| 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team | |
|---|---|
32nd Infantry Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia |
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| Active | 1967 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army National Guard |
| Type | Light infantry |
| Part of | Wisconsin National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Wisconsin |
| Nickname | "Red Arrow" (Special Designation)[1] "Les Terribles" (as World War I division) |
| Motto | "Forward" |
| Engagements | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Insignia | |
| Distinctive Unit Insignia | |
The 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Red Arrow"[1]) is an infantry brigade in the United States Army National Guard. It is the largest unit in the Wisconsin National Guard.[2]
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Formed in 1967 from the deactivated 32nd Infantry Division, the Red Arrow Brigade was formed of three battalions of light infantry as well as support and engineer units.
In April 1971, the Brigade was converted to a mechanized brigade and became the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade (Separate) (Mechanized), Wisconsin National Guard. In January 1986 the 32nd Brigade participated in REFORGER '86. The entire Brigade deployed from Wisconsin, with all of its equipment, to Germany.
In October 1996, the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Wisconsin National Guard, was assigned to the 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division (the 34th Div. is headquartered in Minnesota). Due to this reorganization, the 32nd Brigade became a divisional brigade and was no longer a separate brigade.
On 1 October 2001, the Brigade was reorganized as the 32nd Infantry Brigade (Separate) (Light), Wisconsin National Guard.[3] The 32nd Brigade is no longer attached to the 34th ID and is again a (Separate) brigade. On 23 January 2003 about 100 soldiers from various 32nd "Red Arrow" Infantry Brigade units reported for active duty for service as Task Force Red Arrow in support of Operation Noble Eagle (ONE). Task Force Red Arrow supplemented security for two years at three of Wisconsin's airbases, the 440th Airlift Wing in Milwaukee, the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee, and the 115th Fighter Wing in Madison.
The Brigade was reorganized again in September 2007 as the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Wisconsin Army National Guard. With this change the 2nd Battalion of the 128th Regiment was reorganized as a Cavalry Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition unit, known as the 1st Squadron of the 105th Cavalry Regiment.
32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team consists of the following elements:
First Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment
Second Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment
Second Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment
First Battalion, 120th Field Artillery Regiment (United States)
Qatar, Camp Virginia, LSA (Ali Al Salem), Balad, Baghdad, Hillah, Iraq
First Battalion, 121st Field Artillery Regiment, 57th Field Artillery Brigade
In September 2008, the entire 32nd Brigade and six other related units received mobilization orders directing their return to Iraq. This is the largest operational deployment of Wisconsin National Guard forces since World War II. They began training and preparing for deployment in February 2009. The Brigade completed three weeks of training at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center in Florida on 30 January 2009, completing its training for deployment to Iraq.
In February 2009 the entire BCT, 3,200 Wisconsin Army National Guard soldiers, were activated along with six supporting units outside the brigade. They were given a send-off on 17 February 2009 at the Alliant Energy Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin. The soldiers are reporting to Fort Bliss in elements of 400–600 soldiers by 1 March to complete preparations for a one-year deployment. Sgt. Pete Smoczyk and Col. Tommy Makal, two World War II veterans who served in the 32nd Division during World War II, when it was last called up for overseas combat duty, also marched out with the brigade. Spc. Marissa Hendriks, Smoczyk's granddaughter, is deploying to Iraq with the unit.[5]
The units activated are:
2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion, 128th Infantry
1st Battalion, 120th Field Artillery
32nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion
132nd Brigade Support Battalion
The six additional units mobilized to augment the 32nd Brigade Combat Team have a combined authorized strength of about 1,050 soldiers in 10 Wisconsin communities. Units to be mobilized with the 32nd BCT are: