1-153rd Infantry Battalion

The 153rd troops are part of the 39th enhanced Separate Brigade, assigned to the Fort Carson, Colo.-based 7th ID. The 7th ID was reactivated in 1999.

On 02 April 2004 the 153rd made history when they left Camp New York in Kuwait, and enter Iraq on the road to Baghdad. This was the first time the 39th Brigade has ever deployed into a war zone. The soldiers of the 1st Battalion began their grueling three-day trek across the desert at 11:00 sharp. 1Lt Gregson kicked off the first serial consisting of CPT Pettigrew's CO A leading the Battalion.

In April 2001 Croat nationalists declared a victory in a newly emerging fight for greater autonomy in Bosnia, saying their militia - with the permission of U.S. peacekeepers - had assumed control of weapons storage sites in this Croat-dominated pocket of northern Bosnia. Weapons used by Serb, Croat and Muslim troops during Bosnia's 3½-year, three-way war have remained under lock and key at storage sites since the Dayton Peace Accords were signed in 1995. While inspected regularly by NATO's U.S.-led Stabilization Force peacekeepers, the sites themselves are guarded by troops serving under Bosnia's two ministate entities created in Dayton - the Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat Federation. Eight of those sites - with enough weapons and ammunition to outfit a brigade of troops - are located in Orasje. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment stood vigil around the sites.

The parent unit of the 153rd Infantry was organized on 16 May 1898 for Spanish-American War service. But its lineage can be traced back to 1820 when a militia was organized by Brigadier General William C. Allen to protect Arkansas Territory from Indian attacks. Among the militia's officers were State heroes such as Archibald Yell and the nationally-known poet, philosopher, and expert Mason, Albert Pike. The precursor of the 153rd mustered as the 1st Arkansas Infantry, State Guard, for the Spanish-American War. It was assigned to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, III Army Corps, and ordered to Puerto Rico. These orders were soon countermanded and the regiment was ordered to Fort Logan H. Roots at Little Rock where it mustered out on 25 October 1898, without seeing active service.

On 31 March 1917, the 1st Arkansas mobilized for service in World War I with a strength of 110 officers and 6,317 enlisted men. The regiment went to Camp Pike, Arkansas (now Camp Joseph T. Robinson), where it was reorganized as the 153rd Infantry Regiment with a complement of more than 3,800. In May 1918, the regiment was sent to France, where the troops were to be used as replacements. The regiment was assigned to the 39th Division where it was stripped to a training cadre and stationed at Chery-Lury. On 31 October 1918, the 39th Division was broken up for front-line replacements. The 153rd was mustered out of federal service at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, in January 1919. But an order issued by the Militia Bureau of the War Department recreated the regiment on 25 October 1921.

The 153rd Infantry Regiment was ordered to active duty December 23, 1940 and spent the next 10 days at what is now the University of Central Arkansas. The 153rd then moved to Camp Robinson and completed basic training. Moving to Camp Forrest, TN, the regiment spent six week in maneuvers and returned to Camp Robinson for a few days of leave before shipping out to Camp Murray, WA August 20, 1941. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were then posted to Annette Island and Seward, Nome and Yakutat, Alaska. The 2nd Battalion was stationed on Umnak Island, west of Dutch Harbor and took part in the occupation of Adak Island and the assault on Kiska. The 153rd returned to Camp Shelby, MS March 21, 1944 and was deactivated on June 30th and its soldiers assigned as replacements. Many returned to Camp Robinson as cadre.