81st Armored Brigade
81st Armored Brigade Insignia
Active	January 1, 1968
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army National Guard
Type	Armor Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Seattle, Washington
Nickname	Washington Rifles
Battles/wars	Operation Iraqi Freedom
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The U.S. 81st Brigade Combat Team (Heavy) is primarily composed of units from the Washington National Guard. It also includes units from California, and has at times incorporated personnel from Minnesota. It contains approximately 3,600 soldiers. Image File history File links 81st_patch. ... January 1 is the first day of the calendar year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... The United States National Guard is a significant component of the United States armed forces military reserve. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Mayor Greg Nickels Area  - City  142. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the... “Washington State” redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area  Ranked 12th  - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 400 miles (645 km)  - % water 8. ...

Composition

The Brigade contains 6 battalions and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company. It assumed its current organizational structure in late 2005, after its return from Iraq.

• 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry consists of a Headquarters Company, two Infantry Companies, two Armor Companies, and an Engineer Company. These companies are based in Spokane, Kent, Moses Lake, Bremerton, Pasco, and Bellingham, Washington, respectively.
• 1st Battalion, 185th Armor has an identical composition to the above, but, the companies are based in San Bernardino, Bakersfield, Porterville, Palmdale, Madera, and San Diego, California.
• 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry is composed of 1 Headquarters Troop and 3 Cavalry troops, based in Kent, Puyallup, Kent, and Port Orchard, Washington, respectively.
• 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery is composed of one Headquarters Battery and two cannon batteries, located in Olympia, Montesano, and Longview, Washington.
• 181st Support Battalion is composed of 1 Headquarters Company, 1 Supply and Transportation Company, and 1 Medical Company, all based in Seattle, Washington. It also contains a Maintenance Company in Yakima, Washington, and four Forward Support Companies, based in Kent, Spokane, and Centralia, Washington, and in Barstow, California.
• 81st Brigade Troops Battalion contains a Headquarters Company, a Military Intelligence Company, and a Signal Company, located in Everett, Kent, and Everett, Washington, respectively.
• Headquarters Company, 81st Brigade - Seattle, Washington.

Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... Nickname: The Lilac City Location of Spokane in Spokane County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County Spokane Government  - Mayor Dennis P. Hession Area  - City  58. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Founded May 28, 1890 Mayor Suzette Cooke Area    - City 73. ... Moses Lake is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. ... Sinclair Inlet and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (left), Dyes Inlet (middle distance) and Manette and Warren Avenue Bridges (left to right) across Port Washington Narrows Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, USA. The population was 37,259 at the 2000 census. ... Wind turbines above Pasco. ... Bellingham, Washington is the county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. ... The San Bernardino skyline viewed from Grand Terrace, California San Bernardino is the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Nickname: Californias Country Music Capital Location of Bakersfield, California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Kern County Founded 1869 Government  - Mayor Harvey Hall Area  - City  114. ... Porterville is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. ... Motto: Aerospace Capital of America Location of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: Country United States of America State California County Los Angeles  - Mayor James C. Ledford Jr. ... Madera is the county seat of Madera County, California. ... Nickname: Americas Finest City Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates: Country United States State California County San Diego Founded July 16, 1769 Incorporated March 27, 1850 Government  - Mayor Jerry Sanders  - City Attorney Michael Aguirre  - City Council Scott Peters Kevin Faulconer Toni Atkins Tony Young Brian Maienschein... Soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback in combat are commonly known as cavalry (from French cavalerie). ... Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Founded May 28, 1890 Mayor Suzette Cooke Area    - City 73. ... Puyallup (pronounced ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington about five miles east of Tacoma. ... Port Orchard is the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Coordinates: County Thurston County Incorporated January 28, 1859  - Mayor Mark Foutch Area    - City 48. ... Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. ... Longview is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Mayor Greg Nickels Area  - City  142. ... Location of Yakima in Washington Coordinates: Country United States of America State Washington County Yakima Incorporated December 1, 1883 Government  - Mayor Dave Edler Area  - City  20. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Founded May 28, 1890 Mayor Suzette Cooke Area    - City 73. ... Nickname: The Lilac City Location of Spokane in Spokane County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County Spokane Government  - Mayor Dennis P. Hession Area  - City  58. ... Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. ... Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... Military intelligence (abbreviated MI, int. ... Everett is the county seat and largest city in Snohomish County, Washington located 25 miles north of Seattle. ... Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King Founded May 28, 1890 Mayor Suzette Cooke Area    - City 73. ... Nickname: The Emerald City Location of Seattle in King County and Washington Coordinates: Country United States State Washington County King County Incorporated December 2 1869 Government  - Mayor Greg Nickels Area  - City  142. ...

History

The unit that would one day become the 81st Brigade began as a Brigade of the 41st Infantry Division in 1917. As a part of this division, it deployed to France for World War I, but was used for replacements and did not see action as a coherent unit. Combatants Allied Powers: Russian Empire France British Empire Italy United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary German Empire Ottoman Empire Bulgaria Commanders Nikolay II Aleksey Brusilov Georges Clemenceau Joseph Joffre Ferdinand Foch Robert Nivelle Herbert H. Asquith D. Lloyd George Sir Douglas Haig Sir John Jellicoe Victor Emmanuel III Luigi Cadorna...

Between the World Wars, the Brigade operated in Washington with the 161st Infantry Regiment and the 163rd Infantry Regiment out of Montana. Just after America's entry into World War II, the 161st was attached to the 25th Infantry Division where it saw a great deal of action in the Pacific, and the Brigade structure was abolished. Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... (Redirected from 25th Infantry Division) Patch of the United States Army 25th Infantry Division. ...

On 1 January 1968, the 41st Division was disbanded and the Brigade structure restored. At first, the Brigade contained 3 battalions of the 161st Infantry Regiment and various supporting elements. In 1971, 2nd Battalion, 161st Infantry was disbanded and replaced with 1st Battalion, 303rd Armor.

In the mid-1990s, a reduction in the size of the Washington National Guard disbanded the 3rd Battalion, 161st Infantry, and replaced it with the 1st Battalion, 185th Armor from California. This also made armored formations prevalent in the Brigade and necessitated its redesignation as an armored, rather than infantry, brigade.

Like most National Guard units, the Brigade has periodically been called upon to respond to various natural disasters and public disorder, notably the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, and the anti-globalization protests during the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 in Seattle, as well as wildfires during 2000 and floods in 2006. For the mountain in California see Mount Saint Helena. Mount St. ... Protest activity surrounding the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999, which was to be the launch of a new millennial round of trade negotiations, occurred on November 30, 1999, when the World Trade Organization (WTO) convened in Seattle, Washington, USA. The negotiations were quickly overshadowed by massive and controversial street protests... Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ... Floods in the United States are generally caused by excessive rainfall, excessive snowmelt, and dam failure. ...

The largest overseas mission of the 81st Brigade was its deployment to the Middle East to combat the Iraqi Insurgency from March 2004 to March 2005. The Brigade was broken up, and its components extensively reorganized to meet the mission requirements: The Iraq resistance movement is the armed and peaceful resistance by diverse groups to the coalition occupation of Iraq. ...

A total of ten Brigade soldiers died from enemy action over the course of the deployment, mainly from the units that conducted active patrolling outside base perimeters. Balad Air Base control tower The Sustainer Theater at Camp Anaconda. ... The 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav Div) is a heavy armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Hood, Texas. ... Baghdad (Arabic ) is the capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate. ... Tacoma, with Mount Rainier in background You may be looking for Takoma or Tacoma class frigate. ... The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army —nicknamed “The Big Red One” after its shoulder patch—is the oldest continuously serving division in the United States Army. ... Balad Air Base control tower The Sustainer Theater at Camp Anaconda. ... Tigris River and bridge in Mosul Mosul (Arabic: ‎ , Kurdish: Mûsil, Syriac: Nîněwâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of Ninawa Governorate. ...

Upon its return from overseas in March 2005, the Brigade began to reorganize in accordance with the Army's new "Unit of Action" Brigade design. The armored and infantry battalions became evenly filled with armor and infantry companies, the engineer battalion reduced to two companies and made part of the battalions they had tradtionally supported. The small separate companies were collected into a Troops Battalion.

External links

• 81st Brigade Official Site