The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed
Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring
institutions, celebrated its 368th birthday on December 13,
2004. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest
English colonies in North America. Responsible for their
own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition
and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.
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 of the Regular Army
was small, and the militia provided the bulk of the troops
during the Mexican War, the early months of the Civil War,
and the Spanish-American War. In 1903, important national
defense legislation increased the role of the National Guard
(as the militia was now called) as a Reserve force for the
U.S. Army. In World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917,
the National Guard made up 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.
Following World War II, National Guard aviation units, some
of them dating back to World War I, became the Air National
Guard, the nation's newest Reserve component. The Guard stood
on the frontiers of freedom during the Cold War, sending
soldiers and airmen to fight in Korea and to reinforce NATO
during the Berlin crisis of 1961-1962. During the Vietnam
war, almost 23,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called up
for a year of active duty; some 8,700 were deployed to Vietnam.
Over 75,000 Army and Air Guardsmen were called upon to help
bring a swift end to Desert Storm in 1991.
Since that time, the National Guard has seen the nature
of its Federal mission change, with more frequent call ups
in response to crises in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and the skies
over Iraq. Most recently, following the attacks of September
11, 2001, more than 50,000 Guardmembers were called up by
both their States and the Federal government to provide security
at home and combat terrorism abroad. Today, tens of thousands
of Guardmembers are serving in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan,
as the National Guard continues its historic dual mission,
providing to the states units trained and equipped to protect
life and property, while providing to the nation units trained,
equipped and ready to defend the United States and its interests,
all over the globe. |
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