I have read with interest the "Letters to the Editor" section of NATIONAL GUARD Magazine concerning an active component officer being assigned to command a Louisiana National Guard battalion.
As I carefully studied all correspondence provided to me by the editor on this subject, it became evident that there was either a general lack of accurate information, or that emotion had prompted many of the comments.
I would, therefore, like to provide information on the unit, the officer, the effect of the assignment and my reasons for requesting an active component commander.
First, the unit, the 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery "The Washington Artillery” was organized in 1838. Its armory was directly in front of the St. Louis Cathedral on the banks of the Mississippi River in New Orleans, where the Washington Artillery Park is located today. The battalion was mustered into federal service and served in the Mexican War. Its units saw continuous combat from First Manassas to Appomattox during the Civil War, and saw action during 24 campaigns.
During World War II, the 141st continued its record of combat in the European Theater where it earned eight more battle streamers.
The battalion is now the direct support battalion for the 256th Infantry Brigade, "The Louisiana Brigade," that has served as the round-out brigade of the 5th Infantry Division. In 1990, it was mobilized with the 256th Infantry Brigade for Operation DESERT STORM and trained at Fort Polk, Louisiana and Fort Hood, Texas. The 141st was the first combat arms unit certified combat ready of the three round-out brigades mobilized for the Gulf War.
The 141st Field Artillery is now located in one armory at Jackson Barracks. Weekend training, as well as annual training, is conducted at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and Fort Polk. The present assigned strength is 736, or 101 percent of its enhanced strength, with a military occupational specialty qualified rate of 87 percent. During its 1996 annual training, 22 sections were certified as combat ready. The battalion meets the readiness requirements of an enhanced battalion. It was a good, solid unit when its commander changed five months ago.
In Louisiana, the 141st is our only artillery battalion. Some have placed the blame on leadership for not having a member of the unit ready for command. If there is a fault, blame me. Later I will explain my philosophy in making the decision to request an active component commander
The Commission on Roles and Missions expressed a need for more active component-reserve component integration. It may come as a surprise to some that this concept was also a spin-off of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS), Division Planning Committee (DIVPAC) discussions of 1995-1996. The Adjutants General Association, at their 1996 meeting in Providence, Rhode Island, gave their unanimous approval and support to this program.
Sometime early in 1996, 1 was asked by the chief of the NGB, LTG Edward Baca, for my opinion of increased integration of the National Guard and the active component by assigning active component officers to the Guard in key positions. After hearing the details of the program, I offered to provide a pilot unit for the program. The information provided me indicated the following aspects of the plan: Assignment of the active officer must be requested by the adjutant general. The tour would be for two years and would not be extended nor would back-to-back active component officer assignments be made. The selection would be made from the Department of the Army Centralized Command Selection Board list. The officer would be slated according to experience and capability. The officer would be rated by normal Guard chain-of-command for the position assigned. In Louisiana, the active component officer would be required to enlist in the Louisiana National Guard.
General Ron Griffith, vice chief of Staff of the Army, was most helpful at the Department of the Army level; as were the Director of the Army National Guard and Chief of the National Guard Bureau.
The commander of the 256th Brigade had discussed leadership changes in the 141st. The executive officer, an active Guard and Reserve (AGR) officer, was replaced in 1996. The brigade commander requested a battalion change of command be conducted on October 6, 1996, to coincide with the 159th Annual Washington Artillery Review. We believe that based on these circumstances, the 141st would be an excellent pilot unit.
This provides you briefly with a background of the unit. Now about the officer.
The active component officer selected, LTC John Hennigan, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He received a bachelor's degree from Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, Louisiana, and a master's degree from Webster University, Webster Grove, Missouri.
He entered the United States Army from the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in 1979. He held a variety of command and staff positions to include battery command at Fort Polk as commander of Alpha Battery, 3d Battalion, 21st Field Artillery, 5th Infantry Division, where he had his first contact with the Louisiana National Guard….
