139th Regional Support Group
CSM Donald LavalaisThe 139th was recently organized as a major command in the LANG. It is headquartered at historic Jackson Barracks in New Orleans. Many of the units that report to it have a rich history.
The 773rd Military Police Battalion has lineage extending back to LANG’s 773rd Tank Destroyer battalion from World War II. It then became a Tank battalion during the Cold War, mobilizing for the Korean conflict. Now a military police unit, the companies of the 773rd have seen numerous overseas deployments and are an active component of domestic response operations. Louisiana’s MPs were an essential part of the post Katrina landscape.
165th Combat Sustainment and Support Battalion also has tradition going back to the 773rd Tank Battalion. LANG Maintenance units, particularly the transportation units, have been necessary to keep the organization going. President John F. Kennedy activated Louisiana transportation units in response to the Berlin Crisis of 1961. Units of the 165th have since provided support for overseas combat missions in Operation Desert Storm and the Global War on Terror. Domestically, the 165th is very important in the commodity distribution operations for hurricane and flood events within the state.
The 156th Infantry Band now falls under the 139th RSG. The band’s history goes back to the 1930s. It achieved some fame during World War II, including a performance for President Truman at the Potsdam Conference as the war was ending. The U.S. Army has given the band the honorary designation of “Louisiana’s Own.”
Other elements of the 139th RSG include the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, the 756th Medical Company, and Company B, 136th Expeditionary Signal Company.