The 169th Military Police Company is an independent company of military police of the Rhode Island National Guard. It is a subordinate unit of the 118th Military Police Battalion and the 43rd Military Police Brigade. It is the oldest unit of the Rhode Island National Guard and one of the oldest units in the United States Army, and is one of several National Guard units with colonial roots.
History
Predecessor units The 169th Military Police Company traces its lineage to January 1754 as the Artillery Company of Westerly and Charlestown. As such, it is one of the few units of the U.S. Army and Army National Guard which can trace its lineage to before the American Revolution.
The company was redesignated in May 1758 as the Artillery Company of Westerly, Charlestown, and Hopkinton. It served in the American Revolution as part of the Rhode Island State Troops which were formed to protect the mainland of Rhode Island following the British occupation of Newport in late 1776.
From 1762 to 1776, the company was commanded by Captain Joseph Stanton Jr. During the American Revolution Stanton commanded a state regiment (a unit mobilized for in state service, as opposed to a regiment of the Continental Army) and later rose to become the commander of the Rhode Island Militia with the rank of major general. Following the ratification of the United States Constitution by Rhode Island in 1790, Stanton was elected as a United States Senator and later served as a United States representative from Rhode Island.
During the American Revolution, the Artillery Company of Westerly and Charlestown most probably formed one of the artillery companies of the Rhode Island state brigade which defended the mainland of Rhode Island from the British who occupied Newport from 1776 to 1779.
19th century In October 1812 the company was redesignated as the Washington Guards, a company of the 3rd Regiment of the Rhode Island Militia. The company was mustered into Federal service on 25 July 1814 as Captain Coe's Company, Wood's State Corps, at Fort Adams. Wood's State Corps was a battalion of militiamen called into service to supplement the state's defenses following the capture of Castine, Maine earlier in the year. Following the cessation of hostilities, the company was mustered out of Federal service on 23 February 1815 at Fort Adams.
The company was redesignated on 13 August 1855 as the Westerly Rifle Company.
Under different designations, the 169th MP Company was mobilized for service in the Civil War, Spanish–American War, Korean War, World War I and World War II.
While remaining in state service for most of the Civil War, the Westerly Rifle Company was federalized twice:
Company I, First Rhode Island Detached Militia, mustered into Federal service on 2 May 1861 at Providence and mustered out of Federal service 2 August 1861 at Providence. The regiment fought at the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861.
Company B, 9th Rhode Island Infantry Regiment mustered into Federal service 26 May 1862 at Providence. The company served at Fort Meigs in the defenses of Washington, D.C. and was mustered out of Federal service 2 September 1862 at Providence.
The company expanded in January 1873 to form the Battalion of the Westerly Rifles. It was redesignated on 1 May 1875 as Companies A and B, 3d Battalion of Infantry and again redesignated on 16 November 1881 as Companies F and E, 1st Battalion of Infantry, respectively.
Companies F and E, 1st Regiment of Infantry were consolidated on 6 April 1895 to form Company E, 1st Regiment of Infantry of the Brigade of Rhode Island Militia (BRIM).
Company E, 1st Regiment of Infantry, was activated as Company K, 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry which was mustered into Federal service 18 May 1898 at Quonset Point for service in the Spanish–American War. The company, with its regiment, served stateside for the next 10 months, and was mustered out of Federal service 30 March 1899 at Columbia, South Carolina.
20th century In 1907, the company was converted from Infantry to Coast Artillery. It was mobilized for service at coast defense fortifications in Rhode Island during both world wars.
On 15 April 1907, the Brigade of Rhode Island Militia was redesignated as the Rhode Island National Guard. The company was converted and redesignated on 4 November 1908 as the 5th Company, 1st Artillery District, Coast Artillery Corps.
The company was redesignated on 2 January 1917 as the 5th Company, Rhode Island Coast Artillery. With the United States' declaration of war against Germany, the company was mustered into Federal service on 2 April 1917 at Westerly and drafted into Federal service 5 August 1917. The company was stationed at Fort Getty in Jamestown, Rhode Island and was redesignated on 31 August 1917 as the 19th Company, Coast Defenses of Narragansett Bay. Following the signing of the Armistice on November 11, 1918, the company was demobilized on 20 December 1918 at Fort Getty.
The company was reconstituted 28 May 1921 in the Rhode Island National Guard as the 5th Company, Coast Artillery Corps and was reorganized and Federally recognized 3 June 1921 at Westerly. On 1 October 1923 the company was redesignated as Battery E, 243d Artillery (Coast Artillery Corps).
When it became clear the United States would become involved in World War II the company was inducted into Federal service 16 September 1940 at Westerly and was assigned to Fort Wetherill in Jamestown as part of the Harbor Defenses of Narragansett Bay. It was reorganized and redesignated 7 October 1944 as Battery A, 189th Coast Artillery Battalion and was inactivated on 1 April 1945 at Fort Wetherill, Rhode Island.
With the reorganization of the Rhode Island National Guard following World War II, the company was redesignated on 2 July 1946 as Battery D, 705th Antiaircraft Artillery Gun Battalion and was federally recognized 23 April 1947.
During the Korean War the company was ordered into active Federal service 14 August 1950 at Westerly. Along with the 705th AAA Battalion it served on Okinawa as an Air Defense unit. It was released from active Federal service 13 July 1952 and reverted to state control.
