Troop C of cavalry, the first unit on the Central Coast region of the National Guard of California, a state militia,[6]: 1–2 [7] was organized on 5 August 1895.

[8]: 1  The troop's first activation was when it was called up to provide law and order in San Francisco following the earthquake in 1906, using Golden Gate Park as its base of operations.

[3] In the early 1910s tensions between Mexico and the United States were high, due to the impact the Mexican Revolution had on the border; this resulted in several events which led to loss of life of citizens of both nations.

[12] After the United States entered into World War I, the troop was activated into federal service in August 1917 at Camp Kearny in San Diego.

[15] Beginning in mid-December, the 40th Division began the process of returning to the United States, ultimately embarking through Bordeaux.

[21]: 5 [22] The company was first activated in response to the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike of longshoremen during which it was sent to San Francisco for eight days.

[8]: 6–7 [18] On 26 September 1941 the 194th, along with the 17th Ordnance Company, arrived in Manila, and was then assigned to Fort Stotsenburg, in Sapangbato, Angeles City.

[37] Initially, General Douglas MacArthur was confident that the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) would be able to defend the entire archipelago under war plan Rainbow Five.

[18] On 13 December, Company C moved to Tagaytay Ridge, attempting to apprehend fifth columnists who had been launching flares near ammunition dumps at night; this would continue until Christmas Eve.

[39]: 193  He decided to conduct a reconnaissance himself using a half-track from Company C, and they were engaged by a Japanese patrol north of the town of Piis.

[18] The next day the second platoon of the company was ordered by a Major Rumbold, senior American instructor of the Philippine Army 1st Infantry Regiment, to attack the Japanese, who were in Piis, down a narrow mountain trail.

The platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Robert F. Needham, suggested that a reconnaissance be done before the attack but was told it was unnecessary.

[39]: 200  However, due to unfamiliarity with the geography, Company C passed through the city, with one of the tanks becoming immobile after hitting the Rizal Monument in the darkness; the crew of the immobilized tank eventually departed the city on Bren Gun Carriers driven by Filipino soldiers.

[46] The battalion organized the shipment of 12,000 US gallons (45,000 L) of aviation gasoline and six truckloads of canned food from Manila.

[18] Moving northward on the first days of 1942, the 194th took up position east of San Fernando and south of town on the banks of the Pampanga River.

[50]: VandenBergh 30  With the rest of the forces passing through the town, the tankers destroyed the bridge over the San Fernando River and withdrew to Guagua.

[18] The first unit to conduct a delaying action was Company C, as it serving as an advance force of the mainline, north of Guagua.

[50]: VandenBergh 30 [51]: 223 Following some additional combat which led to significant Japanese losses in the Tanaka Detachment, Company C and the rest of the 1st Provisional Tank Group joined the 26th Cavalry, and the Philippines' 11th and 21st Divisions, to form a defense along the Gumain River.

[51]: 227  Following combat on 6 January, which included the action which resulted in the awarding of the Medal of Honor to Sergeant Jose Calugas, the 1st Provisional Tank Group began to withdraw into Bataan ahead of the rest of the units assigned to the defenses at Layac Junction.

[37][52] Upon withdrawing behind the defensive lines to an area south of Pilar, the soldiers of the 1st Provisional Tank Group were finally able to rest, eating from their own kitchens for the first time since the beginning of combat operations, albeit at half rations.

[26]: 28  Yet after that setback, with the support of elements of the 26th Cavalry, and a battalion of the Philippines' 72nd Infantry Regiment, the forces were able to reverse the gains of the Japanese.

[26]: 33 By 8 April, Company C was ordered to regroup to the south with the rest of the Provisional Tank Group, who were involved in attempting to provide defense against the Japanese attack along Trail 10.

[8]: 16 [60] In mid-September 1945, after the Surrender of Japan, the surviving members of the 194th Tank Battalion embarked for the United States at Yokohama.

[3][8]: 16  Two years later in 1949, the unit was reorganized and redesignated as the 149th Heavy Tank Battalion, as an element of the 49th Infantry Division.

[3][f] During a weekend drill in 1965, the unit was called up to man roadblocks created in response to the Watts Riots; while there the tankers were fired upon.

[24] In May 1998, a training center was established at Watsonville, and named after Chief Warrant Officer Ero "Ben" Saccone, who was the First Sergeant of Company C, 194th Tank Battalion in 1941; within the training center was the 40th Tank Company's guidon, which dated back to June 1924 (and survived combat overseas, and being hidden by unit members while they were POW).

[75]The battalion was activated for Operation Noble Eagle I & II, providing security at potential targets and airports in the United States, in 2003.

By June 2013 all had died, with the last survivor of Company C being Manny Nevarez; he had been a private, and spent time on Mindanao and in Japan as a POW.

[83][93] This follows a memorial located at Camp San Luis Obispo depicting the actions of Morello's tank on 26 December 1941.

[97] In the film Bataan, Desi Arnaz depicts a California National Guardsman in a multi-racial unit fighting a delaying action.