page_title: Massachusetts National Guard
section_title: Post–World War II
hierarchical_section_title: Massachusetts National Guard / History of the Massachusetts Militia and National Guard / Post–World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Lynas calls for a member of his team during a mission in Shah Joy, Afghanistan, on Nov. 26, 2011. Lynas, a squad leader assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, is deployed from Company C, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Massachusetts National Guard.
context_page_description: The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is today's Massachusetts National Guard evolved through many different forms. Originally founded as a defensive militia for Puritan colonists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the militia evolved into a highly organized and armed fighting force. The Massachusetts militia served as a central organ of the New England revolutionary fighting force during the early American Revolution and a major component in the Continental Army under George Washington.
  It is currently headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base and commanded by Major General Gary W. Keefe. Massachusetts National Guard soldiers and airmen are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army and Air Force, and identical ranks and insignias are utilized. National Guardsmen are eligible for all US military awards in addition to state awards. Soldiers and Airmen are held to the same uniform, physical fitness, and marksmanship standards as their Active Duty counterparts.
context_section_description: The Massachusetts Army National Guard reorganized in 1946 after five years of active duty. The 26th Infantry Division was the largest formation; however, there were now two major non-divisional units in the state: the 182d Infantry Regimental Combat Team and the 104th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade. The Guard was still in the process of rebuilding when the Korean War broke out in June 1950. The 26th Division was considered for active duty, but eight non-divisional units were ordered into active duty as part of the Army's expansion instead.
  During the Vietnam era (1965-1972) service in the National Guard was used by tens of thousands of men as a means of avoiding being drafted into the active Army and, probably, being sent to fight in Vietnam. While this enabled the National Guard to fill its personnel requirements there was a diminishing of readiness as many members of the Guard had a low level of motivation for military service.
  In the early 1980s the National Guard received more Federal funding and evolved into a better trained, better equipped and more professional force. The National Guard was in a high state of readiness when units were activated to serve in the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991.
  The end of the Cold War resulted in force restructuring and reductions. As a result, the Army decided to downsize the 26th Infantry Division into a brigade, and put it under the command of the 29th Infantry Division. On 1 September 1993, the division was inactivated, and the 26th Infantry Brigade remained in its place, based in Springfield. The 3rd and 43rd brigades, 26th Infantry Division were inactivated, and the 86th Infantry Brigade was put under the command of the 42nd Infantry Division. On 1 October 1995, the brigade was formally designated the 26th Brigade, 29th Infantry Division. In 2004, the 26th Brigade transitioned into the 26th (Yankee) Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
caption: A SSG of the 182nd Infantry Regiment during deployment in Afghanistan
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