The 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is a unit of the Illinois Army National Guard. Known as the 66th Infantry Brigade until 2005, it is one of the brigades of the 35th Infantry Division.
History[]
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Formerly worn by 33rd Infantry Division.
The post-World War II reorganization of the Army National Guard included the 33rd and 44th Infantry Divisions as Illinois-based units.[1]
The 44th Infantry Division was inactivated in 1954, following its return from deployment for the Korean War.[2]
The 33rd Infantry Division continued until 1968, when it was inactivated as part of a National Guard force reduction. The 33rd Infantry Brigade was then created as a non-divisional organization.[3][4]
The 66th Infantry Brigade, which had been part of the 44th Division and then the 33rd, continued in service as an Illinois organization assigned to the 47th Infantry Division.[5] The 47th Division was inactivated in 1991, and the 66th Brigade was assigned to the 34th Infantry Division.[6]
In 1997 the 66th Brigade was reassigned to the 35th Infantry Division.[7]
As part of the Army’s conversion to modular divisions and brigades, in 2005 the separate 33rd Infantry Brigade was inactivated. The 66th Brigade was re-flagged as the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which continued to be aligned with the 35th Division.[8]
Recent deployments[]
Soldiers of the 66th Brigade were activated for homeland security duty following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks.[9]
In 2008 and 2009 soldiers of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team served in the War in Afghanistan.[10]
Task organization[]
As of 2013, the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is composed of: 33rd Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Urbana; 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, Marion; 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Chicago; 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, Kewanee; 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment, Chicago; 33rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Machesney Park; and 634th Brigade Support Battalion, Sullivan.[11]
References[]
- ↑ National Guard Educational Foundation, 33rd Infantry Division, 2011
- ↑ National Guard Educational Foundation, 44th Infantry Division, 2011
- ↑ New York Times, Proposal to Drop 15 Divisions Gains, May 11, 1967
- ↑ Associated Press, Schenectady Gazette, General Who Bucked Demoting Negro Guard Officers is Fired, March 4, 1968
- ↑ Chicago Tribune, Guard Could Fight After 90 Days: Kane, February 24, 1968
- ↑ Basil Talbott, Chicago Tribune, Great Lakes Boon: Base expands under Cheney plan to close 43 others, April 13, 1991
- ↑ Harry Levins, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Plan to use National Guard in Battle Could be Felt in Missouri and Illinois, August 5, 2000
- ↑ Charles Stanley, My Web Times, Guardsman ready for deployment, March 18, 2008
- ↑ Associated Press, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1,700 GUARDSMEN FROM ILLINOIS WILL BE ACTIVATED, December 2, 2001
- ↑ WIFR, Dixon's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Returns Home, August 14, 2009
- ↑ 33rd Infantry Division Association, Units of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2008
External resources[]
- 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat team at Illinois National Guard
- 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team at Facebook
The original article can be found at 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States) and the edit history here.