Missouri Global War on Terror Document

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Missouri State Emergency Duty Document

A Brief History of the Missouri National Guard

The Missouri National Guard or its antecedent, the Missouri Militia, has been active since at least August 21, 1808.

From a part of the St. Louis Grays, the Missouri Light Artillery was organized in July 1842. Most of its members were Germans who had fought in Germany. Four six-pound brass cannons were cast for the battery at the St. Louis Arsenal.

On June 13, 1846, Battery "A" together with other troops from the St. Louis area
left St. Louis by steamboat for Fort Leavenworth. The battery then marched
overland to Santa Fe. Immediately upon reaching Santa Fe, the Missourians fought
a battle. Although outnumbered at least four to one, they virtually annihilated
the enemy forces.



The Civil War

During the Civil War, Missouri's militia supplied troops for both sides,
although the majority of troops fought for the Union. Missouri troops fought in
the epic campaigns of Forts Henry and Donaldson, Vicksburg, Chattanooga,
Chickamauga, and Atlanta, as well as in hundreds of smaller military
engagements.


World War I

World War I was the greatest effort in Missouri's long military career in terms
of manpower. The state sent 14,756 men to fight with the 35th Division in
eastern France. Missouri troops participated in the decisive Meuse-Argonne
Offensive of September 1918 that broke the back of German resistance in the war.
Captain Harry S Truman served with distinction as commander of Battery D, 129th
Field Artillery.

Silver Dollar payday for battery A.

Cover of WW1 35th infantry division history book.

Cover page of 2nd MO Infantry during Spanish-American War.

Here is a presentation about our Museum.

World War II

In World War II the entire Missouri National Guard was activated on September
16, 1940. Between then and Pearl Harbor, most of the 6,233 men called were taken
out of their units and dispersed as cadre throughout the army. Only a few units,
such as the 11th Engineers and the 203rd Coast Artillery remained together
during the war. Elements of the 35th Tank Company of St. Joseph were the first
Missouri Guardsmen to see action in 1941 defending the Philippines. They were
captured and endured the Bataan Death March.

Korean Conflict

A total of 2,358 men from both the Army and Air Guard were activated for Korea.
The 106th Ordinance Company was the only unit that was kept as a whole and sent
to Korea. Units of the Missouri Air Guard were activated for the Berlin Crisis
of 1961.

Vietnam War

On 13 May, 1968 during the Vietnam War, the 208th Engineer Company from Festus
was activated for federal duty. They were sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for
training for approximately one year. Many of the members were detached from the
unit and sent individually as replacements to Vietnam. The unit was
deactivated December 13, 1969 and reverted back to state control.

Invasion of Panama

During the invasion of Panama, Missouri MP's from the 1137th and 1138th were
already there for their Annual Training. They built and maintained a 3,000 man
POW compound.

Desert Storm

During Operation Desert Storm, nine Missouri Guard units, seven from the Army
and two from the Air Guard, were called by January 1991, and served throughout
the war.

Missouri Flood of 1993

During the Great Flood of '93, almost every unit of the Missouri Guard was
activated for the statewide emergency.

The Balkans

Missouri has had units participating in activities in Macedonia and the Kosovo
region recently, as well as Honduras and Belize in Central America.

The Global War on Terrorism

In response to the terrorist attacks on America, the Missouri National Guard's 1138th and 1139th Military Police Company were activated for Operation Noble Eagle. More than 230 Guardmembers were called by the Governor to increase security at Missouri's commercial airports. The Missouri Air National Guard had more than 400 members activated in support of Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom.

Iraqi Freedom and Other Concurrent Missions

When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, the Missouri National Guard provided 205th Med BN, 1221st Trans. CO., 203rd EN BN, 1140th EN BN, and other units . Other Missouri National Guard personnel have served in Afghanistan and Kuwait, while the 70th MPAD served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Missouri National
Guard had the 1107th AVCRAD and 110th EN BN deploy to Kuwait in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, while the 1035th Maint. CO. returned home in early February.

In February 2003 the 175th MP BN deployed to Kosovo in support of Operation Joint Guardian and returned home in February 2004.

