Come join the only light artillery battalion in the California National Guard. We have various positions available from artillerymen and radar operators to mechanics, truck drivers, and cooks. For more information on joining the battalion, please contact the battalion's recruiter, Staff Sergeant Zeb Arundel, at zeb.arundel@us.army.mil or 925-260-7270. You can also contact Sergeant First Class Mark Bowers at mark.bowers@us.army.mil or 925-934-6874 extension #1
The 1-143 Field Artillery Battalion, with unit locations throughout Central and Northern California, employs sixteen M119A2 Howitzers in direct support of the 40th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. The M119A2 is a 105mm towed howitzer that can be dropped by parachute or airlifted with its basic load of ammunition by UH60 Blackhawk and CH47 Chinook helicopters or C130 aircraft. The howitzers are supported by various other systems in the battalion including the AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder Radar and the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS)
Units of the 1-143 fought in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II (Europe and Pacific theaters), and the Korean War. Since September 11th, 2001 the battalion has deployed several times to protect critical civilian infrastructure, secure the prison in Guantanamo Bay, and most recently to provide base security in Iraq.