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Local armory gains 204 troops as Missouri adds 2 battalions
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By Michelle Brooks
News Tribune
Hundreds more citizen-soldiers in uniform will converge at the blue armory in future months as part of a 10 percent increase in the Missouri National Guard's total numbers.
The blue armory on St. Mary's Boulevard currently has slots for 146 personnel. But the Missouri Guard's transformation, announced Monday, will bring 77 positions in a medical battalion headquarters unit, as well as 127 positions with a forward support company, which is part of the new, statewide 810-soldier infantry battalion.
That will make Missouri's new full-strength goal 9,500 soldiers and airmen.
The blue armory had been underutilized with a decrease in assigned units in the last few years, said Capt. Tamara Spicer, public affairs officer for the Guard. Now the local building, designed for units to drill at, along with several across the state, will see a resurgence.
“We're going back to the roots,” Spicer said.
Missouri's militia began with a strong infantry - the St. Louis Grays - in 1832. But in 1974, due to transformations, the Guard lost the First Battalion, 138th Infantry.
Now, the Guard “can offer a whole new job set to the citizens of Missouri,” Spicer said.
New, male recruits will be targeted in the first year. Then the infantry will be opened up to transfers of existing Guardsmen.
The medical battalion headquarters will be open to both men and women.
Recruitment has exceeded expectations, pushing the Missouri Guard to 105 percent of its previous strength. This state consistently is ranked in the top five states for meeting recruitment goals.
“The GRAP certainly had a large impact on our recruiting successes,” Spicer said.
GRAP - Guard Recruiter Assistant Program - offers current soldiers up to $2,000 for bringing in another person to join.
So the Guard leadership is confident they can fill the new positions, she said. Current incentives for those who join include enlistment bonuses, federal tuition assistance, state tuition assistance and the G.I. Bill.
The infantry battalion will be headquartered in Kansas City, with regional rifle companies in Boonville, Carrollton, St. Louis and Perryville. Combat support companies will be placed in Monett and Anderson.
The medical battalion headquarters will oversee two existing medical support companies based in Kansas City and Springfield that currently report to the 70th Troop Command in St. Louis.
This announcement is separate and unrelated to last week's notice that about 1,000 Guardsmen will be deployed early next year to Kosovo.
For information, call 888-464-8273 or visit www.moguard.com.
The blue armory on St. Mary's Boulevard currently has slots for 146 personnel. But the Missouri Guard's transformation, announced Monday, will bring 77 positions in a medical battalion headquarters unit, as well as 127 positions with a forward support company, which is part of the new, statewide 810-soldier infantry battalion.
That will make Missouri's new full-strength goal 9,500 soldiers and airmen.
The blue armory had been underutilized with a decrease in assigned units in the last few years, said Capt. Tamara Spicer, public affairs officer for the Guard. Now the local building, designed for units to drill at, along with several across the state, will see a resurgence.
“We're going back to the roots,” Spicer said.
Missouri's militia began with a strong infantry - the St. Louis Grays - in 1832. But in 1974, due to transformations, the Guard lost the First Battalion, 138th Infantry.
Now, the Guard “can offer a whole new job set to the citizens of Missouri,” Spicer said.
New, male recruits will be targeted in the first year. Then the infantry will be opened up to transfers of existing Guardsmen.
The medical battalion headquarters will be open to both men and women.
Recruitment has exceeded expectations, pushing the Missouri Guard to 105 percent of its previous strength. This state consistently is ranked in the top five states for meeting recruitment goals.
“The GRAP certainly had a large impact on our recruiting successes,” Spicer said.
GRAP - Guard Recruiter Assistant Program - offers current soldiers up to $2,000 for bringing in another person to join.
So the Guard leadership is confident they can fill the new positions, she said. Current incentives for those who join include enlistment bonuses, federal tuition assistance, state tuition assistance and the G.I. Bill.
The infantry battalion will be headquartered in Kansas City, with regional rifle companies in Boonville, Carrollton, St. Louis and Perryville. Combat support companies will be placed in Monett and Anderson.
The medical battalion headquarters will oversee two existing medical support companies based in Kansas City and Springfield that currently report to the 70th Troop Command in St. Louis.
This announcement is separate and unrelated to last week's notice that about 1,000 Guardsmen will be deployed early next year to Kosovo.
For information, call 888-464-8273 or visit www.moguard.com.
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