Field Historians
The Center of Military History's Field Historian Program ensures that military history meets the needs of
the
Army and nation. The Army Historical Program preserves, interprets, disseminates, and teaches military
history;
provides historical advice to decision makers and their staffs; and stimulates historical mindedness
within the
Army and throughout the nation. Field historian operations include command historians at all levels of
command,
unit historians and Military History Detachments.
Command Historians
The command historian or unit historian advises the commander on historical matters relating to the command; documents the command’s history; provides historical perspective to the commander and staff during planning and execution of operations; assists with professional development and training of officers and Soldiers; and supports the Army Historical Program through the collection of historical documents and artifacts.
Unit Historical Officers (UHOs)
UHOs are military officers or non-commissioned officers assigned at brigade and battalion level commands, in an additional duty capacity, to collect historical documents and media, maintain the unit's historical research collection, ensure the unit's lineage and honors are kept current ( as applicable) , and most importantly, write and submit the units annual command history report to their higher headquarters for o consolidation and ultimate reporting to the U.S. Army Center of Military History.
Effective immediately, all Unit Historical Officers should register for the Unit Historical Officer Fundamentals Distance Learning Course to receive the baseline training required to fulfill their assigned duties.
The course is available on demand in Blackboard (ELLC domain) . UHOs must first establish an account in Blackboard ELLC and then they can select the following Course ID or Course Name from the course catalog
Course ID: 912_CMHUHOFDLC_2023_001_00_N , Course Name: Unit Historical Officer Fundamentals Distance Learning. Once selected, the UHO can request enrollment in the course in Blackboard ELLC.
When registering for the course, UHOs should also send a copy of their additional duty appointment orders, signed by their brigade or battalion commander ( as applicable), to the following e-mail address: usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.unit-historical-officer---cmh-coordination@army.mil
Additionally, send all questions regarding the course to the following e-mail address: usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.unit-historical-officer---cmh-coordination@army.mil
Military History Detachments
MHDs carry out directed collection of historical material during combat and contingency operations for later use in writing the official history. They are trained and equipped to gather historical documents and materials, conduct oral interviews, photograph actions and events, and advise supported units on planning and conducting historical operations. The MHD collects historical documents and materials and conducts oral history interviews throughout the Army.
Upcoming MHD Courses
Course #
Location
Date
921-9E-F68/920-F58 24-002
Fort Knox, KY
11-16 February 2024
921-9E-F68/920-F58 24-003
Fort Knox, KY
07-12 April 2024
921-9E-F68/920-F58 24-004
National Capitol Region
09-14 June 2024
A 625 Field / Unit Historian Distance Learning Course (ASI 5X)
Officers holding the ASI 5X are qualified to supervise unit-level historians from battalion to division level or to serve as unit historians themselves.
Read more here...
Contact Us
U.S. Army Reserve Point of Contact
Mr. Christopher J. Ghiz
USARC Command Historian,
Office of Army Reserve History, USARC, HQ
4710 Knox Street
Fort Bragg, NC 28310
christopher.j.ghiz.civ@army.mil
U.S. Army Reserve, National Guard & Command Historian Point of Contact
LTC Jeffrey R. McGeary
Deputy Chief, Military Programs
U.S. Army Center of Military History
Fort McNair, DC 20319-5058
jeffrey.r.mcgeary.mil@army.mil
Gallery
Pictured are members of the 52nd and 130th Military History Detachments with LTG Ronald Clark and Command Sergeant Major Brian Hester, the Commander and Command Sergeant Major of US Army Central. Photo taken at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait.
FORT BELVOIR, Virginia- U.S. Army Historian Maj. Sandy Knoll gazes up at a statistical display at the National Museum of the U.S. Army, a U.S. flag of toy Soldiers representing the over 11 million U.S. Soldiers who served during World War II. Today, many years ahead of the Women's Services Integration Act of 1948 and even five years past the full integration of women into all military occupations since Dec. 4, 2015, women comprise 18 percent (about 200,000) of the total strength of the Army, according to the 2020 Office of Army Demographics. (Photo by Master Sgt. Crista Mary Mack, U.S. Army Center of Military History)
Military History Detachments conducted some revolutionary training at Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall, Virginia May 18, 2021.
Lt. Col. Lyle Finley, Officer in Charge of the 130th Military History Detachment, North Carolina Army National Guard, conducts Army Combat Fitness Test familiarization during pre-mobilization training at Fort Myer, Virginia May 2021.
