45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)

45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (United States)

The 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team ("Thunderbird") is a modular infantry brigade combat team of the United States Army headquartered in Norman, 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 Field Artillery Group (today's 45th Fires Brigade) and 90th Troop Command, the 45th Infantry Brigade was activated in 1968 and assigned to training duties for active duty army units until 1994 when the 45th was selected as one of 15 "enhanced brigades". The brigade deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping force in the wake of the Bosnian War, with C Company, 1-179th Infantry being among the first National Guard units to see duty there. In 2003, A Co 1-179 deployed to Saudi Arabia while B 1-179 deployed to Kuwait to provide security for Patriot missile sites. During the invasion of Iraq, B Co 1-179 pushed North of Baghdad establishing a foothold in Taji Iraq. Later that year, the 45th deployed to Afghanistan to train soldiers of the Afghan National Army which was followed by a deployment to Iraq to assist in the turning over of American military bases to Iraqi forces. A second brigade deployment to Afghanistan in 2011 assigned the brigade to full-spectrum operations for the first time since the 1950s.

The brigade received all heraldry, lineage and honors from the 45th Infantry Division, including its shoulder sleeve insignia and campaign streamers for combat in World War II and Korea. It has since received several of its own decorations for participation in the subsequent conflicts.