BGuthrie Photos: DC -- NoMa -- National Guard Memorial Museum (1 Mass. Ave NW)

DC -- NoMa -- National Guard Memorial Museum (1 Mass. Ave NW):

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Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. NGMM_120829_032.JPG: American Civil War flags
2. NGMM_120829_035.JPG: American Revolution flags
3. NGMM_120829_050.JPG: The Vanvliet Collection of militia soldiers from early in each state's history. There are 53 characters, one for each state and province. Guam is not represented.
4. NGMM_120829_086.JPG: American Presidents Who Served as Citizen-Soldiers
5. NGMM_120829_091.JPG: George Washington, Virginia Thomas Jefferson, Virginia James Madison, Virginia
6. NGMM_120829_095.JPG: James Monroe, Virginia Andrew Jackson, Tennessee William Henry Harrison, Kentucky
7. NGMM_120829_099.JPG: John Tyler, Virginia James K. Polk, Tennessee Franklin Pierce, New Hampshire James Buchanan, Pennsylvania
8. NGMM_120829_105.JPG: Abraham Lincoln, Illinois Ulysses S. Grant, Illinois Rutherford Hayes, Ohio
9. NGMM_120829_109.JPG: James Garfield, Ohio Chester A. Arthur, New York Benjamin Harrison, Indiana
10. NGMM_120829_113.JPG: William McKinley, Ohio Theodore Roosevelt, New York Harry S. Truman, Missouri
11. NGMM_120829_117.JPG: George W. Bush The son of a president, George W. Bush joined the Texas National Guard at the height of the Vietnam War. He became an F102 fighter pilot and was discharged as a first lieutenant in 1973. Bush served as president from 2001-2009.
12. NGMM_120829_121.JPG: National Guardsmen are: Citizens most of the time, Soldiers some of the time, Patriots all of the time. -- Brigadier General James Drain, Washington National Guard, 1928
13. NGMM_120829_124.JPG: The American Citizen-Soldier: Throughout American history, from the first settlements in the New World to modern missions in the United States and throughout the world, the citizen-soldier has served our country with bravery and dedication to the American cause. The citizen-soldier serves the U.S. at home and abroad, in times of both war and peace. The citizen-soldier serves the U.S. at home and abroad, in times of both war and peace. The citizen-soldier begins in the community and returns to the community after providing vital military service to the United States.
14. NGMM_120829_142.JPG: 1607 Jamestown Settlement: The heritage of the militia in America began in the early colonies in the New World. English settlers brought their country's militia tradition with them beginning with their landing in Virginia in 1607 and the creation of the settlement at Jamestown. As the English settlers began to develop a permanent settlement, they encountered Native American tribes who had inhabited the area for centuries. In 1622, fearful that the settlers were encroaching on tribal hunting grounds with newly planted tobacco fields, Chief Opechancanough led the Pamunkey tribe in an attack that killed over 350 English settlers. The attack seriously curtailed the settlement's growth at Jamestown and led to a period of colonial Indian Wars in North American (1622-1676). The attack at the Jamestown Settlement alerted colonists to Indian threats to their survival and established a role for the militia in the New World.
15. NGMM_120829_146.JPG: 1636 The First Muster: As settlements spread along the eastern Atlantic coast and the threat of conflict with Indian tribes increased, colonies saw a need to organize militias in their communities. The first of regularly scheduled daylong training sessions, called musters, which combined military drill with community socializing, took place in Massachusetts in 1636. The early colonial militia provided a defense against Indian attacks in fledgling settlements. In 1637, the New England settlers went to war against the Pequot Indians of Connecticut. The Indian wars continued throughout the American frontier for the next 250 years. The Militia Era: The first document stating the requirements of militia service was written in 1638. All free, white males, 16-60, were required to report for drill. The first militia training manual, written in 1758, stated that "every man who wished to secure his own freedom should think it his truest honor to be a citizen-soldier." Each colony had its own militia system that was formed in "companies" within a township, county or city. Each company covered a particular geographic area and was based on the local population. Officers were elected from within the ranks.
16. NGMM_120829_154.JPG: 1675 King Phillip's [sic] War: Beginning as a series of Indian raids and colonial retaliations, King Philip's War, named for Wampanoag chief Metacomet, called "King Philip," escalated with the colonists' attack against the Narragansett tribe at the Great Swamp Fight in Rhode Island. Hundreds of Indians were killed in this battle, which nearly destroyed the Narragansett tribe. Fighting continued throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1676, a group of citizen-soldiers led by Benjamin Church killed King Philip, ending the War and establishing dominance of white settlers in the region. The cost of the colonists' victory was high; several towns were destroyed, many people starved, and one thousand English settlers were killed in addition to hundreds of Indians killed in the War.
17. NGMM_120829_158.JPG: 1745 Louisbourg: The biggest militia victory in the pre-revolutionary era was led by William Pepperrell, the commander of the New England land forces that assisted in the capture of the French-controlled fortress on Cape Breton Island with the aid of 4,000 militiamen. The strategic importance of capturing the fort was protecting its approaches to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the St. Lawrence River, a waterway connected to rich fur sources for traders in Canada. For his service at Louisbourg, Pepperell was made an English nobleman. [Note that exhibit keeps altering spellings of names. Does "Pepperell" have one "R" or two? Heck if I know!]
18. NGMM_120829_163.JPG: 1754-1762 French and Indian War: France lost most of its American colonial territory to the British in this first colonial war of conquest waged beyond the local borders of the militia system. Colonial regiments made up of American militia provided valuable skills in waging frontier warfare to the British army. George Washington gained valuable military campaign experiences that would be useful in the Revolutionary War.
19. NGMM_120829_167.JPG: 1775 Lexington Green and Concord Bridge, Massachusetts: Militia skirmishes at Lexington Green and Concord Bridge in 1775 fueled resistance to British control, mobilized colonial resistance to the British, and led to Revolutionary War in the colonies. Following the battle at Concord Bridge, 20,000 militiamen drove British troops back to Boston. The regular continental army was established in 1775. The primary role of the militia was to repel seaborne raiding parties, garrison forts, collect intelligence, battle British foragers, transport supplies and guard prisoners of war. The militia term of service was brief, generally three months, creating a constant need for new recruits. George Washington rose to the rank of General in the colonial army responsible for directing the colonial forces. Washington concluded that both a standing army and a militia were necessary for victory in the Revolutionary War.
20. NGMM_120829_170.JPG: British First Pattern Long Land Musket -- Sparking the Revolution. The "Brown Bess" as it was colloquially known, was the standard long-arm of the British Empire from 1700-1815.
21. NGMM_120829_178.JPG: 1775-1781 Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina Daniel Morgan rose from a humble background as a wagoner in the British reserve during the French and Indian War to leadership positions in the Continental army. He was captured by the British at the Battle of Quebec in 1775, but was exchanged in time to join in the defeat of British General Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777. Appointed a brigadier general, he commanded regular army and militia forces at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina. Morgan won the respect of forces under his command through example and leadership. In an open field with the French Broad River to his back, Morgan formed his 1,040 men, including 400 militiamen, into two lines. After standing firm for two volleys the militiamen re-formed behind the regular army line and attacked the enemy's right flank at a critical point in the battle. Morgan's forces defeated British Lt. Colonel "Bloody" Tarleton forcing British troops into retreat and eventual surrender.
22. NGMM_120829_190.JPG: Yorktown, Virginia: Continental Army and militia soldiers with French military assistance were victorious against the British at Yorktown, Virginia. General Washington's command was comprised of 5,700 Continentals (regular troops), 3,100 militiamen, 7,000 French troops, and naval forces.
23. NGMM_120829_197.JPG: 1820-1860: Celebrating the New Nation: After the formation of the new republic, militia gatherings and parades promoted patriotic spirit and celebration of the nation's new independence. Militia units served a social role focusing on military ceremony, music, and martial spirit. Bands and parades were popular public events. Hats and elaborate feather plumes topped off fancy militia uniforms.
24. NGMM_120829_207.JPG: 1861-1865: Civil War: After the defeat at the first battle of Bull Run, Virginia, Congress authorized a million-man Union volunteer militia. In response, the Confederate legislators authorized 400,000 volunteers. The Confederacy, under the leadership of President Jefferson Davis, enacted the first "national" draft law in 1862. President Abraham Lincoln was authorized by the Congress to draft militia forces for nine-month terms, instead of the previous three-month limit for militia service. The draft law was based on the legal obligation to serve in the militia with each state having a required quota for militia service. The draft was not popular in the North and the South; many people saw it as an abuse of national power. Nearly fifty percent of Northern draftees sought exemptions to avoid military service. Anti-war riots broke out in New York City in 1863. The new draft legislation shifted the emphasis from state control of the militia to more of a centralized, federally mandated war policy.
