The Arkansas National Guard's 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team celebrated its 50th anniversary Saturday afternoon in a ceremony that recalled decades of deployments for combat and humanitarian missions.
During the gathering at Camp Robinson, current and former members of the "Bowie Team," nicknamed for the bowie knife insignia worn on the shoulder patch of each member, looked back the brigade's 50 years of service.
Since its creation in 1967 and a subsequent upgrade from a strategic reserve to a deployable operational force, the 39th Infantry Brigade has seen several generations of combat and losses.
It initially was formed during a reorganization of the Army in the 1960s. In 1973, the brigade became affiliated with the 101st Airborne Division, which increased its training and placed greater emphasis on combat readiness.
By 1995, it was named one of the nation's 15 "enhanced" brigades, which generally received more training, advanced equipment and troops than normal National Guard brigades.
In 1999, the brigade mobilized three companies to support operations in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Then in 2000 and 2001, additional forces were deployed to Bosnia and Egypt.
But the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the U.S. touched off a new direction for the Army, and in turn for the Arkansas Guard.
"After the twin towers fell, we knew our lives were about to change, so there was no surprise when we came up on mobilization," Col. Mike Spraggins, commander of the brigade, said during Saturday's event. "I knew then that we were about to get busy, and I was ready -- we were all ready."
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, brigade members deployed in early 2004 to Taji, Iraq. While in Iraq, according to Saturday's presentation, the brigade helped ensure the success of the country's first democratic elections in more than 60 years.
Thirty-three soldiers were lost during that tour -- 18 of whom were Arkansans.
"Let them all be a somber reminder to all of us that sometimes service in the brigade isn't just repaid by fond memories and friendships. Sometimes it comes with a cost -- the cost of blood and sacrifice," retired Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn said Saturday.
Soon after returning to the United States in 2005, the 39th set out to New Orleans to provide support in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of the city, which killed more than 1,200 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.
In 2008, the 39th deployed again to Iraq, with units based in Baghdad, Al Asad, Tallil and Taji. It completed the 9-month deployment without any combat-related casualties.
In 2012, the brigade's Special Troops Battalion deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Roughly 70 soldiers served during the 10-month deployment to provide base security in various locations throughout eastern Afghanistan.
Currently, the brigade has an infantry battalion in the Horn of Africa to support U.S. military missions. And earlier this year, the brigade deployed 150 soldiers to Central America for humanitarian missions and the training of allied forces in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
This year, the brigade also is expected to deploy to Kosovo to support international humanitarian efforts in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo as part of NATO's multinational Kosovo security force.
Metro on 05/07/2017