Without all of you, the National Guard could not accomplish our missions at home and abroad.. It resumed its National Guard status, seeing weekend and summer training assignments but no major contingencies over the next few years. Frank O'Brien, Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. The soldiers of the 116th Infantry were the first to hit the beach at 0630, coming under heavy fire from German fortifications. The 29th Infantry Division sent the 116th Infantry to support the western flank of the veteran 1st Infantry Division's 16th Infantry at Omaha Beach. Whether it's commercial, retail or industrial . The 29th Infantry Division (29th ID), also known as the "Blue and Gray Division",[1] is an infantry division of the United States Army based in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Rhodes.[55]. Maj. Daryl Plude, the 29th Infantry Division command team, case their organizational colors signifying the official start of the unit's federal active duty mission May 15, 2021, in Bowling Green, Virginia. "We want them to understand what it means to the thousands of veterans who have worn the patch in service to our country, as well as how it serves as a symbol of liberation to our Allies in France.". It is one of eight divisions in the Army National Guard. It was tasked with sending its recommendations on the patch, installation names and the fate of other Confederate references in the force to Congress by October 2022. The task force was designated as the 4th Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and carried the lineage of Company D, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which had served throughout World War II and into the 1950s. From October 2001 to April 2002, the 29th Infantry Division was mobilized on federal active duty as the headquarters for Multinational Division (North), Task Force Eagle, in Bosnia-Herzegovina for the 10th rotation of NATOs peace stabilization forces known as the NATO led Stabilization Force. Established: July 18, 1917 29th Infantry Division In all, 2,085 National Guard soldiers from 16 states from Massachusetts to California served with the multinational force that operated in the US sector, MND-N. Their rotation began in October 2001 and lasted six months. Thousands of soldiers with the 29th Infantry Division were among the first wave of troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy in the U.S.-led invasion of France in 1944. [10] Shortly thereafter the Armistice with Germany was signed on 11 November 1918, ending hostilities between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. We are proud to represent our nation, our home states and the National Guard.. the 29th Division adopted the nickname it still carries today: the "Blue and Gray." . 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment Company A, from the Virginia National Guard in Bedford was annihilated by overwhelming fire as it landed on the 116th's westernmost section of the beach, along with half of Company A, B, and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the 5th Rangers Battalion which was landing to the west of the 116th. Gen. John Epperly, 29th Infantry Division deputy commander, presented Maj. Gen. Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Land Forces Cpl. Virginia National Guard History for both the Army and Air National Guard. The 29th ID soldiers performed as the KFOR staff, serving as subject matter experts, enforcing KFOR orders, systems and procedures, and working with JMRC to help the deploying troops achieve their training objectives. Version: 378719a7422dbf16a653a31d0524fb9a2058ed47_2023-04-20T10:09:12, Strategic Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division boarded a large number of attack transports for the D-Day invasion, among them landing craft, landing ship, tank, and landing ship, infantry ships and other vessels such as the SSEmpire Javelin, USSCharles Carroll, and USS Buncombe County. Categories. During that time, the division's subordinate units were reassigned to other National Guard divisions. As the division was composed of men from states that had units that fought for both the North and South during the American Civil War, it was nicknamed the "Blue and Gray" division, after the blue uniforms of the Union and the gray uniforms of the Confederate armies. He also recognized the important support from families and thanked them for their critical role in the VNGs mission. In its role as Task Force Spartan, the 29th ID commanded two brigades and four battalion-level task forces. Kuwaiti Land Forces Commander awarded U.S . The 29th American Infantry Division was founded on 3 February 1941 and brought together men belonging to the National Guard. February 15th, DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled. [15]:95 Most of the regiment's tank support, launched from too far off-shore, foundered and sank in