"The Washington Army National Guard stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the regular Army," stated Col. George Abbott, commander, 96th Troop Command, during an award ceremony last February.

He made his comments during the presentation of a Purple Heart to Sgt. Justin Smith, A Company, 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, Washington Army National Guard (WANG), for wounds suffered in Iraq.

"We are every bit as ready to perform our mission."

That statement is a core belief among the citizen-Soldiers who serve in the WANG.

The company is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base.

A small group of enlisted and officer personnel, the battalion provides highly trained Soldiers with linguist skills who are capable of worldwide deployment.

Its mission is to provide trained linguists qualified to act as interrogators, counterintelligence agents, signal intelligence operators and intelligence analysts.

"There's a bit of a humility factor at work here," said  1st Lt. Casey Schober. "These Soldiers know they are smart, and they are humble about that."

Schober said that Smith had not said a word about his Purple Heart."He's humble, and that's nothing new around here."

Humility aside, the battalion serves as a center for language training and development during peacetime.

"These Soldiers are unbelievable gems," said Maj. Brian Nelson, the command's executive officer."They are intelligence professionals; the language and intelligence training they receive is second to none."

Since 9/11, the battalion has been in the thick of the War on Terrorism.  There has not been a time since then that the battalion has not had teams deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Cuba and Bosnia.

"Intelligence drives maneuvers," said Capt. Phil Fassieux, the battalion's commander.

"There is nothing that goes on in the battle space that Soldiers like these have not had a hand in developing."

In preparing for possible deployments overseas or to meet any man-made or natural disasters in the state, the unit takes advantage of every training opportunity.

On a cold, clear day on Mount Spokane outside Fairchild earlier this year, the unit worked on its winter survival skills.

"It's a good training exercise," said Staff Sgt. Doane Mardis as he put on a pair of cross-country skis.

The day featured training in shelter building, winter food preparation, fire craft, skiing from point to point and first aid.

"We gain a great deal of experience when we undergo this kind of training; we get more comfortable in working in the outdoors, and the training reinforces team continuity."

Intelligence personnel have been a part of the Army since 1775.  As the WANG confronts the challenges of the 21st century, its intelligence warriors will continue to be in the fore.