Wisconsin National Guard

Representatives from the Wisconsin National Guard traveled to Papua New Guinea in March to strengthen their partnership with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force under the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program.

The Wisconsin National Guard and PNG Defense Force partnership began in 2020 and supports U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command efforts to strengthen a free and open Indo-Pacific.

During World War II, the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division, which consisted of all of the Wisconsin National Guard and some of the Michigan National Guard, engaged in intense fighting against the Japanese through multiple campaigns in Papua New Guinea.

The Buna Campaign in Oro Province was particularly brutal, and three Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions there. The Red Arrow engaged in other major campaigns in Papua New Guinea including in Saidor and Aitape.