Col. Craig Mix, Chief Military Programs, leads training during the U.S. Army Center of Military History Annual Training, Aug. 2021. Military History Detachments, Command Historians and U.S. Marine Corps Historians convened in the National Capitol Region for two weeks of intense historical training.
Sgt. Lamont Bradford, 315th Military History Detachment, conducts the Sprint Drag Carry portion of the Army Combat Fitness Test familiarization training hosted by Ft. Myer, Virginia Garrison May 2021.
SGT Hunt of the US Army Museums program instructing a class to the 20th, 45th and 130th MHD on artifact processing to the Army Museum Enterprise during the Road to Warfighter event taking place in Raleigh, NC from 12-14 March 2021
Sean Daily of the North Carolina Museums Program led a guided tour in the North Carolina Guard Museum Repository for the three MHDs attending the Road to Warfighter event taking place in Raleigh, NC from 12-14 March 2021.
LTC Sengenberger from the 20th MHD, breaking down the required tasks for all the MHDs in attendance during the Road to Warfighter, Raleigh, NC, in preparation for the WFX 21-4.
A Soldier with the 36th Engineer Brigade sets up the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelters (DRASH) in preparation for Warfighter 21-4, Fort Hood, Texas. The 130th Military History Detachment, North Carolina Army National Guard, was embedded with the 36th Engineer Brigade during the exercise, April 6-15, 2021. History detachment Soldiers attended daily briefings at the Engineers tactical operations center (TOC); tracking the units movement in support of III Corps, the United Kingdom and French forces as they battle a fictitious enemy called the Donovians. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nick Papworth, 36th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs Section)
Soldiers with the 36th Engineer Brigade set up the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelters (DRASH) in preparation for Warfighter 21-4, Fort Hood, Texas. The 130th Military History Detachment, North Carolina Army National Guard, was embedded with the 36th Engineer Brigade during the exercise, April 6-15, 2021. History detachment Soldiers attended daily briefings at the Engineers tactical operations center (TOC); tracking the units movement in support of III Corps, the United Kingdom and French forces as they battle a fictitious enemy called the Donovians. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nick Papworth, 36th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs Section)
A Soldier with the 36th Engineer Brigade sets up the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelters (DRASH) in preparation for Warfighter 21-4, Fort Hood, Texas. The 130th Military History Detachment, North Carolina Army National Guard, was embedded with the 36th Engineer Brigade during the exercise, April 6-15, 2021. History detachment Soldiers attended daily briefings at the Engineers tactical operations center (TOC); tracking the units movement in support of III Corps, the United Kingdom and French forces as they battle a fictitious enemy called the Donovians. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Nick Papworth, 36th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs Section)
US Army Staff section leaders of the 36th Engineer Brigade review an area of operations map during a warfighter exercise (WFX) at Fort Hood, Texas, April 13, 2021. Col. Joseph Goetz (far left), the Brigade Commander, referenced the brigade area of operations map as the group strategized to defeat the enemy. WFX 21-4 is the largest in American history, supported by United States 1st Cavalry Division and III Corps, 3rd Division, United Kingdom and 3rd Division, French Republic. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Ruth McClary)
FORT LEE, Virginia - Private 1st Class Sebastian Walteros, 111th Mortuary Affairs Company, prepares for an interview by signing an access agreement with Sgt. Caleb Frye, 305th Military History Detachment. Walteros worked the COVID-19 Operational Response in 2020 in the National Capitol Region. The Dept. of the Army Form 7273 is the official access agreement required for every History interview. (Photo by Master Sgt. Crista Mary Mack, U.S. Army Center of Military History)
SGT David Hunt, team member of the 130th Military History Detachment, North Carolina Army National Guard, interviews 1LT Thomas Georgelas of the 581st Troop Command, Maryland Army National Guard in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol Building. 1LT Georgelas is acting as the night shift Battle Captain of Task Force Senate. (Photo Credit: Photo by SSG Dmitriy Arkannikov)
The 20th, 45th and 130th MHD stand in front of the NC Guard Headquarters, ready for the final day of Road to Warfighter planning. The Road to Warfighter was a multiday planning event for multiple MHDs across the Reserve and National Guard components to collaborate and train for the upcoming WFX 21-4
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ron Powell, Field Historian conducts an investigation with assistance from a property book noncommissioned officer while deployed in Iraq. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen, 105th MHD- B Team NCOIC)
Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen, 105th Military History Detachment B Team Noncommissioned Officer in Charge (left), Lt. Col. Andrew Nelson, B Team Officer in Charge (center left) Lt. Col. Ron Powell, U.S. Forces Afghanistan Historian, and take a selfie together at the flight line at Irbil Air Base, Iraq. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen, 105th MHD- B Team NCOIC)
Soldiers board a Globemaster C-17 in the Central Command region
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Soldiers pose during a patching ceremony for Spc. Garner (featured on top of tank) in front of a Russian Tank. Featured in this image, the G1 Officer in Charge, Lt. Col. Andrew Nelson and Lt. Col. Ronald Powell, and the rest of the staff. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen, 105th MHD- B Team)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Chaplain Ervid Reyes, a member of the Texas Army National Guard answers questions by Sergeant 1st Class Jerry Saslav, an historian with the 126th Military History Detachment, in front of the U.S. Capitol prior to the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington,D.C., January 17, 2021. The 126th MHD and 315th MHD traveled to Washington, D.C. capture historical data during this time in American history. (Photo by Cpt. Julian Woodhouse)
Cpt. Julian Woodhouse, team leader of the 315th Military History Detachment, Annville, Pa, interviews Command Sgt Major Robert H. Purkerson, Jr., Operations SGM of the 29th Infantry Division from Fort Belvoir, Va. at Joint Forces Headquarters Washington, D.C., January 17, 2021. The 29th ID is supporting the 59th Presidential Inauguration. (photo by Sergeant 1st Class Jerry Saslav)
Staff Sgt. Dmitriy Arkannikov, team member with the 126th Military History Detachment, speaks with Col. Anthony Hammett, G-9, National Guard Bureau, about potential interviews during the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., January 17, 2021. They are among the more than 25,000 National Guardsmen supporting the 59th Presidential Inauguration event. (photo by Sergeant David Hunt )
SFC James Bowie and CPL John Wolfe of the 138th Military History Detachment (MHD) conduct military history field operations at the III Corps WFX 19-04 on 9 April 2019 at Fort Hood Texas as part of an external evaluation of their training . The 138th MHD of the Indiana National Guard, along with three additional MHDs from the U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army Forces Command, are participating in the first ever multi-component collective training evaluation of MHDs.
SFC James Bowie and CPL John Wolfe of the 138th Military History Detachment (MHD) conduct military history field operations at the III Corps WFX 19-04 on 9 April 2019 at Fort Hood Texas as part of an external evaluation of their training . The 138th MHD of the Indiana National Guard, along with three additional MHDs from the U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Army Forces Command, are participating in the first ever multi-component collective training evaluation of MHDs.
Capt. Annette J. Spaulding, Commander, 311th Military History Detachment, conducts an oral history interview with Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, Deputy Commanding General (UK), III Corps, during the III Corps Warfighter 19-04 Exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, April 12, 2019.The interview, which detailed Gedney's role as the DCG of Sustainment throughout the exercise, will be used to preserve his decision-making processes and guidance and serve as an important tool for future leaders. (Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Reeves, 311th MHD.)
Capt. Annette J. Spaulding, Commander, 311th Military History Detachment, conducts an oral history interview with Maj. Gen. Felix Gedney, Deputy Commanding General (UK), III Corps, during the III Corps Warfighter 19-04 Exercise at Fort Hood, Texas, April 12, 2019.The interview, which detailed Gedney's role as the DCG of Sustainment throughout the exercise, will be used to preserve his decision-making processes and guidance and serve as an important tool for future leaders. (Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Reeves, 311th MHD.)
SFC Scott Fisk of the 126th MHD photographs Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during a speech at the al-Faw palace in Baghdad, Iraq on December 24, 2005. Field Historian Major Jerry Brooks looks on.
SSG Noreen Feeney of the 49th MHD photographs the location on June 24, 2005 where SFC Paul Smith won the Medal of Honor near the al-Faw palace in Baghdad, Iraq.
SFC Renea Everage of the 45th MHD performs a radio check prior to departing on a collection mission near Baghdad, Iraq on October 6, 2005.
SFC Scott Fisk of the 45th MHD departs to conduct an interview on Cam Slayer near Baghdad, Iraq on October 26, 2005.
SGT Stephanie Abdullah prepares to conduct an oral history interview with an Iraqi Security Forces Sergeant Major at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Baghdad on March 31, 2006.
Field Historian LTC Thomas Kontos of the 39th IBCT (Arkansas Army National Guard) interacts with Iraqi school children while covering a civil affairs mission on October 19, 2008 near Baghdad, Iraq.
Field Historian navy Captain Teresa Fairbanks gives a speech on behalf of the ISAF Commander on March 16, 2013 in Kabul, Afghanistan.