25. NGMM_120829_215.JPG: Battle of Shiloh, Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee: The battle of Shiloh was the first major Civil War battle with heavy casualties. More than 20,000 soldiers died during the two-day confrontation. Militia forces served with tenacity befitting veterans regulars. During the first day of battle Confederate forces were victorious. However, the next day Union troops led by General Ulysses S. Grant were victorious over Confederate soldiers despite heavy losses.
26. NGMM_120829_221.JPG: Battle of Little Round Top, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: This battle near Gettysburg was a major victory for the Union, which was able to keep General Robert E. Lee's army from advancing further north. Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a former Bowden College rhetoric professor, sent his 20th Maine militia regiment to hold a gap in the Union lines on the hill at Little Round Top. He ordered a bayonet charge against Confederate troops down the stony hill, which remained under Union control. Chamberlain became governor of Maine after the war and later won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service to the Union.
27. NGMM_120829_225.JPG: The Constitution: The foundation of the American system of government, the Constitution authorized the national government to "provide for the common defense" and to "insure domestic tranquility." Enacted in 1789, the militia clauses of the Constitution refer to states' authority to create militia. Congress was given power to "regulate" the militia. Uniform Militia Act: This Act, which was passed by Congress in 1792, required enrollment of all able-bodied white males, 18-45, and required militiamen to purchase their own arms. It was the key law governing the militia system for the next 111 years. The Whiskey Rebellion: In 1794, President George Washington authorized the governors of four states to call forth the militia to put down a public rebellion against a new tax on whiskey. Over 12,500 militiamen were called upon to quell the rebellion, representing the first time that the militia acted as a national force to "insure domestic tranquility." Professionalism of the Military: During the early years of the new republic, more emphasis was placed on military schooling and literature on the art of warfare. Professional regulars and volunteers replaced the common militia as the foundation for national defense. New technology emerged, including the use of percussion caps, which permitted faster firing of rifles. In 1802, the U.S. Military Academy was established at West Point, New York.
28. NGMM_120829_229.JPG: 1812 The War of 1812: In the early battles of the War, state governors would not commit militia units to the war effort and mobilization, limiting the effectiveness of U.S. forces. The militia was unable to stem the British advance in the eastern United States and the new capital, Washington, DC, was burned by British troops in 1812. An embarrassing defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg near Washington was offset by a successful defense at Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Battle of New Orleans: Andrew Jackson, who began his military career as a militia soldier and later earned the rank of general and was elected president, was victorious against the British in this campaign. As a result of the victory at the Battle of New Orleans, the British decided not to pursue more war in the new U.S., which preserved its independence.
29. NGMM_120829_232.JPG: 1846 The Mexican War: Fifty thousand volunteer militia were called up at the president's request, many recruited with land and monetary bounties. The militia received the same military pay as regular soldiers and received a "quarter of land" for twelve months of service. Militia and volunteers made up 70% of the total force during the first American war fought entirely on foreign soil. The victory of the U.S. forces was considered a great success. Militia General Zachary Taylor rose through the ranks and to the presidency.
30. NGMM_120829_236.JPG: The Emancipation Proclamation: Ending slavery and signed by President Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation allowed for large-scale recruitment of black soldiers (approximately 9% of all Union troops were black). In Kansas, the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers, composed of Missouri fugitive slaves and northern free blacks, was one of the first black units to form.
