Mississippi Army National Guard
Encyclopedia
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...
component of the Mississippi National Guard
Mississippi National Guard
The Mississippi National Guard is Mississippi's component of the United States National Guard.The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. In fact, the National Guard is the only United States military force empowered to...
. It was originally formed in 1798. It is a component of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the United States National Guard
United States National Guard
The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...
. Nationwide, the 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...
comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization. National coordination of various state National Guard units are maintained through the National Guard Bureau.
The Mississippi Army National Guard maintains 97 armories in 93 communities.
When National Guard troops are called to federal service, the President serves as Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
. The federal mission assigned to the National Guard is: "To provide properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, National emergency or as otherwise needed."
The Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
may call individuals or units of the Mississippi National Guard into state service during emergencies or to assist in special situations which lend themselves to use of the National Guard. The state mission assigned to the National Guard is:
"To provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise provided by state law."
Mississippi Army National Guard units are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army. The same ran
United States Army enlisted rank insignia
The chart below represents the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Army.This chart represents the U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia with seniority increasing left-to-right inside a given pay grade...
ks
United States Army officer rank insignia
United States Army officer rank insignia in use today.-History:The structure of U.S. ranks has its roots in British military traditions. At the start of the American Revolutionary War, uniforms, let alone insignia, were barely affordable and recognition of ranks in the field was problematic...
and insignia are used and National Guardsmen are eligible to receive all United States military awards
Awards and decorations of the United States military
Awards and decorations of the United States Military are military decorations which recognize service and personal accomplishments while a member of the United States armed forces...
. The Mississippi Guard also bestows a number of state awards
Awards and decorations of the National Guard
Awards and decorations of the National Guard are presented to members of the United States National Guard and sometimes to members of the State Defense Forces in addition to regular United States military decorations...
for local services rendered in or to the state of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Units and Formations
- 155th Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HQ Tupelo, MS)
- 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment (United States)98th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 98th Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 2006.-History:The 1st Squadron 98th Cavalry of the Mississippi National Guard follows the lineage of the 1st Battalion 198th Armor Regiment and A Troop, 98th Cavalry....
(RSTA) - 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment (HQ McCombMcComb, MississippiMcComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
) - 2nd Battalion, 198th Armor (HQ Senatobia)
- 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery
- 106th Brigade Support Battalion
- 155th Brigade Special Troops Battalion
- 1st Squadron, 98th Cavalry Regiment (United States)
- 1st Battalion, 204th Air Defense Artillery (HQ NewtonNewton, MississippiNewton is a city in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,699 at the 2000 census. Country singer/songwriter Paul Overstreet was born in Newton.-Geography:Newton is located at ....
)]] - 184th ESC
- 185th Combat Aviation Brigade
- 66th Troop Command
- 114th Area Support Group
- 168th Engineer Brigade
- 154th Regiment (Regional Training Institute)
-
- 1st Battalion (Armor)
- 2nd Battalion (Infantry)
- 3rd Battalion (Non Commissioned Officers Academy)
- 4th Battalion (Medical)
- Co D 1-159th Aviation
- 1387th Quartermaster Company (Water Supply) - Leland
- Det 16 OP SPT AIRLIFT (OSA)
- 47th WMD Civil Support Team
- 1687th Transportation Company
- 41st Army Band
- 102d Mobile Public Affairs Division
Duties
National Guard units can be mobilized at any time by presidential orderPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
to supplement regular armed forces, and upon declaration of a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
by the governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the state in which they serve. Unlike Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
members, National Guard members cannot be mobilized individually (except through voluntary transfers and Temporary DutY Assignments TDY), but only as part of their respective units. However, there has been a significant amount of individual activations to support military operations (2001-?); the legality of this policy is a major issue within the National Guard.
Active Duty Callups
For much of the final decades of the twentieth century, National Guard personnel typically served "One weekend a month, two weeks a yearOne weekend a month, two weeks a year
"One weekend a month, two weeks a year" is a former recruiting slogan used by the U.S. Army National Guard. It indicated the amount of time an individual would need to spend actively in the Guard to be a Guardsman with benefits...
", with a portion working for the Guard in a full-time capacity. The current forces formation plans of the US Army call for the typical National Guard unit (or National Guardsman) to serve one year of active duty for every three years of service. More specifically, current Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
policy is that no Guardsman will be involuntarily activated for a total of more than 24 months (cumulative) in one six year enlistment period (this policy is due to change 1 August 2007, the new policy states that soldiers will be given 24 months between deployments of no more than 24 months, individual states have differing policies).
