Guard Shoulder Sleeve Insignia |
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| Active | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Allegiance | State of Wisconsin |
| Branch | National Guard |
| Motto | Forward |
| Mascot | Badger |
The Wisconsin 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 and Air Force 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, of which the Guard is a part. Members of the National Guard are typically part-time soldiers and airmen 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.
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[edit] History
Guard members continue the legacy of the “Minutemen” of the American Revolution—citizen-soldiers trained and ready to put their peacetime pursuits on hold when called upon to serve their state or nation. Throughout much of its history, the U.S. has maintained only a small standing army. Instead, it has primarily relied on the militia system for security which, formalized in the Uniform Militia Act of 1792, embraced the principle of universal military obligation for most able-bodied males. Militia members participated in periodic compulsory unit training musters, and were responsible for providing their own weapons. In 1848, the first session of the Wisconsin Legislature provided for the distribution of federal arms and military equipment. Wisconsin Guard troops fought in the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, bolth the First and Second World Wars, and the Korean War. Guard members have been activated on numerous other occasions, including for the Berlin Crisis the Persian Gulf War, peacekeeping operations in the Balkans, and current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
[edit] Wisconsin Army National Guard
There are currently about 9,600 members in the Wisconsin National Guard. They reside in all of the state’s 72 counties, ranging from less than ten in several lightly populated counties in the northeastern part of the state to about 1,100 each in Dane and Milwaukee counties. Over 600 live in other states, with 70 percent of those residing in Illinois and Minnesota. 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 four major commands: the 32nd Infantry Brigade (United States), headquartered at Camp Douglas; the 64th Troop Command, headquartered at Madison; the 57th Field Artillery Brigade, headquartered at Milwaukee; and the 264th Engineer Group, headquartered at Chippewa Falls.
[edit] 32nd Infantry Brigade
The 32nd Infantry Brigade is the largest unit in the Wisconsin National Guard. Formed in 1967 from the deactivated 32nd Infantry Division, the Red Arrow Brigade is formed of three battalions of light infantry as well as support and engineer units.
[edit] 57th Field Artillery Brigade
The 57th Field Artillery Brigade is based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's subordinate organizations include the 1-126th and 1-121st Field Artillery battalions. It is also known as the "Iron Brigade".
[edit] Wisconsin Air National Guard
Most of the approximately 2,200 Air Guard airmen belong to three major units: the 115th Fighter Wing at Truax Field in Madison, the 128th Air Refueling Wing at Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport, and the Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center at Camp Douglas.
[edit] 115th Fighter Wing
The 115th Fighter Wing is an Air National Guard fighter unit flying F-16 aircraft from Truax Field at the Dane County Regional Airport, on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin.
[edit] 128th Air Refueling Wing
- Assigned to Strategic Air Command on: 1 July 1976
- At: General Billy Mitchell ANG Base, W
- Equipment: KC-97Ls
- Changed equipment in: 1977 to KC-135Ss
- Changed equipment in: 1982 to KC-135Es
- Changed equipment in: 1991 to KC-135Rs
- Reassigned to: Air Mobility Command, Fifteenth Air Force on 31 May 1992.
On July 1, 1976, 13 Air Guard refueling units were placed into the Strategic Air Command. This was the first time the massive bomber command integrated part-time units into its forces and mission. SAC also announced that Air Guard refueling units would begin to integrate a new craft into their inventories: a military version of the Boeing 707 airliner named the KC-135.
On 4 October 1976 the 128th completed its first mission under SAC. In January 1979 the unit began the 24 hour a day SAC alert commitment. This commitment would be maintained for the next 12 years until President George H. W. Bush ended the SAC Alert Force in 1991. In 1983 the unit was involved in the first Pacific Tanker Task Force, with flights to Guam, Korea and Australia. Spring of 1984 brought a very large “first”. The unit participated in Coronet Giant, an exercise which entailed a direct flight from the United States to West Germany by 12 , A-10 Thunderbolt II attack fighters, refueling along the way by three KC-135s from the 128th. The route spanned 3600 miles, and was the largest mission of this type ever undertaken by a guard force. A deployment to Wake Island was accomplished between 25 March and 3 April 1986 by aircraft and 130 personnel. A total of eight air refueling sorties were flown from Wake Island, with 458,000 pounds of fuel being off-loaded. Early spring of 1987 saw another significant accomplishment by the 128th. On 21 March one of our unit aircraft departed Fargo, North Dakota, with 40 civilian VIP’s on board the destination: Templehof Airport, West Berlin, Germany. This was the first ever sanctioned Air National Guard civilian flight outside the Continental United States, and was also the first KC-135 authorized into West Berlin. A chain of events which had a spectacular effect upon the “day-to-day” operations of the 128th began in August of 1990. On 2 August 1990 Saddam Hussein’s Iraq army invaded and occupied tiny oil rich Kuwait. On 7 August unit aircraft and volunteer personnel deployed to a forward operating base in support of Dessert Shield; the defense of Saudi Arabia . As time passed the crisis went unresolved and in fact became more acute: Dessert Storm. On 28 December 1990 the 128th received orders for a partial activation. All aircraft and aircrews and a number of support personnel were dispatched to the newest forward operating base at Cairo, Egypt on 27-29 December 1990. They became the basis for the 1706th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional). Other unit personnel were mobilized for use as stateside “backfill” (replacing troops sent forward ) or sent to overseas destinations.
[edit] External links
- Army National Guard, official sites
- Air National Guard, official sites
- Wisconson Air National Guard
- 115th Fighter Wing
- 128th Air Refueling Wing
- 128th Air Control Squadron
- Combat Readiness Training Center
- Air National Guard, unofficial sites
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