31. NGMM_120829_247.JPG: 1865-1899: Reconstruction in the South: Congress disbanded southern militia units and prohibited new ones from forming without approval. Southern militia units, however, quickly re-formed to enforce the "Black Codes" against former slaves. In general, the militia experienced a renaissance, as many Civil War veterans grew nostalgic for "camp life and camaraderie." Indian Wars and Treaties in the West: During the late nineteenth century, wars in the West continued between U.S. forces and citizens eager to expand into the unsettled territory and Indian tribes who inhabited much of the area. In 186, American forces led by General George Custer were massacred by Sioux Indians at the Battle of Little Big Horn. A Nebraska Guardsman rescued an Indian baby whose mother was killed in the battle. Despite this defeat, Federal troops appropriated much of territory originally occupied by American Indians. 1878 Posse Comitatus Law: This important law barred the use of federal troops to enforce local laws. The Militia Becomes the Guard: The name "National Guard" was first used by the New York Militia in 1823 in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, who had formed the "Garde National" during the French Revolution. By the 1870s, the term National Guard gained favor throughout the militia system and was once almost universally assumed nationwide. 1878 Establishment of the National Guard Association of the United States: Federal support was sought for improved training and better resources. Controlling Civil Disorder and Labor Strikes: In the industrializing North, militia units were called up as a police force for strike duty as a nationwide wave of strikes rocked the country's largest cities. In 1877, a railroad worker strike started in West Virginia and spread to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The governor called up 8,000 guardsmen, who put down the strike. Guardsmen were also called out during a strike at the Pullman Sleeping Car Company in Chicago.
32. NGMM_120829_252.JPG: The Spanish-American War: Following the sinking of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor, President McKinley was pressured to declare war on Spain, which controlled Cuba. National Guard units had to volunteer due to the decision that the president did not have the legal right to "federalize" the Guard. 165,000 Guardsmen served in the War, which was won by the U.S., paving the way for its growth into a world power.
33. NGMM_120829_264.JPG: War in the Philippines: After the victory in Cuba, the U.S. Navy took the Philippines from Spain with little resistance. The fight arose with the native Filipinos, who sought their independence. The National guard played a big role in holding the islands, especially units from the Western and Midwestern states. With most of the U.S. army in the Caribbean, three-quarters of the first U.S. troops to fight in Asia were from the National Guard. Filipino freedom fighter, the Insurrectos, waged a bold guerrilla-based war. The U.S. prevailed, but many tropical diseases, including malaria, killed thousands of soldiers. The victories against Spain established the United States as a world power and enhanced its standing and prestige around the world.
34. NGMM_120829_278.JPG: 1916 National Defense Act: This act increased the size of the Army and the Guard and approved drill pay for Guardsmen. The National Defense Act of 1916 was the first legislation authorizing reservists to serve under full federal control. It gave the Guard sufficient federal status to assure that it could be used when needed and recognized the Guard as the Army's primary reserve force. 1908 Militia Act; Creation of the Army Reserve: This place of legislation increased funding for the Guard to train with the active Army. It removed limits on the term of National Guard service and the geographic area of service. In 1912, the Attorney General of the U.S. ruled that the Guard could not be used for overseas service. The Army promoted the Continental Army plan to create an entirely federal reserve force; however, the plan was defeated in 1915.
35. NGMM_120829_281.JPG: 1903 The Dick Act: A major piece of militia reform legislation introduced by Ohio Representative Charles Dick, it replaced the Militia Act of 1792 and increased federal control of the National Guard. It gave the president the power to call up the Guard for longer than nine months in the case of national emergencies. The Act created an Organized Militia (the National Guard) and another group of men, 18-45, who could be called upon to serve, and emphasized training and increased federal subsidies of the Guard. Guardsmen were required to attend 24 drills per year and 5 days of annual training for which they were paid. The Act also stipulated that the organized militia would be called the "National Guard." With the beginning of the twentieth century, America was on the threshold of a new era marked by industrial growth and new technologies, including the automobile and the airplane. Political turmoil in Europe put pressure on the U.S. to join with its allies in a war that forever changed the world but failed to bring a lasting peace. A series of legislative developments and improvements in military training made the Guard an even more integral part of the armed forces at a critical time when the United States became a major player in the international arena.
36. NGMM_120829_286.JPG: 1916 Mexican Border Conflict: President Woodrow Wilson called up the entire National Guard to confront a build-up of Mexican troops at the U.S. border following an attack by Pancho Villa, a Mexican bandit/revolutionary. Though 112,000 Guardsmen were readied for battle, the U.S. and Mexican governments backed away from all-out combat. National Guard air units were called up during the Mexican Border conflict. Captain Raynall Bolling, after whom Bolling Air Force Base is named, was commander of the first Guard aviation unit, the 1st Aero Company from New York. The first Aero Company did not deploy to Mexico, but instead trained at Mineola, New York.
37. NGMM_120829_295.JPG: Early Aviators: In 1908, the Army accepted its first airplane from the Wright brothers. A group of aviation enthusiasts from the New York National Guard, 1st Company Signal Corps, organized an "aeronautical corps" at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. In 1910, the unit raised $500 to finance its first aircraft. Beckwith Havens was recognized as the first Guard aviator. In 1912 he flew with the Army in joint maneuvers. A formal program of American military aviation was virtually non-existent in 1917 when America entered World War I. Only 26 pilots and 250 obsolete aircraft were available in the army. The Guard provided the Army with a major pool of aviators. Approximately 100 Guardsmen, half of them from New York, qualified or were in training. The fledging service entered the War in the spring of 1918. The burden of combat fell on 1,500 pilots in 45 operational squadrons who destroyed 781 enemy aircraft and 73 balloons. The Guard contributed four aces to the war effort: Major Reed Chambers of Tennessee, Captain Field Kindley of Kansas, Major Reed Landis of Illinois, and Lt. Matins Stenseth of Minnesota.
38. NGMM_120829_302.JPG: The troop mobilization for the Mexican Border proved to be good training for the imminent entry of the U.S. into World War I. Warfare broke out in Europe in 1914 and intensified during the next three years. In April 1917, the U.S. entered the "war to end all wars," when President Woodrow Wilson joined the European allies and declared war on Germany. Recruitment posters promoted the mobilization of U.S. forces into the National Guard and other branches of the armed forces.
39. NGMM_120829_314.JPG: 1917: When the United States declared war in April 1917, 185,000 National Guardsmen were called to federal service. States received federal funding to actively recruit new troops and bring Guard units up to wartime strength. In all, nearly half a million National Guardsmen served in the Great War in eighteen Army divisions and throughout the fledgling Army Air Service. The Guard provided nearly 40 percent of the United States divisional strength on European battlefields. Initially, sixteen National Guard divisions were organized according to state and regional lines. Shortly after the U.S. entered the war, the 42nd "Rainbow" Division was created from units hailing from 26 states and the District of Columbia. The 27,000-man division was aptly named, as its members represented a cross-section of American communities that, as then Major Douglas MacArthur remarked, "... stretched over the country like a rainbow." Many governors and National Guard commanders sought a spot for their troops in this "all-American" division.
40. NGMM_120829_320.JPG: The 93rd Division (Provisional): Fighting for Democracy Abroad and Equality at Home: The 42nd "Rainbow" Division reflected America's regional diversity, however, segregation laws and racial prejudices prohibited African-American troops from fighting alongside white U.S. soldiers. Established in late 1917, the 93rd Division (Provisional) comprised four black infantry regiments, three of which were National Guard: the 369th (NY), 370th (IL) and 372nd (DC, OH, MD, MA, CT, and TN). Upon arrival in Europe, regiments of the 93rd Division were assigned to the French Army. Serving as desperately needed replacements for depleted and exhausted French infantry divisions, the soldiers of the 93rd amassed an impressive combat record never losing a trench or a foot of ground. African-Americans volunteered for National Guard service believing their contributions would lead to equality at home. More than fighting for the country they lived in, they fought for the "country they knew was possible."
41. NGMM_120829_332.JPG: The Lost Battalion: When a battalion of 550 men from the 77th Division became separated from Allied forces and surrounded by German troops, its commander, Major Whittlesey, dispatched carrier pigeons and several runners to reach headquarters with the unit's location; however, many were killed. The battalion was fired upon by German soldiers and by American troops unaware of its nationality. The Major sent his last carrier pigeon, "Cher Amie," to tell headquarters to stop firing at them. The bird reached headquarters with the important note attached to its injured leg. Planes from the 50th Aero Squadron were sent to drop food and medical supplies to the men. After repeated attempts, Lt. Harold Goettler and Guardsmen Lt. Erwin Bleckley of Kansas dropped food to the Americans, but the enemy shot down their plane. That night a relief party located the "Lost Battalion" and rescued the surviving men. Goettler and Bleckley were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for their heroism.
42. NGMM_120829_337.JPG: 1918 Allied Offensive in the Argonne Forest: Located in northeastern France, the Argonne Forest was a gloomy thicket of densely tangled trees and scruffy terrain, most of which was held by German forces. The 42-day Allied offensive began in late August and lasted through October. Heavy rains and mud made transporting both men and equipment extremely difficult. 500,000 American soldiers from 21 divisions took part in the campaign. Directed by U.S. General Pershing and French Marshal Foch, the Allied First Army's painstaking recapture of the Argonne Forest wore down the German defenses and moved the Allies closer to the Armistice.
43. NGMM_120829_362.JPG: 1920 National Defense Act: After World War I, Congress passed new legislation to establish a regular army backed by standing units of the National Guard and organized Reservists. The National Defense Act of 1920 gave the Guard a voice in the conduct of National Guard affairs in the War Department's General Staff for the first time in its history. National Guard Air Units: National Guard air units received federal recognition in the 1920's when Minnesota's 109th Observation Squadron became part of the 34th Division. In 1926, the Army Air Corps was formed out of the preexisting Army Air Service, part of the Army Air Corps. By 1930, 18 observation squadrons were approved within the Guard structure. During the interwar period, Guard pilots, including Captain Charles A. Lindbergh of Missouri's 110th Observation Squadron, concentrated on honing their flying skills and supporting ground forces training. Guard airmen also participated in state missions. Arkansas' 154th Observation Squadron flew over 20,000 miles carrying relief workers and supplies during a series of severe floods in 1927. During the 1930's, the Army Air Corps focused on fighter and bombardment roles while the National Guard performed aerial observation roles. Twenty-nine observation squadrons were formed by the beginning of World War II.
44. NGMM_120829_365.JPG: The Great Depression: The Guard's civilian relief role included working on several New Deal civilian work projects and maintaining order during several labor disputes, including the San Francisco longshoreman's strike on 1934, when the California Guard restored order after 25 police and bystanders were injured or killed during a period of rioting. In 1934, the Guard played a major role in the rescue of the SS Morro Castle off the coast of New Jersey. The Role of National Guard Armories: During the Depression, National Guard armories, located in cities and towns across America, played an important role in local communities. Armories hosted social gatherings, athletic events, parades and target shoots. Armories also provided jobs and work for real estate companies. During the Depression, government appropriations for armories, training camps and equipment increased substantially. Guard service and summer drills provided a modest income to many out-of-work Americans.
45. NGMM_120829_371.JPG: 1933 Amendment to the National Defense Act: This act defined the Guard's confusing state and federal roles. The law established the "National Guard of the United States" as a permanent reserve component of the Army. It also identified the "National Guard of the several States" as consisting of federally recognized National Guard units. The name of the Militia Bureau was changed to the National Guard Bureau. The Act also gave the President the authority to call-up the National Guard in a national emergency.
46. NGMM_120829_384.JPG: Preparation for War: In 1939, as newspaper and radio accounts verified the Nazi German invasions into the eastern European countries of Poland and Czechoslovakia, Americans realized that they could soon be at war again with Germany. President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress in January 1939 to approve a major expansion of the Army Air Corps. During the next two years nearly 5,000 National Guard aviation personnel, including 600 pilots, were mobilized. Many National Guard air squadrons lost their identity as separate units when their members were called upon as individuals to join the growing Army Air Force. Squadrons that maintained their unit identities included the 107th (Michigan), 109th (Minnesota), and the 153rd (Mississippi).
47. NGMM_120829_388.JPG: Brigadier General George C. Marshall: Colonel George Catlett Marshall purchased this uniform in November 1929 when he was the assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Marshall left the Infantry School in 1934 to become the Senior Instructor for the Illinois National Guard and served in that capacity for the next two years. During this time, Marshall devised new training techniques and raise the standard of National Guard training to a level that would become the backbone of Army doctrine in the years immediately preceding World War II. When President Roosevelt federalized the National Guard in 1940, the training curriculum that George Marshall created would ensure all Army units would be ready for overseas duty. After Illinois, Marshall was assigned as the Assistant Division Commander, 3rd Infantry Division where this uniform was finally configured as you see here. Only a few short years later, Marshall would be promoted to the rank of General of the Army and would serve as the Chief of Staff of the Army through World War II. Post World War II, Marshall also served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under the Truman and Eisenhower administrations and was the architect of the Marshall Plan that rebuilt Europe and Japan after World War II. The photo at right was taken in the Winter of 1937 and is one of very few known photos of Brigadier General Marshall wearing this uniform.
