Hawai‘i Army National Guard

State militias established as early as 1636 later became the National Guard of the United States, making it the oldest component of the U.S. military. The Militia Act of 1903 created the modern National Guard and affirmed the National Guard as the nation’s primary organized combat reserve force.  

The Hawaiʻi National Guard can trace its lineage to the volunteers of the 1^st Hawaiian Guard, organized on November 17^th, 1852. A volunteer infantry company was formed by the members of the 1^st Hawaiian Guard, and they were called the Honolulu Rifles. Under King David Kalakaua, the unit became the First Regiment, Hawaiian Volunteers. On July 6^th, 1894, a new military unit was formed, and an Adjutant General was named. The unit was called the 1^st Regiment of the National Guard of Hawaiʻi and Col. John Soper became the first Adjutant General of the Republic of Hawaiʻi. In 1916, Congress federalized the National Guard and placed it directly under the control of the War Department till 1919 after the war ended.

On Dec. 7^th, 1941, Hawaiʻi Army National Guard Soldiers captured the first Japanese prisoner of war on a beach in Waimanalo, Oahu. During World War II the 298^th and 299^th Infantries were ordered into Federal Service and stationed at Schofield Barracks. They were used mainly for defense of the Hawaiian Islands, while some units served with the 24^th Infantry Division in the South Pacific. In 1956 Hawaiʻi was the first National Guard in the United States to convert to the Nike-Hercules Air Defense System. By the time 1964 rolls around B Battery, 1^st Missile Battalion, 298^th Artillery Group sets the World Nike-Hercules Intercept Record. Early 1970 the 298^th Artillery Group is “phased-out” of the Air Defense System with this unit having provided round-the-clock air defense since 1961.

During the Vietnam War, the Hawaiʻi National Guard’s 29^th Infantry Brigade was one of only four National Guard Brigades mobilized nationwide. In 1973 the 29^th converted into a divisional brigade configuration. The 29^th was designated as a “roundout” unit for the Army’s 25^th Infantry Division. The Hawaiʻi National Guard’s Counterdrug program became the first of its kind in the nation in 1977, employing troops and helicopters in marijuana eradication that would continue into the 90’s. In 1999 the 29^th successfully completed its rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, La. and was one of 15 elite Enhanced Readiness Brigades in the nation. The Hawaiʻi National Guard sprang into action playing a vital role in protecting our homeland after September 11^th and for the next two decades continued to support the global war on terrorism. 29^th call ups would occur in 2004, 2008 and then again in 2012 to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait.

Today the Hawaiʻi Army National Guard is comprised of Headquarters, 29^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 103^rd Troop Command, Medical Detachment, Recruiting and Retention Battalion, and the 298th Regiment, Multifunctional Regional Training Institute. The Hawaiʻi Army National Guard has two missions. The state mission is to provide organized, trained units to protect Hawaii’s citizens and property, preserve peace, and ensure public safety in response to natural or human-caused disasters. While the federal mission is to provide operationally ready combat units, combat support units, and qualified personnel for active duty in the U.S. Army in time of war, national emergency, or operational contingency.

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia