81st Heavy Brigade Combat Team ( United States ) The 81st Armored Brigade Combat Team is a modular brigade of the United States Army National Guard based in Washington and California and is subordinate to the 40th Infantry Division . Current composition . The Brigade contains six battalions and a Headquarters and Headquarters Company . It assumed its current organizational structure in late 2005 , after its return from Iraq and Kuwait . The Brigade normally conducts its annual training at the Yakima Training Center , near Yakima , Washington . History . The World Wars . The 81st Infantry Brigade was constituted as part of the 41st Infantry Division on 1 April 1917 , consisting of the 161st and 162nd Infantry Regiments . The 41st deployed to France , but was designated a replacement division , with its infantry components sent to the 1st , 2nd , 32nd and 42nd Infantry Divisions . Between the wars , the brigade joined the rest of the division in the Pacific Northwest , the headquarters moving with the home of the current brigade commander . In January 1942 , the 41st Infantry Division was reorganized from a two - brigade , four - regiment structure to a three - regiment structure with no brigade echelon . The 81st ceased to exist and its two component regiments split up . The 161st went to the 25th Infantry Division while the 162nd remained in the 41st Infantry Division , where they both saw extensive combat . The Cold War . As part of an Army reorganization , the 81st was revived as a separate light infantry brigade on 1 January 1968 under Brigadier General Albert Kaye and built around the three battalions of the 161st Infantry Regiment . In 1971 , the brigade converted to mechanized infantry , substituting one infantry battalion with 1st Battalion , 303rd Armor . In subsequent years , the brigade was consecutively " affiliated " with the 9th Infantry Division and 4th Infantry Division before finally becoming the " roundout brigade " for the 9th Division and wearing its patch instead of the separate brigade patch . In 1991 , the 9th Division was deactivated and the 81st was a separate brigade once again , tasked to augment the 2nd Infantry Division in the Republic of Korea in wartime . Like many National Guard units , the 81st Brigade has been activated for state duty several times to respond to disasters and disorder . It responded to floods in December 1975 and November 1990 , the 1980 eruption of Mount St . Helens , forest fires in 1994 and many other years , and the WTO Riots of 1999 . Operation Iraqi Freedom ( 2004 Deployment ) . The 3 , 600 - member 81st , one of the United States Army ' s 15 National Guard " enhanced readiness " or E - brigades , was federalized in November 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom under Brigadier General Oscar Hilman . Most of its troops conducted pre - mobilization training at Fort Lewis , WA and the National Training Center and served in theater from March 2004 to March 2005 . The brigade was broken up , and its components extensively reorganized to meet the mission requirements : A total of ten brigade soldiers died from enemy action over the course of the deployment , the majority of those from the 1st Battalion , 161st Infantry , the unit most directly involved in day - to - day combat operations . The 1st Battalion , 161st Infantry was responsible for the security and combat operations of a densely populated area of southeast Baghdad known as Al Zafranaya and Jsr Diayla . The battalion operated primarily out of Forward Operating Base Gunner ( later renamed to FOB Highlander in honor of the battalion ' s nickname ) , Baghdad , Iraq . For its performance in combat , the 1 – 161st Infantry was awarded the Meritorious Unit Citation by the Department of the Army . Upon its return from overseas in March 2005 , the brigade began to reorganize in accordance with the Army ' s new " Unit of Action " Brigade design , adopting the organization it has today . Between deployments , the brigade responded to floods in Southwest Washington caused by the Great Coastal Gale of 2007 . Operation Iraqi Freedom ( 2008 Deployment ) . The 81st Brigade was alerted for a deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . It received its mobilization order on 19 March 2008 from the Department of Defense . The brigade completed pre - deployment training at Fort McCoy , WI and then deployed to Iraq from August 2008 to August 2009 . The main focus of the brigade in OIF was security and " force protection operations . " The brigade was led into Iraq by Colonel Ronald Kapral and State Command Sergeant Major Robert Sweeney . During their time in Iraq , the brigade was visited by Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire and Washington Adjutant General , Brigadier General Toney . It suffered one fatality during its deployment , Specialist Samuel D . Stone , in a vehicle accident while on patrol . Troop A , 1st Squadron , 303rd Cavalry Regiment received the Distinguished Service Unit award . The award was received on behalf of the unit by Captain Patrick Gehring and First Sergeant Travis Wise .