The 36th Airborne Brigade [1] was an airborne brigade of the United States Army and the Texas Army National Guard. The brigade was active from 1 November 1973 to 1 April 1980. The unit's lineage continues today in the 36th Infantry Division. [2]
A 36th Brigade of infantry was originally part of the National Army 18th Division, formed briefly in 1917–18.
The Texas Army National Guard had previously had the 71st Airborne Brigade, an ARNG sister unit to the Regular Army's 173d Airborne Brigade that was very similar in structure. Following the 173d's inactivation in 1972, the 71st Airborne Brigade was inactivated in 1973. Two Airborne infantry battalions previously assigned to the 71st were retained, and the HQ 36th Airborne Brigade was activated as a TDA unit to provide administrative command and control over the two battalions. [3] [1]
The two battalions assigned to the 36th Airborne Brigade were:
Unit | Beret Flash |
---|---|
36th Airborne Bridge HQ including a Pathfinder Detachment | ![]() |
1st Battalion (Airborne), 143d Infantry | ![]() |
2nd Battalion (Airborne), 143d Infantry | ![]() |
McGrath says the 36th Brigade insignia with star was authorized for wear from 10 May 1967 – 1 November 1973, but never worn, because the brigade at the time was designated 71st Airborne Brigade. [5] The unit continued to wear the patch of the 71st Airborne Brigade until the unit was inactivated. The 36th Airborne Brigade was active from 1973 to 1980 when it too was inactivated. One battalion was converted to an engineer battalion and the other to an armored cavalry squadron; however, Company A, 2-143d was reorganized as Company G (Ranger), 143d Infantry. [6] The company was based on the LRRP model of the Vietnam War years and later replaced "Ranger" with "Long Range Surveillance" when the Army adopted the new LRS designation. [7] [8] [9] Under the 71st and 36th, unit soldiers has worn a blue Airborne tab, but this was replaced with a G co Ranger Scroll in G-143d while it was a Ranger Company, and later returned to a blue Airborne tab when it was a LRS company. [10] The company remained active until its inactivation in September 2001. [11]
When HQ 36th Airborne Brigade was inactivated, its pathfinder detachment was retained as the separate 1136th Infantry Detachment (Pathfinder) in Austin, attached to G-143d for administration and training. By September 1990 it was inactivated, along with all other National Guard and Army Reserve pathfinder units.
The 36th was reconstituted as a divisional formation (36th Brigade, 50th Armored Division) from 1988–92. From 6 January 1988, the 7th and 8th Battalions of the 112th Armor, along with other support units in the “Texas Brigade,” served in the 50th Armored Division of the New Jersey National Guard. Reorganization in 1993 ended the relationship with the 50th and saw the inactivation of the 7th and 8th Battalions. According to Aumiller, the two battalions were relieved from assignment from the 50th Armored Division by 9 January 1993. During that year the 50th was inactivated in an ARNG force reduction that saw the merger of the understrength 50th Armored Division, 26th Infantry Division, and 42d Infantry Division. The surviving division was the 42d while t"he 50th and 26th were reduced to brigades of the 42d.
1st Battalion, 133d Field Artillery may have been the Direct Support battalion (effectively the brigade's artillery battalion) for the 36th Brigade from 1989.
In 1992 it became the 36th Brigade of the 49th Armored Division based at Houston, TX. It seems likely to have been activated in 1992, and was definitely an active reserve (TPU) unit from Aug 1994 thru at least Feb 1997. It was likely transitioned during the May 2004 realignment when the 49th Armored Division became the 36th Infantry Division. [12]
The 36th Infantry Division ("Arrowhead") also known as the "Panther Division", the "Lone Star Division", "The Texas Army", and the "T-patchers", is an infantry division of the U.S. Army and part of the Texas Army National Guard. The 36th Infantry Division was first organized during World War I (1914–1918) from units of the Texas and Oklahoma National Guards. After the war, the division was reformed as an all-Texas unit, and was called to service for World War II (1937–1945) on 25 November 1940, was deployed to the European Theater of Operations in April 1943, and returned to the Texas National Guard in December 1945.
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized militia force and a federal military reserve force of the United States Army. They are simultaneously part of two different organizations: the ARNG of each state, most territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the federal ARNG, as part of the National Guard as a whole. It is divided into subordinate units stationed in each state or insular area, responsible to their respective governors or other head-of-government.
The 49th Armored Division —nicknamed the "Lone Star"— was an armored division of the Texas Army National Guard during the Cold War.
The United States Army Rangers are elite U.S. Army personnel who have served in any unit which has held the official designation of "Ranger". The term is commonly used to include graduates of the Ranger School, even if they have never served in a "Ranger" unit; the vast majority of Ranger school graduates never serve in Ranger units and are considered "Ranger qualified".
A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP, is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.
In military organizations, a pathfinder is a specialized soldier inserted or dropped into place in order to set up and operate drop zones, pickup zones, and helicopter landing sites for airborne operations, air resupply operations, or other air operations in support of the ground unit commander. Pathfinders first appeared in World War II, and continue to serve an important role in today's modern armed forces, providing commanders with the option of flexibly employing air assets. There was a group of pilots who were also designated pathfinders. They flew C-47 (DC-3) aircraft and were the lead planes followed by paratroop transports, used for dropping paratroopers into designate drop zones such as on D day, the Normandy Invasion.
Reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition (RSTA) squadrons are a type of unit in the United States Army. These are cavalry squadrons, and act at the squadron (battalion) level as a reconnaissance unit for their parent brigade combat teams. These RSTA squadrons continue on the Recondo legacy of the Vietnam era Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP), however, compared to the LRRPs they are often assigned additional non-reconnaissance responsibilities such as battlespace ownership.
The 50th Armored Division was a division of the Army National Guard from July 1946 until 1993.
The Texas Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army, the United States National Guard and the Texas Military Forces.
The 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) (officially 75th Infantry Regiment or 75th Infantry) was initially a parent regiment for all the US Army Ranger units during the Vietnam War and the early 1980s and then the headquarters for the Ranger battalions.
In the United States (US) military, a beret flash is a shield-shaped embroidered cloth that is typically 2.25 in (5.72 cm) tall and 1.875 in (4.76 cm) wide with a semi–circular base that is attached to a stiffener backing of a military beret. These flashes—a British English word for a colorful cloth patch attached to military headgear—are worn over the left eye with the excess cloth of the beret shaped, folded, and pulled over the right ear giving it a distinctive appearance.
The 143rd Infantry Regiment is an airborne infantry formation in the Army National Guard and has one battalion active under the Texas Army National Guard.
The 133rd Field Artillery Regiment is a parent field artillery regiment of the United States Army National Guard. It is currently represented in the Texas Army National Guard by the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Battalions.
The 51st Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army first established in 1917.
The 71st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (EMIB) is a unit of the Texas Army National Guard.
The 71st Airborne Brigade was an airborne brigade of the United States Army and the Texas Army National Guard. The 71st Airborne Brigade was active from 15 December 1967 until 1 November 1973. It was a result of the National Guard total force reorganization to fill the gap and improve in National Guard airborne infantry capabilities from the consolidations of 1st Battalion (Airborne) 151st Infantry into D & E co (LRP) 151st Infantry of the Indiana National Guard on 1 December 1967 and consolidations of the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 225th Infantry into E & F co (LRP) 425th Infantry of the Michigan National Guard on 1 February 1968.