Combat History of the U.S. National Guard

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• published: 04 Dec 2015
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Since the first militia groups were organized on North American soil, citizen soldiers have served with distinction in every major conflict involving the United States. With members hailing from every corner of the nation, the United States’ National Guard traces its origins back to December 13th, 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony established the first militia regiments in North America. Consequently, the Guard is considered the oldest component of the United States armed forces. Since the first militia groups were organized on North American soil, citizen soldiers have served with distinction in every major conflict involving the United States. But while they were initially created to serve only at the state level, a massive reorganization within the military led to a restructuring of all local militia units at the start of the 20th Century. This resulted in the organization of the modern National Guard, which has both state and federal responsibilities, and can be activated for service overseas at the request of the President – A request that has been made time and again throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries… In World War I, the National Guard was organized into divisions by state… And made up 40% of the American Expeditionary Forces’ entire combat strength during the conflict. During World War II, National Guard members fought in all theaters of operation… Taking part in 34 separate campaigns and seven assault landings… And suffering more than 175,000 casualties. When the Korean War erupted in the summer of 1950, the Guard was again called upon. Between August 14th, 1950 and February 15th, 1952, nearly 139,000 members reported for combat service. And in what was the largest federal mobilization since Korea, more than 63,000 National Guard members were summoned into action for the 1991 Gulf War. Today, Army and Air National Guard units are found in each state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Since the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Guard’s mission has expanded even further, as units and individual members performed sustained duty for Operations such as Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Because of this, more than half of all National Guard members today have deployed overseas.

Combat History of the U.S. National Guard

• Report rights infringement
• published: 04 Dec 2015
• views: 12853

Since the first militia groups were organized on North American soil, citizen soldiers have served with distinction in every major conflict involving the United States. With members hailing from every corner of the nation, the United States’ National Guard traces its origins back to December 13th, 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony established the first militia regiments in North America. Consequently, the Guard is considered the oldest component of the United States armed forces. Since the first militia groups were organized on North American soil, citizen soldiers have served with distinction in every major conflict involving the United States. But while they were initially created to serve only at the state level, a massive reorganization within the military led to a restructuring of all local militia units at the start of the 20th Century. This resulted in the organization of the modern National Guard, which has both state and federal responsibilities, and can be activated for service overseas at the request of the President – A request that has been made time and again throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries… In World War I, the National Guard was organized into divisions by state… And made up 40% of the American Expeditionary Forces’ entire combat strength during the conflict. During World War II, National Guard members fought in all theaters of operation… Taking part in 34 separate campaigns and seven assault landings… And suffering more than 175,000 casualties. When the Korean War erupted in the summer of 1950, the Guard was again called upon. Between August 14th, 1950 and February 15th, 1952, nearly 139,000 members reported for combat service. And in what was the largest federal mobilization since Korea, more than 63,000 National Guard members were summoned into action for the 1991 Gulf War. Today, Army and Air National Guard units are found in each state in the nation, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands. Since the September 11th, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Guard’s mission has expanded even further, as units and individual members performed sustained duty for Operations such as Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Because of this, more than half of all National Guard members today have deployed overseas.