The history of the Arkansas Army National Guard and Korean War begins with the reorganization of the Arkansas Army National Guard following World War II. During this period, the Arkansas Air National Guard became a separate component of the Arkansas National Guard. The Arkansas Army National Guard provided Field Artillery and Medical units in support of combat operations in Korea.
With the end of hostilities, the Arkansas National Guard was directed by the War Department to begin re-organization with an expected strength approximately double the size of the pre-war organization. The 39th Infantry Division was reconstituted on 30 September 1946. It was composed of units Arkansas and Louisiana, with its headquarters stationed at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Arkansas portion headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas.[1]
Headquarters
Company
Station
39th Division Headquarters (Arkansas Part)
Little Rock
153rd Infantry Regiment
HHC, 153rd IN
Little Rock
Service Company
Searcy
Tank Company,
Pine Bluff
Heavy Mortar Company
DeQueen
Medical Company
Little Rock
1st Battalion, 153 Infantry Regiment
Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
Texarkana
Company A, 1-153 IN
Hope
Company B, 1-153 IN
Malvern
Company C, 1-153 IN
Prescott
Company D, 1-153 IN
Arkadelphia
2nd Battalion, 153 Infantry Regiment
Headquarters and Headquarters Company,
Morrilton
Company E, 2-153 IN
Clarksville
Company F, 2-153 IN
Dardanelle
Company G, 2-153 IN
Conway
Company H, 2-153 IN
Russellville
3rd Battalion, 153 Infantry Regiment
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Beebe
Company I, 3-153 IN
Jonesboro
Company K, 3-153 IN
Walnut Ridge
Company L, 3-153 IN
Batesville
Company M, 3-153 IN Command
Blytheville
445th Field Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Marianna
Battery A, 445th FA
Helena
Battery B, 445th FA
Newport
Battery C, 445th FA
Brinkley
Service Battery, 445th FA
Wynne, Arkansas
437th Field Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Hazen
Battery A, 437th FA
Hot Springs
Battery B, 437th FA
Newport
Battery C, 437th FA
Dumas
Service Battery, 437th FA
Brinkley
217th Engineer Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Russellville
Company A, 217th EN
Russellville
Company B, 217th EN
Monticello
Company C, 217th EN
Magnolia
Company D, 217th EN
McGehee
Medical Detachment, 217th EN
Russellville
206th Tank Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
El Dorado
Company A, 206th Tank BN
Warren
Company B, 206th Tank BN
Camden
Company C, 206th Tank BN
Fordyce
Company D, 206th Tank BN
Crossett
Medical Detachment, 206th Tank BN
Fordyce
125th Medical Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Little Rock
Clearing Company, 125th Med BN
Little Rock
Ambulance Company, 125th Med BN
Little Rock
739th Ordnance Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Little Rock
Company A, 739th Ord BN
Little Rock
Company B, 739th Ord BN
Little Rock
39th Division Artillery
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Little Rock
39th Replacement Company
Little Rock
39th Military Police Company
Little Rock
In addition, the following non-divisional units were stationed within the state immediately following World War II:
Headquarters
Company
Station
State Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment
Little Rock
106th Army Band
Little Rock
176th Ordnance Detachment
Little Rock
148th Evac Hospital
Little Rock
101st Medical Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment
Booneville
216th Medical Company
Russellville
217th Medical Company
Booneville
218th Medical Company
Sheridan
219th Medical Company
DeWitt
233rd Medical Company
Charleston
235th Medical Company
Lonoke
295th Medical Company
Dermontt
296th Medical Company
Eudora
212th Signal Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Little Rock
Company A
Danville
Company B
Springdale
Company C
Van Buren
Company D
Little Rock
Company E
Malvern
875th Engineer Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Pine Bluff
Company A
Fayetteville
Company B
Heber Springs
Company C
Stuttgart
Medical Detachment
Pine Bluff
875th Eng Avn Bn
Headquarters and Headquarters Company
Pine Bluff
172nd Engineer Company
Pine Bluff
709th FA Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Paragould
Battery A
Rector
Battery B
Augusta
Battery C
Piggott
Service Battery, 437th FA
Wynne
142nd Field Artillery Group
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Fayetteville
936th Field Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Fayetteville
Battery A
Bentonville
Battery B
Berryville
Battery C
Rogers
Service Battery
Harrison
Medical Detachment
Fayetteville
937th Field Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Fort Smith
Battery A
Mena
Battery B
Paris
Battery C
Ozark
Service Battery
Mena
Medical Detachment
Ozark
151st Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Harrison
Battery A
Mountain Home
Battery B
Berrville
Battery C
Marshall
Battery D
Harrison
Medical Detachment
Harrison
326th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
West Memphis
Battery A
Marked Tree
Battery B
West Memphis
Battery C
Harrisburg
Battery D
West Helena
Medical Detachment
Marked Tree
327th Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery
Jonesboro
Battery A
Jonesboro
Battery B
Jonesboro
Battery C
Jonesboro
Battery D
Jonesboro
Medical Detachment
Jonesboro
Additionally, the state was authorized to form several units under the new Arkansas Air National Guard.
Korean War
The following Army National Guard units were called to active duty for service during the Korean War:[2]
The 936th Field Artillery Battalion mobilized August 2, 1950, and moved to Camp Carson, CO for training. It arrived in Korea February 10, 1951, and fired its first combat mission March 30, 1951.[2] The unit provided fire support to 3rd, 25th and 1st Republic of Korea Division as well as the 1st Cavalry Division.[3] The 936th fired 348,547 combat rounds in Korea and suffered 10 killed in action and 28 wounded in action. The battalion was deactivated September 25, 1954.[2] The battalion was awarded battle streamers for the following campaigns:[2]
First U.N. Counteroffensive
CCF Spring Offensive
UN Spring Offensive
UN Summer – Fall Offensive
Second Korean Winter.
A pair of M-40 155mm Gun Motor Carriages of Battery B, 937th Field Artillery Battalion, from Paris, Arkansas, providing fire support to U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division, Munema, Korea, November 26, 1951
. The 937th Field Artillery Battalion was mobilized on the same day as the 936th and moved to Fort Hood, TX for training. It arrived in Korea on the same ship as the 936th and fired its first combat mission April 3, 1951.[2] The battalion went in to line with the I Corps on April 30 near Uijongbu, Korea. During the Chinese Spring Drive the battalion fell back to Seoul and was moved to IX Corps. Battery A continued with X Corps and was attached to the 1st Marine Division. On May 17, 1952, the Battalion was attached to 2nd Division, IX Corps. For the action with 2nd Division, Battery C and Headquarters Battery received the Distinguished Unit Citation. The battalion continued in general support to IX Corps from July 28, 1953, until October 9, 1954.[3] The 937th fired 223,400 combat rounds in Korea and suffered 13 killed in action and 156 wounded in action. The battalion was deactivated November 26, 1954.[2] The battalion was awarded battle streamers for the following campaigns:[2]
First U.N. Counteroffensive
CCF Spring Offensive
UN Spring Offensive
UN Summer – Fall Offensive
Second Korean winter
Korea, Summer – Fall 1952
Third Korean Winter
Korea, Summer 1953.
The 217th Medical Company was mobilized August 2, 1950, and underwent training at Fort Benning, Georgia. The Company departed Fort Lawton, Washington, for January 15, 1951, and arrived in Yokohama, Japan on February 2, 1951. The unit then moved to Kyoto, Japan for training until May 3, 1951. The unit arrived in Pusan, Korea May 4, 1951. The 217th conducted its basic mission of air evacuation of patients to Japan in an area from Pusan north to Seoul. Headquarters Platoon and 1st Platoon were stationed at the K-9 Airbase near Pusan. 2nd Platoon was stationed near Pusan, the 3rd Platoon was stationed near Uljomgby and 4th Platoon was stationed near Chucuhon and Yomdgumgpo and Tamjon. The 217th received the following unit awards during the Korean War:[4]
The Meritorious Unit Citation
The Distinguished Unit Citation
The Korean Presidential Citation
Japan Occupation Citation
The following units also were called to active duty during the Korean War as well, but were reorganized with combat medical units that were already deployed overseas, many to Korea:[2]
Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 101st Medical Battalion — Germany
218th Medical Ambulance Company — Fort Hood and Fort Leonard Wood
Arkansas National Guard Fallen Soldiers
This list of soldiers is intended to include all Arkansas National Guardsmen who died during combat operations. This list may be shorter than the list contained in various unit histories because those lists may contain Soldiers who were not Arkansas National Guardsmen prior to mobilization but joined the unit following mobilization. Many Soldiers who were drafted were later assigned to mobilized Guard units.
^The 39th Infantry Division 1950 / Louisiana National Guard. Jackson Barracks, New Orleans : Military Dept., State of Louisiana, Office of the Adjutant General, 1950
^ abHarry, Smith (December 21, 1962). "Arkansas Army and Air National Guard, a History and Record of Events, 1820-1962". Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Military Department: 43A. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Harry, Smith (December 21, 1962). "Arkansas Army and Air National Guard, a History and Record of Events, 1820-1962". Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Military Department: 43B. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Diggs, Jack F, History of the 142nd Field Artillery 1889-1976, 1976
