COWBOY ARTILLERY AT SOYANG
(part of the National Guard Heritage Series)
Hongchon, South Korea, May 18, 1951
Among the hundreds of Army National Guard units ordered into active Federal service as a result of the Korean War was the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, Wyoming Army National Guard. The battalion arrived in Korea in February 1951 and entered combat in early May. On the night of May 15, 1951, three corps of the Chinese People's Volunteers launched a major offensive against the 2d Infantry Division. The 300th AFA Battalion, attached to the 2d Division during the battle at Soyang, delivered devastating artillery fire for seven days inflicting thousands of enemy casualties. During the morning of May 18 the battalion was given the mission of destroying an enemy roadblock allowing retreating UN forces to fall back to more secure positions. The heroic and determined stand of the 2d Division and its attached units allowed the Eighth Army to regroup and stop the enemy envelopment. For its gallantry in the action, the battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the first of four awards that the 300th would earn. Today's 1st and 3d Battalions, 49th Field Artillery, Wyoming Army National Guard carry on the gallant traditions of the Cowboy Artillery.*
* This was correct at the time of printing of the poster and caption -- however, as of 2 May 2001, the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion is perpetuated in the 300th Field Artillery.