| 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team | |
|---|---|
79th IBCT SSI and DUI |
|
| Active | 18 July 1917 – 20 April 1919 18 June 1926 – January 1974 |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | San Diego, California (HQ) |
| Nickname | Thunderbolt |
| Motto | Dominate the Fight |
| Engagements | World War I |
| Decorations | Philippine Presidential Unit Citation[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Mark Malanka |
The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is an infantry brigade of the United States Army and the California Army National Guard. In late 2008, the 40th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was redesignated as the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team without changing its composition.
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Elements of the Brigade can trace back their lineage to October 1881 when the San Diego City Guard was established.[4] The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was originally made up of the 50th and 90th Infantry Regiments and served as part of the 20th Infantry Division from October 1918 to February 1919.[5]
During its existence, the shoulder patch used by this unit was that of the 40th Armored Brigade, authorized use of the same SSI on 2 February 1970. However, the unit never had official authorization from the Institute of Heraldry to do so.[6] Constituted in July 1917 the brigade was organized and drafted into federal service in August 1917 at Camp Kearny and was demobilized in April 1919 at the same location. June 1926 found the unit being reconstituted in the California National Guard. The unit headquarters relocated a number of times until it was called into federal service in February 1942. After World War II the unit was inactivated in April 1946, but was called up again in September 1950 due to the Korean War. Having wintered over in Korea in 1951 and 1952 the unit was deactivated in July 1954. Prior to this most recent change, the unit was designated as the 40th Armored Brigade in January 1968. However they were disestablished in January 1974.[7][8]
On 2 February 2010 the United States Army Institute of Heraldry approved a new shoulder patch and unit crest for the 79th IBCT.[9]
The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was re-designated from the 40th IBCT in September 2008.[10] The IBCT was originally activated in 2007 as part of the reorganization of the California National Guard, which in turn was part of the restructuring of the total US Army.[1] The Army is restructuring and moving from the Division to the Brigade as the primary building block of Combat Power. To this effect the 2nd and 3rd Brigades of the 40th Infantry Division of the California Army National Guard were merged into the 79th IBCT. As of February 2007, most of the brigade was stateside. However, individual soldiers were in Iraq working in other active duty units or are tasked for border security missions in southern California. The 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is organized under the Army's new modular brigade structure. The role of the Brigade Combat Team is to act as the Army’s basic tactical maneuver unit and the smallest combined-arms unit that can be committed independently. The Brigade Combat Team is designed to conduct offensive, defensive, and stability operations. The core mission is to close with the enemy by means of fire and maneuver; to destroy or capture enemy forces; or to repel their attacks by fire, close combat, and counterattack. The Brigade Combat Team can fight without augmentation, but it also can be tailored to meet the precise needs of its missions.
The 79th IBCT also has a state mission. In times of emergency, the governor may call the National Guard to assist civil authorities. The self-contained and modular structure of the 79th IBCT make it well suited to provide this support.