The 143rd Field Artillery Regiment is a combat arms regiment of the United States Army made up of soldiers from the California Army National Guard. Only the regiment's first battalion, a Composite fires battalion, equipped with M119A3 and M777A2 Howitzers, is still active. The 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery's current mission is to shoot safely, accurately, and quickly in direct support of the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Furthermore, the battalion trains to deploy, fight, and win on the battlefield and respond effectively to any state emergency. The first battalion was most recently activated for federal service in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2007-2008. The subordinate batteries of 1-143 FA executed force protection missions throughout central and northern Iraq.
Subordinate units
First Battalion, 143rd FAR The First Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment provides direct support fires to the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, CAARNG. As the BCT's fires battalion, the 1-143rd FAR is organized to provide responsive and accurate artillery fires to the elements of the IBCT, including close supporting fires and counterfire.
History
Service Battery, 1-143 FA based in Walnut Creek, CA, traces its lineage to Battery A, First Battalion of California Heavy Artillery. Battery A mustered into federal service in San Francisco between 6 and 11 May 1898, along with the rest of the battalion. A and D Batteries of the battalion sailed to the Philippines, participating in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. Following service in those two conflicts, A Battery was mustered out of federal service in San Francisco on 21 September 1899. The regiment was originally organized as the 1st Battalion of California Field Artillery on 20 December 1912 from existing units in the California National Guard, with headquarters at Oakland. The 1st Battalion was called into service on 18 June 1916, at their home station, and mustered into federal service on 28 June 1916 at the Sacramento Fairgrounds as part of the 1st California Brigade . The 1st Battalion of California Field Artillery, along with other units of the 1st California Brigade, served during the Mexican Border Campaign at Nogales and Yuma, Arizona. The unit was tasked with protecting the border and railroads as other units patrolled the vast border that separated the United States and Mexico. The regiment's units earned the following Campaign Participation Credit: The regiment has contributed forces to the following state mobilizations:
