WEST VIRGINIA
their 155mm Paladin M109A6 cannon artillery system challenging new standards as they continue to serve.
The First West Virginia, the Army’s Oldest Continuing Active Serving Unit By Sgt. Maj. Jack W. Hall Jr. Operations sergeant major and unit historian 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment 77th Brigade Troop Command, West Virginia Army National Guard Walking through the hallways and lobbies of the armories belonging to the 1st Battalion, 201st Field Artillery Regiment, 197th Field Artil- lery Brigade, West Virginia Army National Guard, one would think they are in a museum. In fact, they are. The history and lineage run deeper than the Army and our country itself. Formed as a company of volun- teer militia on February 17, 1735, by Captain (CPT) Morgan Morgan, 1-201st, is one of the surviving original seven companies that formed the U.S. Army in 1775 (Wright, 1983). The unit fought under the First Virginia Regiment of the British Colonial Militia in West Augusta, a historical region of Colonial Virginia that encompassed much of what is now Northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania (Wright,1983). Soldiers of the 1-201st known as The First West Virginia, have been in active service in every major campaign throughout our Nation’s history, beginning with the French and Indian War. The participation in the American Revolution was followed by the War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, Indian campaigns, WWI, WWII, Korean Conflict, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom II, and continuing through Operation New Dawn; the U.S. campaign in Iraq following the end of hostilities in 2010. During the Civil War, the Regiments’ companies split between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America until reuniting back to the mountains in 1865 (Eagle, 2007). The First West Virginia was one of six National Guard combat arms battalions to be called to service in 1990-91 for Operation’s Desert Shield and Storm. The battalion conducted successful fire missions while moving the greatest distance of any other unit during the attack (Eagle, 2007). Desert Storm was the last artillery campaign for the 1-201st. The unit troops conducted stabilization missions in Operation Iraqi Freedom II and New Dawn, but the mountain soldier’s heritage is shooting, and they do it well. Far removed from the 18th century mountain unit consisting of hurlers, archers, riflemen and front-loading black powder cannoneers, the 1-201st Soldiers of the 21st century utilize
In 2019, The First West Virginia volunteered a platoon (B-BTRY) to augment the 1/113th FA’s OCONUS deployment. During the pre-de- ployment rotation at the National Training Center (NTC), B-BTRY made more history by shattering the NTC fire mission processing and emplacement times. The platoon processed 24 fire missions, firing 427 rounds in two training days. Once deployed, B-BTRY was also the only fires element to be validated and certified by the 1st Army to support the culminating combined arms live fire exercise (CALFEX) for the brigade. The 1-201st has also performed many unfortunate state missions for disasters such as the Clendenin, WV flooding of 2016, emergency snow duties and COVID 19. The First West Virginia also supported the Washington, D.C. police for capital response in 2022. Currently, members of the 1-201st are filling correction officer gaps in the West Virginia Regional Jails. Recently, the 1-201st conducted a successful 2021 annual training at Camp Grayling, Michigan, participating in the annual joint Northern Strike exercise. In the summer of 2022, the battalion again conduct- ed their Annual Training at Camp Grayling, completing Table VI and getting precision guidance kit (PGK) munition certified, increasing the battalion’s lethality. In September, First West Virginia conducted its annual 12-mile “bee- line” ruck march commemorating the 600-mile, 24-day journey from Shepherdstown, West Virginia to Cambridge, Massachusetts that the battalion’s forefathers marched to assist Gen. George Washington in July-August 1775. A Soldier, while rucking, stated, “Imagine how our Soldiers felt in 1775.” The respect our 21st century 201st soldiers have for our lineage captures why we continue the tradition of the Bee- Line March. When George Washington was a surveyor prior to becoming a Major with the British, he frequently visited Capt. Morgan Morgan at his home near present day Martinsburg, West Virginia, and got very acquainted with the company from West Augusta (Koon, 2001). When the continental congress chose George Washington as the command- er of all continental forces, he called for those men of the mountains stating, “Let me plant my banner in West Augusta and I will surround it with fighting men who will drive the invaders from our land” (Nel- son, 2018). The First West Virginia has never ducked a fight for 287 years. The father of our country would still be proud of the fighting soldiers of The First West Virginia.
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