45th Fires Brigade (United States)

45th Fires Brigade
Shoulder sleeve insignia
Active	1968 – present
Country	United States of America
Branch	Army National Guard
Type	Fires brigade
Role	Field artillery, unit training
Size	Brigade
Part of	Oklahoma Army National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Mustang, Oklahoma
Motto(s)	"Pride, Valor, Excellence"
Insignia
Distinctive unit insignia

The 45th Fires Brigade is a modular field artillery brigade of the United States Army headquartered in Mustang, Oklahoma. It is a part of the Oklahoma Army National Guard.

Formed from elements of the disbanded 45th Infantry Division which saw action during World War II and the Korean War, along with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 90th Troop Command, the 45th Fires Brigade was activated in 1968 as the 45th Field Artillery Group, later redesignated the 45th Field Artillery Brigade. The unit was again redesignated 45th Fires Brigade in 2008 with the implementation of Army Transformation.

Just as the 45th IBCT and the 90th Troop Command, the brigade retained the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 45th Infantry Division, only designing and approving its own SSI in 1997.

The brigade is a subordinate unit of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, headquartered in Mustang, OK. The brigade organically commands two battalions, a target acquisition battery, and a Signal company. These units are:

Affiliated field artillery battalions under administrative control of other brigades:

The history of the 45th Fires Brigade can be traced back to the days following World War I when LTC William S. Key, I was appointed Captain of Field Artillery in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. He was directed to organize a light artillery battery at Wewoka, Oklahoma. By 1920, Oklahoma had three regiments of artillery, of which, the 158th is the core of today's fires brigade.

On 19 October 1920, the Oklahoma State militia was organized as the 45th Infantry Division of the Oklahoma Army National Guard and organized with troops from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. The division was organized and federally recognized as a US Army unit on 3 August 1923 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Prior to World War II, the division was called on many times to maintain order in times of disaster and to keep peace during periods of political unrest. Oklahoma Governor John C. Walton used division troops to prevent the State Legislature from meeting when they were preparing to impeach him in 1923. Governor William H. Murray called out the guard several times during the depression to close banks, distribute food and once to force the State of Texas to keep open a free bridge over the Red River which Texas intended to collect tolls for, even after federal courts ordered the bridge not be opened.