The history of the National Guard of Washington begins in 1855 before it was granted statehood, when the Washington Territorial Legislature created an organized militia. Washington was granted statehood in 1890, after which the organized militia transformed into a state militia. This militia was known as the Washington State Militia, and fought its first major conflict during the Spanish American War.[12] In 1903, the Washington National Guard (Alongside all other state militias) were given to joint federal-state control after the passage of the Militia Act of 1903.[13]
783rd Transportation Company: operated 100-foot long tugboats (LT), 65-foot short tugboats (ST),[19] and the 188-foot MV Encounter Bay, purchased from the DEA after it was seized smuggling marijuana in 1988.[15]
303d Armor - The regiment traces its history from the 803d Tank Battalion, redesignated from 803d Tank Destroyer Battalion on 13 September 1946. Reorganized and federally recognized 18 March 1947 with HQ at Centralia. Reorganized and redesignated 15 April 1959 as the 303d Armor, with one battalion (1959-1963), two battalions (1963-1968), and one battalion from that date. Consolidated with 803d Armor (constituted 1 January 1974) between 15 April and 1 September 1993.
303d Cavalry Regiment - The Regiment was constituted on 1 January 1968 as the 303d Cavalry, a parent regiment under CARS, and on the same day ('concurrently') organized to consist of Troop E, a component of the 81st Infantry Brigade. Transferred from CARS to USARS 1 June 1989 with headquarters at Camp Murray. Reorganized, redesignated, and consolidated 1 May 1992, consisting (unchanged) as Troop E, a component of the 81st Infantry Brigade, at Puyallup.[22]
^Jeffrey Lynn Pope, Leonid E. Kondratiuk, Army National Guard Lineage Series: Armor-Cavalry Regiments, National Guards Bureau, Historical Services Division, Washington DC 20310-2500, April 1995. DIANE Publishing edition ISBN0788182064, 9780788182068
McLatchy, Patrick H., The Development of the National Guard of Washington as an Instrument of Social Control, 1854-1916. Unpub. Ph.D dissertation, University of Washington, 1973.
Carey, Daniel C., The Washington State National Guard, 1901-1917. Unpub. MA thesis, Washington State University, 1993.
Washington State, Military Department, Office of the Adjutant General. Washington National Guard Pamphlet: The Official History of the Washington National Guard. 7 vols. Compiled by Virgil F. Field. Camp Murray, WA, 1959.
Washington State, Military Department, Office of the Adjutant General. A Brief History of the Washington Territorial Militia, 1855–1889 and the National Guard of the State of Washington, 1889-1957. Compiled by Virgil F. Field. Mimeographed, 1957.