the channel. The man and his 91-year-old father lost $1,400 in the deal, which they said was made through Ebay, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. When the 116th was activated as part of the 29th Infantry Division on Feb. 3, 1941, many Virginia communities provided Soldiers to serve in the division. In May 1943 the division moved to the DevonCornwall peninsula and started conducting simulated attacks against fortified positions. The division took command of 1st Brigade, 29th Infantry Division and 2nd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia Army National Guard,[6]:322 as well as 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of the Maryland Army National Guard. The 29th was reconstituted in the National Guard in 1921, assigned to the III Corps, and allotted to the states of Maryland and Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The Naming Commission hasn't made any final decisions. Army Battle Casualties and Nonbattle Deaths, Final Report (Statistical and Accounting Branch Command Sgt. Soldiers of the Texas National Guards 36th Infantry Division currently serve as Task Force Spartan. By Cotton Puryear JFHQ Public AffairsMay 19, 2021. Her childhood home lay in the flight path of medical evacuation helicopters flying to and from her local hospital. It eventually saw deployments to Bosnia (SFOR10) and Kosovo (KFOR) as command elements, and units of the division continue to deploy to locations such as Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and to the War in Afghanistan as a part of the Global War on Terrorism's Operation Enduring Freedom, and also to the Iraq War, as a part of its Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The Guards ability to respond relies on three key elements: our great Soldiers, our great families and our great employers. Among them are highly decorated soldier Joseph A. Farinholt, soccer player James Ford, United States federal judge Alfred D. Barksdale,[65] and historian Lawrence C. Wroth,[66] generals Milton Reckord,[67] Norman Cota,[68] Charles D. W. Canham, and Donald Wilson. This is the second time in recent years the 29th ID has deployed as Task Force Spartan with Soldiers serving on federal active duty from November 2016 to July 2017. The division returned to Fort Belvoir in November 2007. Camp Grohn near Bremen was the division headquarters until January 1946. A team of 65 29th ID soldiers served in Afghanistan as a Security Partnering Team until July 2012. Hundreds of soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division completed nine days of training on 16 June 2001 at Fort Polk, Louisiana, to prepare for their peacekeeping mission in Bosnia, as the second division headquarters to be deployed as a part of SFOR 10. Years Later, Some Are Saddled With Debt. In 2016, two separate elements of the 29th deployed overseas. [17]:7273 The 29th Division, which was already undermanned after heavy casualties on D-Day, was even further depleted in the intense fighting for Saint-L. More than 500 Soldiers of the 29th will conduct a 10-month deployment in the Central Command Area of Operations as Task Force Spartan to provide leadership, command, control and in-depth staff analysis for Operation Spartan Shield. Baker Group is a highly experienced contractor with a vast range of electrical solutions for any size project. Organized and Federally recognized 30 November 1956 in the Virginia Army National Guard at Roanoke as Company C, 116th Infantry, an element of the 29th Infantry Division; Reorganized and redesignated 1 June 1959 as Company C, 1st Battle Group, 116th Infantry . a Virginia National Guard Soldier . Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia delivered remarks during the ceremony, recognizing the service and sacrifice of the troops as they leave their friends, families and jobs to deploy overseas. Known as the Blue and Gray Division, the 29th Infantry Division is an Army National Guard operational-level headquarters located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The division trained as a unit during the 1935 First Army maneuvers at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, and during the 1939 First Army maneuvers at Manassas, Virginia. From July 1943, the 29th Infantry Division was commanded by Major General Charles H. Gerhardt. In late September, the29th received orders to join the U.S. First Army's MeuseArgonne offensive as part of the French XVII Corps. [8] It demobilized on 30 May at Camp Dix, New Jersey,[6]:319. New Jersey Engineers, Company K, 1st New Jersey Infantry, Company G, 2nd New Jersey Infantry, Companies I and L, 3rd New Jersey Infantry, Co. L, 4th New Jersey Infantry, and Co. F, 5th New Jersey Infantry), 104th Field Signal Battalion (former Companies A and C, New Jersey Signal Corps, and Company B, D.C. Signal Corps), Headquarters Troop, 29th Division (detachment from 1st Squadron, New Jersey Cavalry), 104th Train Headquarters and Military Police (former Troops A and C, 1st Squadron New Jersey Cavalry, and Troop A, Maryland Cavalry), 104th Ammunition Train (former 1st Squadron, Virginia Cavalry, and individual transfers), 104th Supply Train (individual transfers), 104th Engineer Train (individual transfers), 113th, 114th, 115th, and 116th Ambulance Companies and Field Hospitals (former 1st Maryland Ambulance Company, 1st Virginia Ambulance Company, 1st New Jersey Field Hospital, 1st Maryland Field Hospital, and 1st Virginia Field Hospital), Headquarters, 29th Division (Washington, D.C.), Headquarters, Special Troops, 29th Division (Washington, D.C.), Headquarters Company, 29th Division (Washington, D.C.), 29th Military Police Company (Washington, D.C.), 104th Ordnance Company (Medium) (Washington, D.C.), 1st Infantry Regiment (VA) (Richmond, Virginia), 176th Field Artillery Regiment (155mm) (, 121st Engineer Regiment (Washington, D.C.), 104th Medical Regiment (Baltimore, Maryland), 104th Quartermaster Regiment (Baltimore, Maryland), Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 29th Infantry Division Artillery, 29th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized), Headquarters, Special Troops, 29th Infantry Division, Headquarters Company, 29th Infantry Division, 29th Counterintelligence Corps Detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Fort Belvoir (VAARNG), Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Staunton, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Fort A.P. Assigned to Marshalls Brigade, Army of Eastern Kentucky, Department #2, Reorganized with nine companies. On 7 June, a second wave of 20,000 reinforcements from both the 1st and 29th Divisions was sent ashore. The division was reassigned to XIX Corps,[13] and the attack jumped off across the Rur on 23 February, and carried the division through Jlich, Broich, Immerath, and Titz, to Mnchengladbach by 1 March 1945. The secretary of defense then will have until 2024 to review and implement changes. 3rd Battalion, 111th Air Defense Artillery, 29th Military Police Company, Pikesville (MDARNG), Company A (Operations), Fort Belvoir, Virginia (VA NG). Even to this day, the thing that unites Maryland and Virginia National Guard is the 29th." Singh was the first African-American and the first woman to serve as Maryland's adjutant general. They also facilitated theater security cooperation activities such as key leader engagements, joint exercises, conferences, symposia, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response planning. FORT BARFOOT, Va. -. https://www.facebook.com/29thID/. [13], The division cut across the Elle River and advanced slowly toward Saint-L, fighting bitterly in the Normandy hedgerow country. More 29th Division Band news:https://ngpa.us/23177, Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division The division currently has training relationships with the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Florida and Alabama, the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team from North Carolina and West Virginia, the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade from Maryland, the 226th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade from Alabama, the 113th Sustainment Brigade from North Carolina and the 142nd Fires Brigade from Arkansas. After completing six months of peacekeeping training at Fort Bragg, the 4th Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment deployed to the Sinai from January through June 1995, then redeployed to Fort Bragg. Its origins date back to World War I and is most known for its participation in the D-Day landings at Omaha Beach in World War II. [10], In 1968, in the middle of the Vietnam War, the Army inactivated several National Guard and Reserve divisions as part of a realignment of resources. who is assigned to the Leesburg-based Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, wants to be ready to help Soldiers who might be . Baker Company may refer to: Baker Company of the 101 st Airborne Division. The Division Maneuver Exercise, dubbed Operation Chindit, brought together Guard units from Virginia and Maryland, as well as Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut and the District of Columbia. The 29th Infantry Division was retained, however 2nd Brigade was inactivated in favor of assets from the inactivating 26th Infantry Division, which was redesignated the 26th Brigade, 29th Infantry Division. [8] On 14 July, the division was reassigned to XIX Corps, part of the First Army, itself part of the 12th Army Group. During Task Force Pegasus rotation, over 1,700 flight hours and 275 aerial missions were completed, five multinational multi-ship flights, and 14 MedEvac missions, two of which required the use of a hoist and countless hours of training. Electrical Solutions. "I want to go there and see where that patch was," he said. The 29th trained at Fort Meade in Maryland and then reorganized losing the176th Infantry and the 29th Tank Company to other units. [6]:321, On 23 October 1946, the division was reactivated in Norfolk, Virginia. Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes and Command Sgt. Called up for service again in World War II, the division's 116th Regiment, attached to the First Infantry Division, was in the first wave of troops ashore during Operation Neptune, the landings in Normandy, France. [12]:159 Instead, the core units of the division were its three infantry regiments, along with supporting units. [8], After a short rest, the division returned to XIX Corps and took part of the Battle of Aachen by moving to defensive positions along the Teveren-Geilenkirchen line supporting the 30th Infantry Division in Germany and maintained those positions through October. This amounted to over 200 percent of the division's normal strength. [8] Heavy fighting reduced in Jlich Sportplatz and the Hasenfeld Gut on 8 December. [51], On 24 July 2015, Brig. [52], On 19 December 2016 the 29th Infantry Division assumed command of U.S. Army Central's intermediate division headquarters, Task Force Spartan, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Comprised of four battalions and based in Fort Meade (Maryland, USA), it receives from its creation a large number of vehicles and equipment freshly out of the weapons factories. The Army Chief of Public Affairs announced Virginia National Guards Staff Sgt. The division itself was awarded four distinguished unit citations and four campaign streamers for the conflict. [8] Meanwhile, the 175th Infantry cleared the Klotze Forest. This deployment includes 450 Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina Army National Guard soldiers and is the first time the 29th Infantry Division has been a part of Third Army since 1944, during WWII. The division's actions on Omaha Beach are featured prominently in the 1962 film The Longest Day,[61] as well as in the 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. Known as the Blue and Gray Division, the 29th Infantry Division is an Army National Guard operational-level headquarters located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Current organization [ edit] Today, 1st Squadron, 150th Cavalry Regiment is the only active squadron in the regiment. The exercise began with the insertion of troops from the 29th Infantry Division's 1st and 3rd Brigades by UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters into strategic landing zones. More 2-224th news:https://ngpa.us/23176 [16], The entire division had landed in Normandy by 7 June. They led a task force of more than 9,000 personnel from 24 states that was responsible for securing property at the U.S. Capitol, protecting government employees, providing logistical support, staffing traffic control points and providing crowd management. [14]:31 German forces used the dense bocage foliage to their advantage, mounting fierce resistance in house-to-house fighting in the ravaged Saint-L. The rest of the 29th ID came ashore later, then advanced to Saint-L, and eventually through France and into Germany. Capt. Jeff Clements as the Military Photographer of the Year during the 2022 Department of the Army Maj. Gen. Keith L. Ware award announcements April 14, 2023. The Soldiers selected for the unit reported to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in July 1994 to begin their training for the mission. It is currently a formation of the U.S. Army National Guard and contains units from Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and West Virginia. But the decision on whether to retire the 29th Infantry patch is more complicated than what some see as more clear-cut examples of scrubbing the Confederacy, an enemy force whose rebellion caused the most carnage out of any U.S. war, from honorary references such as monuments that were mostly erected during the Civil Rights era of the mid-20th century. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy. The DART conducts joint reception, staging, onward-movement and Integration of inbound OPCON forces and establishes base support installations and /or forward operating bases for sustaining operations. In July more than 80 soldiers deployed in support of anti-ISIL operations (dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve by the U.S. This is Baker Company, activated in September, 1943 at Camp Barkeley, Texas, under the command of Captain Gerald E. Griffin. The remarks come amid a growing debate in the halls of Congress over how the Navy is meeting the legal requirement to operate Col. Meghann Sullivan, commander of the 5th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 5th SFAB, faces allegations of assaulting at least All of these veterans, who used education benefits earned in the military to pay for the training, had signed agreements Military and overseas voters will effectively get more time to return absentee ballots under a bill Gov. The Soldiers join the VNG's Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division and Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group serving on federal active duty in the Middle East. It as organized around three brigades; the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team of North Carolina, the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of Virginia, and the Combat Aviation Brigade, 29th Infantry Division of Maryland.