The company was redesignated on 1 October 1953 as Battery D, 705th Antiaircraft Artillery Battalion. It was redesignated again on 1 April 1959 as Battery D, 1st Automatic Weapons Battalion, 243d Artillery.
The company was converted and redesignated on 1 May 1962 as Company C, 243rd Engineer Battalion.
Military police company The company had been redesignated a number of times over the past two centuries, and finally assumed its current designation as the 169th Military Police Company in 1968 and assigned as a subordinate unit of the 243rd Military Police Battalion and the newly formed 43rd Military Police Brigade. The primary reason for the unit being designated as a Military Police unit was the high levels of civil unrest which swept the country in the late 1960s. National Guard troops were frequently called upon to quell riots and Military Police units were given specialized training for that mission.
In 1978, the 169th along with the entirety of the Rhode Island National Guard, was mobilized in response to the Great Blizzard of 1978.
In 1990, the 1111th Military Police Company was re-designated as Detachment 1, 169th Military Police Company. Detachment 1 continued to drill at the 1111th MP Company's armory in Middletown, Rhode Island.
During Operation Desert Storm, in late 1990 to early 1991, personnel from the 169th were used to fill out units of the Rhode Island National Guard deployed during that operation.
In 1995, the unit moved from its long time home at the Westerly Armory in Westerly, Rhode Island to the Warren Armory in Warren, Rhode Island. Detachment 1 (see above) was fully integrated with the main body of the company at this time. In 1996, the 243rd Military Police Battalion was disbanded and the 169th was transferred to the 118th Military Police Battalion.
In 2003, a 30 soldier detachment of the 169th was mobilized and sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to perform security duties. They were demobilized in 2004. Other personnel from the 169th were mobilized to fill vacancies in the 115th and 119th Military Police companies when they were mobilized for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom early in 2003.
The 169th MP Company was mobilized for service in Iraq in 2007 to 2008. In this assignment, it was attached to the 2nd Marine Division and received the Navy Unit Commendation, a rare distinction for an Army unit.
In 2008, the 119th Military Police Company was deactivated and consolidated with the 169th Military Police Company. While a younger unit, the 119th MP Company had been mobilized for service in Operation Desert Storm in 1990 to 1991, Operation Joint Forge in Hungary and Bosnia in 2000 to 2001 and for service in Iraq in 2003 to 2004. The result of the consolidation is that the 169th shares the lineage of both itself and the 119th MP Company as well as the 1111th MP Company which it merged with in 1990.
In August 2012, the 169th was mobilized for deployment to Afghanistan. The unit returned home and was demobilized in September 2013.
Lineage (The information below was taken from the website of the US Army Center for Military History and is in the public domain.)
169th Military Police Company
Organized and chartered in January 1755 in the Rhode Island Militia at Westerly as the Artillery Company of Westerly and Charlestown.
Redesignated in May 1758 as the Artillery Company of Westerly, Charlestown, and Hopkinton.
Redesignated in October 1812 as the Washington Guards, a company of the 3d Regiment.
Mustered into Federal service 25 July 1814 as Captain Coe's Company, Wood's State Corps, at Fort Adams, Rhode Island; mustered out of Federal service 23 February 1815 at Fort Adams, Rhode Island.
Redesignated 13 August 1855 as the Westerly Rifle Company, a separate company.
While remaining in state service during the Civil War, the Westerly Rifle Company additionally formed the following units:
Company I, 1st Rhode Island Detached Militia, mustered into Federal service 2 May 1861 at Providence and fought at the Battle of Bull Run; mustered out of Federal service 2 August 1861 at Providence.
Company B, 9th Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry Regiment mustered into Federal service 26 May 1862 at Providence for duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C.; mustered out of Federal service 2 September 1862 at Providence.
Expanded in January 1873 to form the Battalion of the Westerly Rifles.
Redesignated 1 May 1875 as Companies A and B, 3d Battalion of Infantry.
Redesignated 16 November 1881 as Companies F and E, 1st Battalion of Infantry, respectively.
Redesignated 1 June 1887 as Companies F and E, 1st Regiment of Infantry, respectively (Rhode Island Militia concurrently redesignated as the Brigade of Rhode Island Militia).
Companies F and E, 1st Regiment of Infantry, consolidated 6 April 1895 to form Company E, 1st Regiment of Infantry.
While remaining in state service Company E, 1st Regiment of Infantry, additionally formed Company K, 1st Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry; mustered into Federal service 18 May 1898 at Quonset Point for service in the Spanish–American War. The regiment served in Virginia, Pennsylvania and South Carolina and mustered out of Federal service 30 March 1899 at Columbia, South Carolina.
(The Brigade of Rhode Island Militia was redesignated on 15 April 1907 as the Rhode Island National Guard.)
Converted and redesignated 4 November 1908 as the 5th Company, 1st Artillery District, Coast Artillery Corps.
Redesignated 3 September 1914 as the 5th Company, 1st Coast Defense Command, Coast Artillery Corps.
Redesignated 18 December 1914 as the 5th Company, 1st Coast Artillery District, Coast Artillery Corps.
Redesignated 2 January 1917 as the 5th Company, Rhode Island Coast Artillery.