141st Engineer Combat Battalion (Corp Wheeled)

The National Guard was first organized in Valley City on 3 March 1884 as Company G, Dakota Militia, Dakota Territory. In the early years there was no money for an armory so the unit met in various buildings. In the late 1880s the Valley City unit met in the local roller skating rink building, use of this building was lost in 1880 and meetings of the unit wan suspended for a year. Meetings resumed when arrangements were made to rent the academy of music building. This lasted several years but proved to be to expensive and in 1895 the skating rink building was purchased and refit for use as an armory.

Enlistment requirements in the early years of statehood were set out in the military code. Membership was open to any able bodied man of good charter and proper age (18 thru 45). There were no physical requirements. Generally the prospective member was voted on by the general membership of the unit rather than signing enlistment papers and swearing in. Leadership in the units was also not quite 'by the book'. Company officers were generally elected by membership and then the elected officers appointed the NCO's. Generally the officers tendered their resignations to the members every year. It had been a good year, the resignations were normally refused and the officers were kept on for another year.

The annual camps were a big drawing factor for recruiting new members. The first encampment of the Guard was at Camp Grant, Fargo, D.T. on 22 thru 26 September 1885. Camps were not held every year because of the lack of funding and this fact caused problems in maintaining the unit strength in these early years.

After being organized on March 3,1884 as Company G of the Dakota Militia, Dakota Territory, the Valley City unit underwent several name changes. On 12 Aug 1885, it became Company G, 2nd Dakota Infantry Regiment and on 9 Aug 1889 it became Company G, 1st North Dakota Infantry regiment. After statehood, the unit became Company G, 1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment on 6 Mar 1891; the organized militia of North Dakota became the North Dakota Guard.

The unit was first called to active duty 20 May 1898 to serve in The Spanish American War. A private at this time was paid the sum of $15 per month while on active duty. The unit was released from active duty 25 Sep 1899.

The Valley City National Guard was activated for duty in the Mexican border campaign on 18 Jun 1916 and mustered out on 14 Feb 1917. The same year, 26 Mar 1917, the unit was activated for duty in WWI. It became Company G, 164th Infantry Regiment, 41st Div on 4 Oct 1917 and was released from active duty on 28 Feb 1919. On 9 Jun 1921, the unit was federally recognized so Company G, 1st North Dakota Infantry Regiment at Valley City. On 21 Oct 1921,the unit became Company G, 164th Infantry Regiment and assigned to the 34th Division where it remained until it was again called into Federal Service on 10 Feb 1941 to serve in WWII. While in federal service, the company was relieved from its assignment with the 34th Division but remained part of the 164th Infantry Regiment. The regiment was assigned to the AMERICAL Division on 24 May 1842 in New Caledonia. The unit served on active duty until 24 Nov 1945. On 10 Jun 1946, the unit was relieved from its assignment with the AMERICAL Division and was assigned to the 47th Infantry Division. Company G was again ordered to federal service on 16 Jan 1951 for the Korean conflict. The unit arrived at Camp Rucker, AL on 26 Jan 1951. On 16 Jan 1953, Co G, 164th Infantry (NGUS) was again federally recognized at Valley City. From this time until 2 Dec 1954, Co G had both a federal and state status with one unit in federal service and one in Valley City. The Co G on federal service was released on 2 Dec 1954.

On 15 Apr 1955, the unit was reorganized and redesignated Headquarters and Headquarters and Service Company, 141st Engineer Battalion (Combat) (Army) and was relieved from its assignment to the 47th Division. Except for some TO&E changes and minor name variations, this is the background of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 141 Engineer Combat Battalion. The 141st ECB has been reorganized several times. In 1993, the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion was reorganized into Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Valley City), Company A (Edgeley), Det 1 Co A (Wishek),Det 2 Co A (Carrington), Co B (Jamestown), Co C (Bismarck), Det 1 Co C (Mott), and Det 2 Co C (Hetinger).

The 141st Engineer Combat Battalion deployed in February 2004 with 475 men in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, the unit was assigned to Task Force Trailblazer, and tasked with sweeping a major highway for IEDS. As of late September 2004, the unit had, since March 15, 2004, discovered 150 IEDS while clearing roughly 124,000 miles of roadway, mostly in the area north of Baghdad.