[38]. [54] On 3 October 2020, Epperly was succeeded by Maj. Gen. John M. Gen. Joseph A. DiNonno has been selected to succeed Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes as the commanding general of the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division, according to an announcement made April 21, 2023, by Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. The 29th ID wartime mission is to provide mission command to subordinate brigades and forces tailored for an assigned mission. Soldiers of the 29th Infantry Division were awarded five Medals of Honor, 44 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 854 Silver Star Medals, 17 Legion of Merit Medals, 24 Soldier's Medals, 6,308 Bronze Star Medals, and 176 Air Medals during the conflict. Assigned to Corses Brigade, Picketts Division, Department of North Carolina, Assigned to Corses Brigade, Army of Western Virginia and East Tennessee, Assigned to Corses Brigade, Department of Southwestern Virginia and East Tennessee, Assigned to Corses Brigade, Department of North Carolina, Assigned to Corses Brigade, Hokes Division, Department of North Carolina and Southern Virginia. Major General Blake C. Ortner recently served as the Commander, 29th Infantry Division, Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. [17]:17 German reserves formed a new defensive front outside the town, and American forces fought a fierce battle with them two miles outside of the town. FORT BELVOIR, Virginia Lt. Col. Michael J. Esposito assumed command of the Fort Belvoir-based Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 29th More than 450 National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division from Virginia and Maryland, as well as Soldiers FORT BELVOIR, Va. Brig. The panel is mostly focused on renaming 10 Army bases currently honoring Confederate leaders who waged war against the U.S., but other names and insignia are being reconsidered as well. A special troops battalion was added to the division's command structure, and its three brigades were redesignated. [8], From 8 December 1944 to 23 February 1945, the division was assigned to XIII Corps and held defensive positions along the Rur and prepared for the next major offensive, Operation Grenade. Soldiers conducted mobilization training in Maryland and Virginia and now report to Fort Hood, Texas, for the final mobilization training and will deploy from there. [13] On 19 April 1945 the division, assigned to XIII Corps, pushed to the Elbe River and held defensive positions until 4 May and also made contact with Soviet troops. [8] On 16 November, the division began its drive to the Roer River, blasting its way through Siersdorf, Setterich, Durboslar, and Bettendorf, and reaching the Roer by the end of the month. https://www.facebook.com/2ndBattalion224thAviation/, An official website of the United States government. Units that would eventually make up the division were key players in colonial-era wars, from states scattered across the East Coast. Virginia and Maryland Army National Guardsmen from the 29th Infantry Division (Light) provided the largest contingent for the battalion. [15]:86, As the ships were traveling to the beach, the heavy seas, combined with the chaos of the fighting caused most of the landing force to be thrown off-course and most of the 116th Infantry missed its landing spots. The so-called Stonewall Brigade also recently saw one of the Army's first Black female infantry commanders. Ortner. The 29th Infantry Division, under the command of Major General Leonard Gerow, was sent to England on 5 October 1942 on RMS Queen Mary. Scores of the division's troops were among the 3,000 killed in the opening hours of the assault on Fortress Europe in one of the most gruesome and heroic battles in U.S. military lore and immortalized in the opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan.". [19] We are hiring for multiple positions. Fort A.P. Leaders from the Virginia National Guards Fredericksburg-based 229th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team partnered with the Virginia Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion to highlight the benefits of National Guard membership during showcase events April 3 and 5, 2023, at Courtland High School and Colonial Forge High School. [10] The 