40th Infantry Division ( United States ) The 40th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) ( " Sunshine Division " ) is a modular division of the United States Army . Following the army ' s modularization the division has become a four brigade combat team division with National Guardsmen from throughout the Pacific / Western United States and Oceania . Its Division Headquarters is located at Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos , California . After seeing service in World War I as a depot division , it was reorganised as the National Guard division for California , Nevada , and Utah , before seeing service in the Pacific Theatre of World War II . Later , the division served in Korea and some of its units were designated for Vietnam . The division was redesignated the National Guard unit for California alone , and it continues to serve domestically as such , mostly in homeland security operations . Service record . The 40th Infantry Division was organized at Camp Kearny , near San Diego , California , on 16 September 1917 , originally designated as the 19th Division . It was composed of National Guard units from the states of Arizona , California , Colorado , Nevada , New Mexico , and Utah . World War I . The division was activated on 18 July 1917 , as a National Guard division from the California , Nevada , and Utah Army National Guard s . It was sent overseas on 3 August 1918 and redesignated the 6th Depot Division ; received , equipped , trained , and forwarded replacements . Major General F . S . Strong was assigned as commander on 25 August 1917 , but was replaced less than a month later by Brigadier General G . H . Cameron on 18 September 1917 . The division then saw a rapid turnover of leaders – Brigadier General L . S . Lyon ( 19 November 1917 ) , Brigadier General G . H . Cameron ( 23 November 1917 ) , Brigadier General L . S . Lyon ( 6 December 1917 ) and then Major General F . S . Strong again on 8 December 1917 . Although the division deployed to France , by the time the division arrived the war was already over , and no combat was experienced by it . The division returned to the U . S . on 30 June 1919 . World War II . Combat chronicle . The 40th Infantry Division was activated for World War II on 3 March 1941 . It was at the time a National Guard division from the California , Nevada Army National Guard , and Utah Army National Guard s . In February 1942 , the 40th Infantry Division was reorganized from a ' square ' , two - brigade , four - regiment division to a three - regiment division without any intermediate brigade headquarters . Thus the 79th and 80th Infantry Brigade were inactivated . It departed for overseas service on 23 August 1942 . The Division ' s first overseas assignment was the defense of the Hawaiian outer islands , where it arrived in September 1942 . Training continued as defensive positions were improved and maintained . In July 1943 , the division was concentrated on Oahu , and relieved the 24th Infantry Division of the defense of the North Sector . Relieved of the North Sector in October 1943 , the 40th entered upon a period of intensive amphibious and jungle training . On 20 December 1943 , the first units left for Guadalcanal , and by mid - January 1944 , movement was completed , and the division prepared for its first combat assignment . On 24 April 1944 , it left Guadalcanal for New Britain . The regiments of the division took positions at Talasea on the northern side of the island , at Arawe on the southern side , and at near the western end . Neutralization of the enemy was effected by patrols . No major battle was fought . Heavy rain and mud were constant problems . The 40th was relieved of missions on New Britain , 27 November , and began training for the Luzon landing . Sailing from Borgen Bay on 9 December 1944 , the division made an assault landing at Lingayen , Luzon , under command of XIV Corps , on 9 January 1945 . Seizing Lingayen airfield , the division occupied Bolinao Peninsula and San Miguel , and advanced toward Manila , running into heavy fighting in the Fort Stotsenburg area and the Bambam Hills . Snake Hill and Storm King Mountain were taken in February and the 40th was relieved , 2 March . Leaving Luzon on 15 March 1945 to cut behind the Japanese , the division landed on Panay Island on the 18th and knocked out Japanese resistance within ten days , seizing airfields at Santa Barbara and Mandurriao . On 29 March , it landed at Pulupandan , Negros Occidental , advanced through Bacolod City toward Talisay , which it secured by 2 April 1945 . After mopping up on Negros Island , the division returned to Panay in June and July 1945 . In September 1945 , the division moved to Korea for occupation duty . The division returned to the U . S . on 7 April 1946 and was reportedly inactivated the same day . Its casualties during the war included 614 Killed in Action , 2 , 407 Wounded in Action , and 134 Died of Wounds . World War II honors for the division included three Distinguished Unit Citations . Awards to its men included 1 Medal of Honor , 12 Distinguished Service Crosses , 1 Distinguished Service Medal , 245 Silver Star s , 21 Legions of Merit , 30 Soldier ' s Medal s , 1 , 036 Bronze Stars , and 57 Air Medal s . Korean War . On 1 September 1950 , the 40th Infantry Division was again called into active federal service for the Korean War . Shipping out of Oakland & San Francisco , California in late March 1951 , the division deployed to Japan for training . For the next nine months , they participated in amphibious , air transportability , and live fire training from Mount Fuji to Sendai . On 23 December , the division received alert orders to move to Korea . The division moved to Korea in January 1952 . After additional training , the division moved north in February 1952 , where it relieved the 24th Infantry Division on the battle line . At the time the Division consisted of the 160th , 223rd , 224th Infantry Regiments , and smaller non - regiment sized units . In Korea , the 40th Infantry Division participated in the battles of Sandbag Castle and Heartbreak Ridge . In these campaigns , the division suffered 1 , 180 casualties , including 311 who were killed in action , and 47 who later died from wounds received in action . Total division casualties in Korea included 376 Killed in Action , 1 , 457 Wounded in Action , and 47 Died of Wounds . After the division was sent back to Japan , its time in Korea was commemorated by the commissioning of a punchbowl created by a local silversmith , by some accounts made up of the melted down Combat Infantryman Badge s of the divisions veterans , with the geography