Maryland Guard Soldiers unveil new plaque at Army Museum

Story courtesy of 29th Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT BELVOIR, VA – Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers, veterans, and family members from the 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, came together for the unveiling of the regiment’s honorary plaque at the National Museum of the United States Army’s Path of Remembrance, November 7, 2024.

The unit, which was first formed in Baltimore prior to America’s independence in 1774, saw action in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and during World War II in Normandy in the days following the D-Day landing. During the last two decades, the regiment took part in numerous deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terrorism.

“It’s a good representation of the continuation of our unit’s history of volunteering and accomplishing the mission all the way from the Revolutionary War through [the Global War on Terrorism] and in whatever the future holds,” said Maryland Army National Guard Sgt. Nathan Ewing, an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment. “This plaque is a reminder that we’re here, and we’re ready for whatever mission we’re called upon for.”


Maryland Army National Guard Brig. Gen. Wesley “Dale” Murray, 29th Infantry Division deputy commanding general – support, placed a wreath to honor the Soldiers who served the regiment, past and present.

“These Soldiers are inheriting a legacy of greatness, stretching back two hundred years,” said Maryland Army National Guard Col. Bradley Martsching, commander of the 58th Troop Command. “Seeing the past, present and future of our regiment represented here helps these Soldiers understand that legacy of greatness.”

For family members of past and present Soldiers of the regiment, the new plaque is a physical reminder for the sacrifice and values of their loved ones.

“It’s very touching because it represents the legacy of volunteering and service and the spirit of fighting for our freedoms and way of life,” said Ursula B. Palmer, the surviving spouse of Maryland Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Collin Bowen, who was killed in action while serving with 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment, in Afghanistan. “My husband’s life was the price of that freedom, and the Soldiers who still decide to volunteer today are helping us to continue that American way of life and the freedoms we enjoy.”