57th and 58th Infantry Brigades were inactivated as part of an army-wide removal of brigades from divisions. One officer (Lieutenant John A. Coulson) and 27 enlisted men surrendered. The Army National Guard organized a major ceremony for the 60th anniversary, as many of the veterans who participated in the invasion were in their 80s at that time, and the 60th anniversary was seen as the last major anniversary of the landings in which a large number of veterans could take part. The son explained to a deputy that on Aug. 5. In recent years, the Division has continued answering the call supporting Operation Spartan Shield in forward deployed locations. Adjutant General of Virginia 2022 Holiday Message, Adjutant General of Virginia 2022 Veterans Day Message, Adjutant General of Virginia 2021 Holiday Message, Adjutant General of Virginia 2021 Memorial Day Message, Adjutant General of Virginia 2020 Holiday Message, Adjutant General Update Recommit to COVID measures- Oct. 13, 2020, AG Update: Four-phase plan to address diversity, equality- 10 SEP 2020, Adjutant General Message: VNG Civil Disturbance Response, Adjutant General of Virginia 2020 Memorial Day Message, Adjutant General COVID-19 Update: May 6, 2020, Adjutant General COVID-19 Update: April 23, 2020, Adjutant General COVID-19 Update: April 10, 2020, Adjutant General of Virginia 2021 Veterans Day Message, VNG Officers Serving at the National Level, VNG Land Component Commander Update - Fall 2021, VNG Land Component Commander Update- Summer 2021, VNG Land Component Commander Update- Spring 2021, VNG Land Component Commander Update - Fall 2020, VNG Land Component Commander Update - Summer 2020, VNG Land Component Commander Update - Spring 2022, Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Coordinator, Risk Reduction, Resilience, Suicide Prevention, DiNonno to succeed Rhodes as 29th Infantry Division commanding general, Saber Soldiers participate in Arctic Forge exercise in Finland, 229th BEB leaders share Guard experiences with high school students, VNG public affairs NCO named Army Military Photographer of the Year, Flight dreams realized for new VNG Medevac commander, https://www.facebook.com/2ndBattalion224thAviation/, Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil, Fort Belvoir-based Headquarters and Support Company, Cheltenham, Md.- based Signal Company (Maryland National Guard), Laurel, Md.- Intelligence and Sustainment Company (Maryland National Guard), Sandston-based Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Sandston-based Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Sandston-based Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Sandston-based Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Chesterfield-based Detachment 2, Company C, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment, Sandston-based Detachment 2, Bravo Company, 248th Aviation Support Battalion, Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company C, 2-245th Aviation Regiment. About the 29th Infantry Division: Known as the Blue and Gray Division, the 29th Infantry Division is an Army National Guard operational-level headquarters located at Fort Belvoir,. This is part of the commission's duty," Stephen Baker, a spokesperson for the commission, told Military.com in a statement. He was a member of the first National Guard Infantry battalion called up since Korea with Charlie Co., 1-293rd Inf. He continued to serve in this role until his selection as the 29th Infantry Division CSM in March 2021. On 12 March 1942, over three months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the subsequent American entrance into World War II, with this reorganization complete the division was redesignated as the 29th Infantry Division and began preparing for overseas deployment to Europe. Following 4-month train up, the battalion deployed to Bagram Air Base Afghanistan where the unit split into two operational elements. Task Force Spartan is a unique, multi-component, total Army organization, made up of active Army, National Guard, and Army Reserve support units and is led by a National Guard division headquarters on a rotational basis. The installation conducts projects in support of Earth Day annually, however this year's efforts encompassed more . [2][3] In October, more than 450 29th soldiers deployed in support of Operation Spartan Shield.[4][5]. The battalion was made up of 88% National Guardsmen and Army Reservists from 32 different states, and 12% Regular Army Soldiers, most from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. Assigned 2004 to the 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 29th Infantry Division. Hill, Virginia - Maj. Gen. John M. Rhodes and Command Sgt. Because of that, almost a century before those units' legendary battle in France, elements of what would become the 29th Infantry fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.