More soldiers, new equipment slated for the 142nd Artillery Brigade

The 142nd Artillery Brigade, which has units in the Fort Smith metro and Northwest Arkansas, is adding a new battery, and will add nine Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS). A ceremony for the new battery and added personnel is set for Sept. 8, in Bentonville.

According to a Thursday (Sept. 5) press release from the Arkansas National Guard (ANG), the new Charlie Battery added to the 1st Battalion of the brigade will result in 78 more soldiers. In addition to the nine MLRS units added to Charlie Battery, the Alpha and Bravo batteries will gain an additional MLRS per unit.

“This expansion presents a significant opportunity for the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade,” Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, the adjutant general of Arkansas, said in the statement. “The 142nd is regarded as one of the top artillery brigades within the National Guard, benefiting from the superior training capabilities offered at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, one of the Army’s premier training sites.”

The ANG noted that Charlie Battery was inactivated in 2011 as part of force structure changes. The new equipment for Charlie is set to come from th eIts equipment will arrive the U.S. Army’s active duty 41st Field Artillery Brigade in Germany as that unit begins using newer MLRS equipment.

The 142nd is based in Fayetteville, Ark., and iconsists of two field artillery battalions, a brigade support battalion, and a signal company, with units in Barling, Bentonville, Lincoln, Ozark, and Siloam Springs.

CHARLIE BATTERY HISTORY
Charlie Battery was initially created in 1936 in Fort Smith and was assigned to the 35th Division as a heavy field artillery battery. In February 1943, it joined the 142nd Field Artillery Group, and would be deployed to Northern Africa in September 1943. It participated in the liberation of Rome and the assault on Mount Cassino.

In 1950, Charlie Battery, 936th Field Artillery Battalion, was ordered to active duty and arrived in Seoul, South Korea, in March 1951. The unit would return home on March 30, 1952. In June 1959 the unit was reorganized as Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 142nd Artillery, where it transitioned from the 155mm Howitzer to the 105mm Towed.

The unit deployed in 1990 to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The 142nd was the only National Guard field artillery unit to serve in the war. The brigade was attached to the 1st Infantry Division and supported the 1st United Kingdom Armored Division during the ground campaign providing fire support operations.

Charlie Battery’s last deployment was in March 2006 to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.