48. NGMM_120829_392.JPG: Marshall's jacket
49. NGMM_120829_397.JPG: President Roosevelt proclaimed a "limited national emergency" in September 1939, when he approved an increase of 35,000 men in the National Guard, which reached its authorized strength of 200,000. Between September 1940 and October 1941, over 300,000 Guardsmen in 18 divisions, 28 separate regiments, and 29 observation squadrons were inducted into federal service, doubling the size of the US Army. All eighteen National Guard divisions fought in World War II, half of them in Europe and half in the Pacific. Guard forces were among the first U.S. divisions to deploy overseas.
50. NGMM_120829_401.JPG: The Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, caught most Americans off-guard. The air attack on the U.S. Navy provided the basis for a declaration of war against the Empire of Japan and led to the United States' greater involvement in what became World War II.
51. NGMM_120829_407.JPG: War in the Pacific: When Congress declared war on Japan, National Guardsmen were already in combat overseas. In the Philippines, New Mexico's 200th Coast Artillery (AA) valiantly defended Clark Field against Japanese attacks on December 8, 1941. Two Guard tank battalions representing eight states fought on the Bataan Peninsula until U.S. forces surrendered in April [pasted on] 1942. The 32nd (Michigan and Wisconsin) and 41st (Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington) Divisions sailed for the Pacific and became the first Army infantry divisions to engage and defeat the Japanese. Both of these divisions served in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Luzon. They were joined by the 31st Division (Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi), the 38th Division (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia) and 43rd Division (Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island). During the first years of the war in the Pacific, the 164th Infantry (North Dakota) entered combat on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in October 1942. In was joined by the 132nd Infantry (Illinois) and the 182nd Infantry (Massachusetts). All three were organized into the core of the Americal Division, the Guard's 19th World War II division, and the only Army division in WWII to have a name instead of a number. National Guard troops were active in the Pacific until the end of the war.
52. NGMM_120829_416.JPG: 1942-1944 The Campaign in New Guinea: The early Pacific campaigns in the Philippines, the Bataan Peninsula and Guadalcanal were followed by the campaign in New Guinea, an island located south of Japan and to the north of Australia. By 1943 Allied forces were able to halt the Japanese attempt to take Port Moresby on the southeast edge of the island. Further action in 1944 helped pave the way for the combat operations in the Philippines and Okinawa. A National Guard hero was made in July 1943, when the infantry company of which Rodger Young was a member who ordered to make a limited withdrawal from the battle line to reposition the battalion's location. At the time the order was given, Private Young's platoon was fighting the enemy in a dense jungle. As Young called out that he could see the enemy position and advanced towards it, he was hit by Japanese submachine gun fire. As he unleashed one last grenade Young was struck down and killed. His heroic dead inspired a song in his memory: Ballad of Rodger Young Oh, they've got no time for glory in the infantry, They've got no use for praises loudly sun, but in every soldier's heart in all the infantry Shines the name of Rodger Young -- Rodger Young -- Fought and died for the men he marched among. To the everlasting glory of the infantry -- Lives the story of Private Rodger Young. -- Song written by Frank Loesser
53. NGMM_120829_424.JPG: 1942-1943 North African Campaign: Guard aviation units participated in combat operation in North Africa. Three of the first observation squadrons to depart the US for action overseas were there 111th (Texas), the 122nd (Louisiana) and the 154th (Arkansas). They sailed for the Mediterranean Sea as part of the 68th Observation Group and took part in the invasion in North Africa. The 34th Red Bull Division (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota) was the first Army division to arrive in Europe. It deployed to Northern Ireland early in 1942 to prepare for the participation in the Allied amphibious assault on North Africa. After finishing its training in North Africa, the 36th (Texas) Division entered combat in Sicily in September 1943. By the end of 1943, the 45th Division Thunderbirds (Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico) had also seen extensive action in the war.
54. NGMM_120829_693.JPG: Mitchel's Raiders
55. NGMM_120829_695.JPG: Captain Lewis L. Millett
56. NGMM_120829_713.JPG: Young's Scouts
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2012 photos: Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA), a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean, another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc). Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else.. Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
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