The 169th Fires Brigade is an artillery brigade in the US Army National Guard

Army National Guard

Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...

. It is part of the Colorado Army National Guard

Colorado Army National Guard

The Colorado Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...

. The 169th Fires Brigade is currently composed of:

• Headquarters & Headquarters Battery
• 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery
  157th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
  The 157th Regiment has been both an Infantry and Field Artillery regiment of the Army National Guard.The regiment was first constituted in 1917 from the 1st Colorado Infantry.-History:...
  
   (M270 MLRS
  M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System
  The M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System is an armored, self-propelled, multiple rocket launcher; a type of rocket artillery.Since the first M270s were delivered to the U.S. Army in 1983, the MLRS has been adopted by several NATO countries. Some 1,300 M270 systems have been manufactured in the...
  
  )
• 1st Battalion, 161st Field Artillery  (M-109
  M109 howitzer
  The M109 is an American-made self-propelled 155 mm howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s. It was upgraded a number of times to today's M109A6 Paladin...
  
  ) (KS ARNG
  Kansas Army National Guard
  The Kansas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
  
  )
• 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery  (HIMARS) (KS ARNG
  Kansas Army National Guard
  The Kansas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
  
  )
• 2nd Battalion, 123rd Field Artillery (M-198
  M198 howitzer
  The M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece, developed for service with the United States Army and Marine Corps. It was commissioned to be a lightweight replacement for the WWII era M114 155mm howitzer. It was designed and prototyped at the Rock Island Arsenal in 1969 with firing...
  
  ) (IL ARNG
  Illinois Army National Guard
  The Illinois Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
  
  )
• 147th Brigade Support Battalion
• E Battery, 161st Field Artillery Regiment (Target Acquisition) (KS ARNG)
• 540th Network Signal Support Company

A tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) battery will be added in the future.

Activities

It was ordered into Federal Service on 1 October 1961 as part of the American reaction to the Berlin Crisis of 1961

Berlin Crisis of 1961

The Berlin Crisis of 1961 was the last major politico-military European incident of the Cold War about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The U.S.S.R...

 and released in August 1962. The brigade headquarters was mobilized in March 2006 for service in Iraq and it returned in July 2007.

Lineage

Originally raised as an infantry unit in 1909, HHB, 169th Field Artillery Group was converted from the Headquarters Company of the 157th Infantry Regiment in Denver on 1 August 1955. It was redesignated as an Artillery Group on 1 October 1959. It reverted to the original Field Artillery Group title and transferred to Aurora, Colorado

Aurora, Colorado

City of Aurora is a Home Rule Municipality spanning Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties in Colorado. Aurora is an eastern suburb of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . The city is the third most populous city in the Colorado and the 56th most populous city in the...

 on 1 March 1972. On 1 May 1978 it was redesignated as a Field Artillery Brigade.

Honors

The 169th's predecessor, the 157th Infantry Regiment, was awarded one campaign streamer in World War I and eight campaign streamers and one unit decoration in World War II.

Unit decorations

Ribbon	Award	Year	Notes
	French Croix de Guerre, World War II (With Palm)	1943–1944	Embroidered "Italy"

Campaign streamers

Conflict	Streamer	Year(s)
World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...	Streamer without inscription
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Sicily Sicily Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...  (with Arrowhead)	1943
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Naples Naples Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples... -Foggia Foggia Foggia is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".-History:...  (with Arrowhead)	1943
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Anzio Anzio Anzio is a city and comune on the coast of the Lazio region of Italy, about south of Rome.Well known for its seaside harbour setting, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Ventotene...  (wirth Arrowhead)	1943
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Rome-Arno Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.- Source and route :The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a southward curve...	1944
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Southern France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...  (with Arrowhead)	1944
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Rhineland Rhineland Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....	1944—1945
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Ardennes-Alsace	1944—1945
World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...	Central Europe	1945

External links

• http://www.coloradoguard.army.mil/169fires.html
• http://www.ausa.org/programs/torchbearer/Documents/TB_Fires_2009LOWRES_300909.pdf