142nd Signal Brigade
"Voice of America's Corps"

The mission of the 142nd Signal Battalion and subordinate units is to provide communications from the fox hole of the individual fighting soldier all the way back to the Pentagon. To accomplish this mission, we use mobile phone, facsimile, e-mail, internet access, electronic switches, radio, and satellite communications.

The unit is tasked with installing, operating and maintaining a communications system in support of Corps level functions including command, control, combat support and combat service support. It also provides planning, engineering, coordination and direction for execution of communications support as required for combat operations, operations other than war (OOTW), joint task force (JTF) operations, combined coalition operations and army forces (ARFOR) operations.

Among its subordinate units, the brigade has been assigned an Active Army unit, the 29th Signal Battalion, located in Fort Lewis, WA. The 142nd added the 29th Signal Battalion in September 1999, thus becoming the first brigade-level multicomponent unit in the Army.

The 142nd Signal Battalion was originally constituted on 25 October 1960 in the Alabama Army National Guard as Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 142nd Signal Group. It organized and was Federally recognized on 01 November 1960 at Decatur, AL.

The unit was ordered into Active Federal Service on 11 June 1963 at Decatur; it was released on 16 June 1963 from Active Federal Service and reverted to state control.

It was again ordered into Active Federal Service 10 September 1963 at Decatur and was released on 12 September 1963 from Active Federal Service, reverting to state control.

The unit Reorganized and was redesignated on 01 April 1978 as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 142nd Signal Brigade.

In November 1999, 142d Signal Brigade became the first National Guard major command to deploy its own multichannel tactical-satellite equipment when it used its new AN/TSC-93B vans in a field-training exercise. The system linked 29th Signal Battalion with 279th Signal Battalion at Redstone Arsenal, AL, and 711th Signal Battalion at Camp Shelby, MS. As part of the multicomponent structure, active-duty soldiers from 29th Signal Battalion are assigned to Decatur, AL, to operate and maintain the AN/TSC-93B equipment.