History
The Mississippi Army National Guard came into existence under Winthrop Sargent, the first Governor of the Mississippi Territory, with the issuance of an order on September 8, 1798 organizing the Militia of the Territory.On February 28, 1799, Governor Sargent was able to get his legislative body together and the first law was passed for the permanent establishment of the Militia in Mississippi. This-law constituted the beginning of the 155th Infantry Regiment in Mississippi.
The 155th Infantry (ARNG MS) is one of only nineteen Army National Guard units with campaign credit for the War of 1812
Army National Guard units with campaign credit for the War of 1812
Nineteen current units of the Army National Guard perpetuate the lineages of militia units mustered into federal service during the War of 1812. Militia units from nine states that were part of the Union by the end of the War of 1812 , plus the District of Columbia, are the predecessors...
, and the only one from west of the Appalachians.
Through the years the laws governing the Militia changed in various ways. Establishment of units varied from year to year, and ways of obtaining strength for the units also varied. There were periods of lack and little Militia at all. At other times the Militia forces were well organized.
Although the Mississippi Militia participated in every war and fight of any consequence from the Sabine Expedition of 1806 through the Korean Conflict in 1953, it was not until 1916 the Mississippi National Guard was called for active duty. In 1916 the War Department called three (3) Infantry Battalions for service on the Mexican Border. These battalions formed the First Infantry Regiment which went on active duty on 24 June 1916. In September 1917 this unit was redesignated the 155th Infantry Regiment and served in the 39th Division in France.
Again in 1940 all units of the Mississippi National Guard were inducted into Federal-service. In the 1950 - 1951 period 77 of 81 units were called into service for the Korean Emergency. A total of 6,515 Mississippi Guardsmen served during this period.
At the time of this writing, the Mississippi Army National Guard had 151 units located throughout the State. Fifty-one (51) of these units were part of the 31st (Dixie) Division and the remainder are non-divisional units.
See History of the United States National Guard for a more complete history of the guard at a national level.
Mississippi's State Defense Force, the Mississippi State Guard
Mississippi State Guard
The Mississippi State Guard is the constitutionally authorized State Defense Force of the State of Mississippi. Operating under the authority of the Mississippi Military Department it is on an equal constitutional basis with the Mississippi Army National Guard, and the Mississippi Air National...
, is a military entity authorized by both the State Code of Mississippi and executive order. The State Defense Force (SDF) is the state’s authorized militia and assumes the state mission of the Mississippi National Guard in the event the Guard is mobilized. This force is federally recognized, but are separate from the National Guard and are not meant to be federalized. The SDF comprises retired active and reserve military personnel and selected professional persons who volunteer their time and talents in further service to their state.
Historic Units
- 98th Cavalry98th Cavalry Regiment (United States)The 98th Cavalry Regiment is a Regiment of the United States Army first established in 2006.-History:The 1st Squadron 98th Cavalry of the Mississippi National Guard follows the lineage of the 1st Battalion 198th Armor Regiment and A Troop, 98th Cavalry....
- 198th Armor Regiment (United States)
- 154th Infantry Regiment (United States)154th Infantry Regiment (United States)The 154th Infantry Regiment was a United States infantry regiment, which was created from the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Regiment, Arkansas National Guard, in 1917...
-
155th Infantry - 114th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
- 204th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (United States)
- 185th Aviation Regiment (United States)
See also
- Coats of arms of U.S. Armor and Cavalry RegimentsCoats of arms of U.S. Armor and Cavalry RegimentsThis page has been split as follows:* Coats of arms of U.S. Armor Regiments* Coats of arms of U.S. Cavalry Regiments-See also:* commons:Field Army insignia of the United States Army* Corps insignia of the United States Army...
- Coats of arms of U.S. Artillery RegimentsCoats of arms of U.S. Artillery RegimentsCoats of arms of US Artillery Regiments are heraldic emblems associated with field artillery, air defense artillery, and coast artillery regiments in the US Army...
- Coats of arms of U.S. Infantry RegimentsCoats of arms of U.S. Infantry RegimentsCoats of arms of US Infantry Regiments are heraldic emblems associated with infantry regiments in the US Army. By Army regulation, all regiments of the US Army organized under a Table of Organization and Equipment are authorized a coat of arms to be displayed on the organization's standard, called...
- Coats of arms of U.S. Air Defense Artillery RegimentsCoats of arms of U.S. Air Defense Artillery RegimentsCoats of arms of US Air Defense Artillery Regiments are heraldic emblems associated with Field artillery, Air Defense Artillery, and coast artillery regiments in the US Army...