National Guard - America\'s Militia

¶ … National Guard - America's Militia - was critical to America's success in wars between 1776 and 1918

The United States military has a long and storied history, and ordinary citizens know stories of bravery such as the Doolittle raids, Iwo Jima, the Battle of Midway, Antietam and others. These stories encompass all branches of the military: the Coast guard, the Navy, the Army, the Air Force and the Marines.

However, there is a much overlooked and extremely important portion of America's military might, without which our success militarily over time might not have existed. This component is the National Guard.

American's history parallels the National Guard's history. The roots of the National Guard emanate from the various colonial militias organized by English colonists during the 1600s. The actual moniker "National Guard" was initially utilized used by units of the New York State Militia. The use of the name was in reference to the Revolutionary War hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, during his visit to the United States in 1825. "After the American Revolution, the Marquis had returned to France where he commanded the Paris militia, the famous "Garde Nationale," during the French Revolution. By the 1880s, the new designation had been adopted by state militias throughout the United States." In 1877, for instance, the Iowa Militia was officially renamed the Iowa National Guard.

Whether as militiamen or as National Guardsmen, citizen soldiers have played a critical part in every single major military conflict in our America's history. Even so, the storied tradition of National Guard history generally has been passed by professional historians. There are only a handful of comprehensive general historiographies of the National Guard, the most recognized being "The Minute Man in Peace and War by Jim Dan Hill. For instance, there is no comprehensive, overall history of the Iowa National Guard, which has been one of the most involved Guards in wartime in American history. The lack of recognized historical work does not, however, diminish the large impact Guards have had on American wars.

After the comprehensive reorganization of the nation's military forces in the late 1940s, the Air National Guard and the Army National Guard became separate components within the National Guard Bureau." Even today, in the Iraq conflict for instance, the Air National Guard of Iowa and many other states has been integral in supporting the traditional military forces on the front.

The National Guard is simply the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions. The Guard celebrated its 368th birthday on December 13, 2004. The National Guard finds its storied roots back in the earliest English colonies in North America. As they were responsible for their own defense, the colonists borrowed from the English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias, later known as the Guard.

The colonial militias protected their fellow citizens from Indian attack, foreign invaders, and later helped to win the Revolutionary War. Following independence, the authors of the Constitution empowered Congress to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia." However, recognizing the militia's state role, the Founding Fathers reserved the appointment of officers and training of the militia to the states. Today's National Guard still remains a dual state-Federal force."

Throughout the 19th century the size and reach of the conventional armed forces in the United States was small, and the militia provided the majority of the troops during the Mexican War, the early months of the Civil War, and even as late as the Spanish-American War. In 1903, groundbreaking national defense legislation hiked up the role of the United States National Guard as a reserve force for the U.S. Army. In fact, all this legislation did was render legitimate the purpose of the Guard as it was used since 1776. In World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917, the National Guard made up an incredible 40% of the U.S. combat divisions in France; in World War II, National Guard units were among the first to deploy overseas and the first to fight.

In essence, the Guard has long been the backbone of the United States military, but only in 1903, finally, did it get at least Congressional recognition and appropriation for its roles in all major United States conflicts.

The purpose of the Ohio National Guard was particularly notable during the War of 1812. After receiving statehood in 1803, Ohio continued the law creating a body of "state troops" with each significant village or county providing its own local unit. "The military readiness of these local militia units varied greatly as did their uniform and armament. The monthly militia muster was supposed to train the members in close order drill and marksmanship, but in many cases was more of a social and political event. Moreover, each unit was responsible for electing its own officers with the victors often being the most popular or the one best able to furnish a ready supply of sour mash." Even with this obvious difficulties, the Guards continued to contribute greatly to military success.