86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( United States ) The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( Mountain ) ( " The Vermont Brigade " ) is an Army National Guard light infantry brigade headquartered in Vermont and subordinate to the 42nd Infantry Division . It was reorganized from an armored brigade into a light infantry brigade as part of the United States Army ' s transformation for the 21st century . The 86th IBCT utilizes the Army ' s Mountain Warfare school , co - located at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho , Vermont , to train in individual military mountaineering skills . This is a capability the army had lost after the 10th Mountain Division inactivated after World War II , except for 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry Regiment , which has its subordinate units split between Vermont , New Hampshire , and Maine . History . The United States Army reorganized in the 1920s , following World War I . This reorganization included maintaining honors and legacy by reusing unit names for units deactivated after the war as designations for smaller formations . The 86th Infantry Brigade thus carried the name of the 86th Infantry Division , and the 172nd Infantry Regiment , allocated to Vermont , carried the designation of the 172nd Infantry Brigade , one of the 86th Division ' s subordinate brigades during the war . The 86th Infantry Brigade , made up of the 172nd ( Vermont , the 103rd ( Maine and New Hampshire ) Infantry Regiments , and the 102nd Infantry Regiment ( Connecticut ) , was organized as part of the 43rd Infantry Division , which included units from several New England states . 1920s to 1940s . From 1921 until the start of World War II the 86th Brigade continued as a subordinate command of the 43rd Division . World War II . The 43rd Infantry Division , including the 86th Brigade , was activated for World War II on 24 February 1941 . The 86th Brigade underwent pre - deployment training at Camp Blanding , Florida and Camp Shelby , Mississippi . On 19 February 1942 the 86th Brigade Headquarters was disbanded , as were other infantry brigade headquarters , with regiments now reporting directly to division commanders . The 43rd Division served in the Pacific throughout World War II , with former 86th Brigade commander Leonard F . Wing commanding the division throughout the war . Post World War II . The 43rd Division continued in service after World War II , organized mainly in Connecticut , until being deactivated in 1967 . The 172nd Infantry Regiment continued in service as a Vermont organization . In 1963 the 86th Brigade Headquarters was reactivated , and in 1964 it was reorganized as a separate armored brigade . Army combat arms battalions kept regimental designations to maintain lineage and honors , but were no longer organized as regiments . 1st Battalion 172nd Armor , a unit of the 86th Armored Brigade , was headquartered in St . Albans , and 2 - 172 Armor was headquartered in Rutland . In 1968 the 86th Brigade was assigned to the 50th Armored Division , receiving M48A1 and M48 tanks . Between 1975 - 76 Vermont & New Jersey armor battalions started turning in their old tanks and began receiving M48A5 tanks . During this time , many Vermont tank crews competed in gunnery exercises held in West Germany and consistently brought back awards . Training was rigorous during the Soviet threat peak years of the late - 70 ' s thru mid - 80 ' s . Germany was the primary area of operations of the 50th Armored Division if it had been activated . Reorganizing the Army National Guard to meet the new ' Division 86 ' structure in the mid - 1980s was a challenging process . It was decided to dissolve the 50th Armored Division , thus in 1988 , the brigade was reassigned to the 26th Infantry Division . Shortly thereafter , the 86th Brigade received M60A3 medium tanks . As an armor unit the 86th Brigade excelled at gunnery , becoming the only National Guard armor unit to consistently accomplish Tank Table XII , which requires a platoon of four tanks to advance and fire simultaneously on a live fire range . When the 26th Division inactivated in 1993 , the 86th Brigade joined the 42nd Infantry Division and was soon to receive M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks . The brigade was deployed with various elements and attachments , to Iraq in 2004 – 2005 as Task Force Redleg , on a security mission to Kuwait in 2004 as Task Force Green Mountain , redeploying in 2005 . In 2006 , the brigade was re - designated as the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ( Mountain ) and began a transformation from a " heavy " brigade to a specialized light infantry formation , using 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry Regiment ( Mountain ) , previously a separate battalion , as the nucleus . The 86th brigade turned in its Abrams tanks and ended its armor designation , after almost 43 years of such history . Turning armor formations into infantry and cavalry units while adding 1st Battalion 102nd Infantry from Connecticut , the brigade slowly formed from 2006 to 2008 . The 86th IBCT welcomed the addition of the 1st Battalion , 101st Field Artillery Regiment from the Massachusetts Army National Guard on 14 September 2008 . The 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team mobilized in December 2009 at Camp Atterbury , Indiana and completed a Joint Readiness Training Center rotation at Fort Polk prior to deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . The brigade returned home in December 2010 after being replaced by 2nd IBCT , 34th Infantry Division . Operation Enduring Freedom . Around February 2008 Soldiers of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team were beginning to receive notification of their upcoming deployment . The Brigade Commander at the time was Colonel William F . Roy . In 2009 the Brigade did a rotation at JRTC in Fort Polk , LA . December 2009 the Brigade was officially mobilized and to report to Camp Atterbury , IN . While in Indiana the Brigade trained and prepped for their future deployment to Afghanistan . After receiving numerous replacements and volunteer Soldiers the Brigade was sent back to JRTC for one more rotation before they left the country . The majority of the Brigade landed in Afghanistan in early March . The Brigade Headquarters was based on Bagram Airfield in RC - East . The Brigade was tasked with numerous missions being conducted all over Eastern Afghanistan . The missions included partnering with the Afghan National Security Forces ( ANSF ) , assisting in the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan , and securing over 30 , 000 Soldiers on Bagram Airfield while ensuring the base was continuing its daily operations . The Brigade left Afghanistan in early December returning to Camp Atterbury , IN . The Brigade was released from Federal service and returned to the Northeast to continue their respective State missions . A large amount of the Brigade was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation for their service from 8 March 2010 – 4 December 2010 for their exceptional performance while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . Order of battle . 42nd Infantry Division