Utah 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...
and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
components. The Constitution of the United States
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions. The National Guard is the only United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military force empowered to function in a state status.
The Utah Army National Guard maintains 30 armories in 27 communities.
The Utah Army National Guard 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 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.
Units and Formations
- 97th Troop Command
- 640th Regiment (RTI)
- 65th Fires Brigade65th Fires Brigade (United States)The 65th Fires Brigade is an artillery brigade in the US Army National Guard. It is part of the Utah Army National Guard. The brigade was formerly called I Corps Artillery...
formerly known as I Corps Artillery - 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
- 211th Aviation Group
- 115th Engineer Group (CBT)
- 300th MI Brigade (Linguist)300th Military Intelligence Brigade (United States)The 300th Military Intelligence Brigade is a United States Army formation, subordinate to the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command and headquartered in Draper, Utah....
- Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF)
- 85th WMD CST
- 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade
- 197th STC (Airborne)
- 128th MPAD
- 222nd Field Artillery
- 213th Forward Support Company
- 145th Field Artillery
History
In one sense the Utah Army National Guard was originally formed in 1849. In 1847, as Mormon settlers began arriving in what become known as Utah, it was realized that some sort of militia would be needed to protect the new settlements. The core of this new militia were former members of the Nauvoo LegionNauvoo Legion
The Nauvoo Legion was a militia originally organized by the Latter Day Saints to defend the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, . To curry political favor with the ambiguously-political Saints, the Illinois state legislature granted Nauvoo a liberal city charter that gave the Nauvoo Legion extraordinary...
, which was formed in Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
around 1840. For a number of years members of the Utah based militia could be seen wearing elements of the old Nauvoo Legion uniforms. This new Utah based militia would also be referred to as the Nauvoo Legion. Some of the Utah based Nauvoo Legion would carry lances, giving them a unique look when on horseback. Members of the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
, after finally arriving in Utah after the end of the Mexican-American War, would also join the new Nauvoo Legion.
The Nauvoo Legion was necessarily involved in the would-be conflict between Mormons and Federal forces sent to Utah in the late 1850s. After it was apparent no major hostilities would break out, a somewhat more conciliatory relationship developed between Federal troops and the Legion.
In 1857 the honorable reputation of the Utah based Nauvoo Legion took a blow when Nauvoo Legion members in Iron County participated in the murder of 120 immigrants moving through Utah to California. This event is known as the Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
. The Utah based Nauvoo Legion participated in numerous efforts to quell problems with Indians, and also did certain protective duties in Utah during the Civil War.
As non-Mormon settlers and U.S. Government officials began to grow in numbers, it was perceived that the Nauvoo Legion was loyal mainly to the LDS church and Brigham Young, and not to the Utah territorial government. This perception was more acute after Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
was removed as the territorial governor and a non-Mormon replaced him. The Utah militia was disbanded around 1887, and for a time a more direct control over any military matters was maintained directly by the Federal government. In 1894 the Utah National Guard was created, and since that time has operated in a purely secular manner. The Militia Act of 1903
Militia Act of 1903
The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard of the United States established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was created by the Militia Act of 1903...
organized the various state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
s into the present National Guard system.
See History of the United States National Guard for a more complete history of the guard at a national level.
Historic units
- 140th Field Artillery (United States)
- 145th Field Artillery (United States)
- 222nd Field Artillery (United States)
See also
- State Defense ForcesState Defense ForcesState defense forces in the United States are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government; they are partially regulated by the National Guard Bureau but they are not a part of the Army National Guard of the United States...
- MilitiaMilitiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
- Home Guard (disambiguation)
- 36th Combat Aviation Brigade -- approx. 40 Utah ARNG soldiers deployed to Iraq with the 36th CAB in Sep 2006.
- Transformation of the Army National Guard
- 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...
External links
- Utah Army National Guard, accessed 28 Nov 2006
- GlobalSecurity.org Utah Army National Guard, accessed 28 Nov 2006
- Unit Designations in the Army Modular Force, accessed 23 Nov 2006