Black History
The observance of African American / Black History Month was established by Public Law 99-244. This observance runs through the month of February and celebrates the contributions of African Americans to our nation.
JULY 18, 1881: The 237th Support Battalion is organized as the 9th Battalion of Infantry.
The battalion was organized as a segregated, all-black unit, until the Ohio National Guard was integrated in 1954. During World War I, as the 2nd Battalion, 372nd Infantry, the unit earned the French Croix de Guerre for its heroic charge on German defensive positions near Montois, France during the Meuse-Argonne campaign.
OCTOBER 30, 1947:
Company B, 638th Support Battalion
Company B, 638th Support Battalion is organized in Columbus, Ohio as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 183rd Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion. When the unit was organized, it was a segregated, all-black unit that served with the 37th Infantry Division on active duty from 1952 to 1954.
Ohio National Guard Equal Opportunity/
Diversity
and Inclusion Program
Black History Month:
Reflecting on the legacy of Rickenbacker ANG Base
Two members of the 121st Refueling Wing, Chief Master Sgt. Edward Taylor III of the 121st Maintenance Group and Tech. Sgt. Marquis Leatherbury of the 121st Vehicle Maintenance Flight, share their thoughts on Black History Month and the legacy of Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base. Originally opened as Lockbourne Army Airfield in 1942, the primary unit at the installation immediately following World War II was the all-Black 447th Composite Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Video by Senior Master Sgt. Ralph Branson, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs ~ Video by Senior Master Sgt. Ralph Branson, 121st Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
Stow armory named for U.S. Colored Troops hero during Civil War
First Sgt. Robert Pinn (1843-1911), Company I, 5th United States Colored Troops, earned the Medal of Honor during the Battle of New Market Heights, Va. on Sept. 29, 1864. A native of Stark County, he was the first Black Soldier to have an armory or readiness center named after him in the state, in the early 1970s, when the new Ohio Army National Guard Armory in Stow was opened. ~ Photos from Ohio Army National Guard Historical Collections & Library of Congress
OHARNG | 37TH IBCT | HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS | READ STORY
Freedom and Opportunity: A Togolese-American story
Kouami Honkpo, an incentives specialist in the Ohio National Guard Education and Incentives Office, grew up in Lomè, Togo in West Africa, which he left to come to Ohio and pursue the freedom and opportunity available in the U.S. Although he has not yet deployed during his military career, Honkpo said one of his motivations for joining the U.S. military was for the opportunity to help spread democracy and freedom throughout the world. ~ Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chad Menegay, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
From immigrant to Citizen-Soldier: A commander’s uncommon journey
A native of Sierra Leone in western Africa, Capt. Sulaiman Bah originally came to the U.S. in August 2002 on a scholarship to finish his master's degree. With a favorable impression of the United States and U.S. military from witnessing humanitarian missions in his native country, Bah pursued becoming a U.S. citizen and joined the Ohio Army National Guard in 2010. ~ Photo by Sgt. Christine Lorenz, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Cultural performance highlights African-American/Black History Month celebration
Balla Sy (left), one of the founding members of GOREE (Giving Others Resources, Education and Empowerment) Drum and Dance troupe, and Shamba Muhammad play djembes during a West African cultural performance Feb. 24, 2020, at the Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler Armory in Columbus, Ohio. GOREE�s performance highlighted the Ohio National Guard�s 2020 African-American/Black History Month program, which highlighted the roots of modern American dance in West African tradition featuring the country of Senegal. ~ Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chad Menegay, Ohio National Guard Public Affairs
SNAPSHOTS
08.27.2021Tech. Sgt. Jordan Hopson of the 121st Air Refueling Wing
04.15.2021
Master Sgt. Aaron Foy
01.22.2021
Pfc. Tremaya Montgomery-Gadison
04/03/2020 ~ Spc. Jacque Elama shares story of becoming U.S. citizen
01.22.2019
Staff Sgt. Patrick Williams
01.21.2019 ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast
1950s
137th Anti-Aircraft
Artillery Battalion
1950s
137th Anti-Aircraft
Artillery Battalion
1950s
372nd Infantry Battalion
1988
Howitzer Battery, 3rd Squadron, 107th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
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❱
Lt. Jonnierah Smith
STORY ARCHIVE
02/22/2021 Stow armory named for U.S. Colored Troops hero during Civil War
02.07.2018: 'A Beacon of Hope:' Staff Sgt. Eric Piime's story
02.07.2018: Humble beginnings,
big goals for Ohio National Guard member from Kenya
02.20.2018: Living the Dream: 180th Fighter Wing Airman from Military Family happy to just be herself
02.20.2018: Former ONG Soldier inducted into Ohio Military Hall of Fame
05.04.2018: Swapping a cap and gown for a hospital gown
08.02.2018: 121st ARW honors Tuskegee Airman
at Rickenbacker track dedication