of Heartbreak Ridge etched inside the bowl . It was used at ceremonial functions until it was stolen , and was subsequently bought at a garage sale by a married couple , who kept it for 18 years . It was then recovered and put on display at the division headquarters . It is now displayed at the California State Military Museum , and is registered in the National Archives . Three members of the division ' s 223rd Infantry Regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the Korean War : David B . Bleak , Gilbert G . Collier and Clifton T . Speicher . David Hackworth did a combat tour as a rifle platoon leader in Korea with the Division , when it was under the command of Major General Joseph P . Cleland . After its return from the Korean War , the division was reorganised on 1 July 1954 as the 40th Armored Division . It had three combat commands ( A , B , and C ) in 1956 . Cold War . The following infantry regimental units comprised elements of the Division from 1959 until 2000 : 1 - 158th ( 1959 - 1967 ) , 1 - 159th ( 1974 - 1976 ) , 2 - 159th ( 1974 - 2000 ) 160th ( 1974 - 2000 ) . In 1960 , the Division combat units were reorganized under the Combat Arms Regimental Systems ( CARS ) , and then in 1963 , was reorganized under the Reorganization Objective Army Divisions ( ROAD ) concept which changed the combat commands to brigades . On 13 August 1965 , Lieutenant Governor Glenn M . Anderson called out elements of the Division to put down the Watts Riots , at the request of Los Angeles Police Chief William H . Parker . The absence of Governor Pat Brown vested gubernatorial authority in Anderson . Like most reserve component units of the Army , the Division sat out the Vietnam War , being left unmobilized , apart from its Aviation Company . In January , 1974 Major General Charles A . Ott , Jr . was appointed Commander of the division , and he served until accepting appointment as Director of the Army National Guard at the National Guard Bureau later that year . From 1986 until 1995 , the division ' s CAPSTONE wartime organisational structure included the 140th Military Intelligence Battalion ( CEWI ) ( HD ) . Allocated to the United States Army Reserve in peacetime , the mission of the battalion was to provide the division commander and G - 2 with electronic warfare intelligence and analysis , as well limited counterintelligence / interrogation support and long range surveillance . Ironically , the battalion ' s long - range surveillance detachment was stripped from the battalion in peacetime and allocated to the California Army National Guard . On 1 December 1967 , a major reorganization of the National Guard reduced the Guard to eight combat divisions , the 40th Armored Division being one of the casualties . On 29 January 1968 , the Division was eliminated and the 40th Infantry Brigade and 40th Armored Brigade were organized . On 13 January 1974 , the California Army National Guard was reorganized . The 40th and 49th Infantry and the 40th Armored Brigades were inactivated and the 40th Infantry Division was reformed . Post Gulf War . On 29 April 1992 , Governor Pete Wilson ordered elements of the 40th Infantry Division to duty to put down the so - called " Rodney King " riots . The 40th ID responded quickly by calling up some 2 , 000 soldiers , but could not get them to the city until nearly twenty - four hours had passed , due to a lack of proper equipment , training , and available ammunition , which had to be picked up from Camp Roberts , California ( near Paso Robles ) . Initially , they only secured areas previously cleared of rioters by police . Later , they actively ran patrols , maintained checkpoints , and provided firepower for law enforcement . By 1 May , the call - up had increased to 4 , 000 soldiers continuing to move into the city in Humvee s , who were later federalized under Title 10 USC by President George H . W . Bush . In 1994 , the division was made of 3 brigades , an aviation brigade , an engineer brigade , a division artillery brigade , and other associated units . Associated regiments included the 160th Infantry , 185th Armor , 221st Armor ( Nevada ) , 159th Infantry , 184th Infantry , 149th Armor , 18th Cavalry , 140th Aviation , 143d Field Artillery , and 144th Field Artillery . In November 1997 , Battery F ( TA ) , 144th Field Artillery Regiment , represented the state of California in Bosnia . During this deployment , Battery F conducted Firefinder counter - battery radar operations , convoys and base security all with little to no armor , with a high threat of mine strikes and ambushes . Most drivers exceeded 21 , 000 kilometres ( 13 , 000 miles ) during the seven months in country . In November 2000 , Battery F was again called to duty for its expertise in the Kosovo region . Until Battery F ' s arrival in Afghanistan , radar operations were virtually unknown and uncared for . Nevertheless , the unit quickly became a very important resource and a leading factor in base defense operations . Structure as of 2009 . The 40th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) is commanded by Brigadier General Keith D . Jones , with Command Sergeant Major Robert Whittle serving as his Senior Enlisted Advisor . The 40th Infantry Division exercises Training and Readiness Oversight of the following elements , they cannot be considered organic : In July 2006 , as part of the Army National Guard ' s modularization process , the 40th Infantry Division reorganized into four brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade . National Guard units from California , Oregon , Hawaii , Arizona , Washington , Alaska , New Mexico , Indiana , Nebraska , Utah and Guam are today part of the 40th Infantry Division . Symbols . The semi - sunburst was suggested as the unit ' s shoulder sleeve insignia , and represents the division ' s home of Southern California . The demi fleur - de - lis symbolizes service in France during World War I . The outer rim of the sun rays refers to the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation award . The red arrowhead alludes to firepower of the division and represents their assault landing at Luzon in World War II . The Torri gate , a symbol of the Far East , refers to the award of the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . The unofficial nickname came from the Korean War era when the unit was training in Japan . It was a combined result of disparaging remarks made by Army regulars about the National Guard division and the appearance of the unit shoulder sleeve insignia . The California Guardsmen took to their new nickname with a soldier ' s sense of humor , and turned it into a rallying symbol .