The Missouri National Guard provided more than 2,000 Soldiers to assist its neighbors in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina devastated the surrounding countryside. Many Missouri National Guard units that had served in Iraq traveled to Louisiana. Some of these units include the 1221st Trans. CO that hauled much needed supplies to the area; the 1138th MP's who worked with local law enforcement officials to provide security to the area; and the 203rd Engineers who worked to clear damaged areas and move debris.

The 835th CSB was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in March 2007 for their service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004.

In March 2008 the Missouri National Guard had its largest deployment of Soldiers since World War I. It deployed more than 1,000 Soldiers for KFOR-10 in Kosovo. This was the first time that a Maneuver Support Brigade, later Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, rather than a divisional element, led American forces in Kosovo. Members of the 70th MPAD, 110th MEB, members of the 129th FA, 3175th MP CO, 135th ROC, and various other units of the MONG, as well as units from 5 other states, were deployed on this mission until early 2009.

During the summer of 2008, the MONG and MoANG mobilized more than 1,200 Soldiers and Airmen for some of the worst flooding on the Mississippi River seen since the Great Flood of '93. Approximately 25 Army and Air units were activated for this duty. Sandbagging, levee monitoring and manning traffic control points were some of the duties performed by MONG personnel. This was a unique opportunity in which both the MONG and MoANG worked closely together during a State Emergency Duty (SED).

2009 saw the last flight of the 131st Fighter Wing. They began transitioning to the B-2 Stealth bomber mission. Pilots and other personnel re-trained for the B-2. The 131st moved transition teams from Lambert Field, St. Louis Air National Guard Base to Whiteman AFB where a plan was developed to integrate the MoANG into the B-2 mission.

Operation Enduring Freedom

The year 2010 saw much of the main focus and efforts shift to missions in Afghanistan while bringing to a close our commitments in Iraq. The 1107th Theater Aviation Support Maintenance Group had a successful deployment to Kuwait/ Iraq. The 1107th TASMG mission was to provide a fixed base theater of operations dedicated to sustainment/depot capability. The 203rd Engineer Battalion returned from completing their mission to Afghanistan. Their mission was to clear routes of improvised explosive devices throughout Regional Command East to ensure freedom of movement for military and civilian personnel. The 135th Military History Detachment was mobilized to document the service of units on duty in Afghanistan. The 135th MHD interviewed personnel, acquired photographs, and videos of units and individual members. Overlapping into the next decade, the Missouri National Guard Agri-Business Development Team IV continued the key mission of transforming Afghanistan. Their mission was to coordinate and integrate agri-business capacity building activities into existing counterinsurgency operations in Nangarhar province.

2011 to Present

The year 2011 will be remembered for Missouri National Guard's service to the state of Missouri. A monster winter storm that dropped heavy snow measured in feet impacted a third of the country and did not spare Missouri. The last day of January, even before the storm arrived, witnessed an unprecedented move by the Governor to mobilize the Guard, 600 Guardsmen in all.

Ironically, the heavy snow fall would soon impact Missouri with a different problem, flooding. The Mississippi and Missouri River's would soon take their turns engulfing Missouri from spring to fall. Between the two state emergency duty operations, over 1300 guardsmen would be mobilized to assist in many towns and cities along the rivers.

In between the flood responses, the mettle and capabilities of the MONG were tested by a devastating EF-5 multiple-vortex tornado that carved a destructive path (up to a mile wide) through Joplin, MO. It ranks as the seventh deadliest and costliest (2.8 Billion) single tornado in US history. The MONG was not only immediately mobilized, but continued to assist long after the immediate response. Numerous units assisted and nearly 400 Guardsmen were mobilized at the peak of the disaster.

The year 2011 ended with a total of five state emergency responses. The year 2012 was relatively quiet compared to the previous year, with one tornado response in the Branson area.

With the numerous challenges at home, the Missouri National Guard continued to fulfill our federal obligation of supporting overseas contingency operations. Afghanistan continues to be the majority of our mobilizations, but not exclusively. The 835th HHD and 229th HHD were the first two units to forge the way for the Missouri National Guard to perform the historic Multinational Forces and Observers (MFO) Sinai peacekeeping mission in Egypt. Another mission of historical significance was the final mobilization of a Missouri Agri-Business Development Team. The effort began in 2007, with ADT I and ended with the safe return of the last team members of ADT VI in November of 2012.

The Missouri National Guard continues to deploy overseas and is always ready, always there, locally, to assist the citizens of Missouri.