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1917 – The entire membership of the National Guard was drafted into federal service for World War I.
After war was declared in April, 1917, National Guard units were first called into federal service by President Wilson under the militia clause of the Constitution. Most of these units mobilized at their local armories or in state military camps, and they began actively recruiting up to full wartime strength while conducting local patrols to defend against suspected German saboteurs.
Guardsmen could not be deployed overseas as militia, however, since the Constitution stipulated that the militia could only be used to “execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection, and repel invasions.” To circumvent this restriction, the Army’s Judge Advocate General determined that it would be necessary to draft each Guardsman into federal service, thus severing his ties to the state militia and freeing him for service overseas.
Just over 379,000 Guardsmen were drafted on August 5, 1917, more then doubling the size of the U.S. Army with the stroke of a pen.
Despite the fact that the military would swell to over 4 million men during the war, the brunt of the fighting in the trenches in France would be borne by the Guard. All 18 Guard divisions served overseas as part of the 43 division American Expeditionary Forces; 12 of the 29 divisions that saw combat were from the Guard (the rest of the divisions were broken up and the men used as replacements).
https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2005/…/05/august-5/
After war was declared in April, 1917, National Guard units were first called into federal service by President Wilson under the militia clause of the Constitution. Most of these units mobilized at their local armories or in state military camps, and they began actively recruiting up to full wartime strength while conducting local patrols to defend against suspected German saboteurs.
Guardsmen could not be deployed overseas as militia, however, since the Constitution stipulated that the militia could only be used to “execute the laws of the Union, suppress insurrection, and repel invasions.” To circumvent this restriction, the Army’s Judge Advocate General determined that it would be necessary to draft each Guardsman into federal service, thus severing his ties to the state militia and freeing him for service overseas.
Just over 379,000 Guardsmen were drafted on August 5, 1917, more then doubling the size of the U.S. Army with the stroke of a pen.
Despite the fact that the military would swell to over 4 million men during the war, the brunt of the fighting in the trenches in France would be borne by the Guard. All 18 Guard divisions served overseas as part of the 43 division American Expeditionary Forces; 12 of the 29 divisions that saw combat were from the Guard (the rest of the divisions were broken up and the men used as replacements).
https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com/2005/…/05/august-5/
Army National Guard
WWI
Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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I'm pretty sure the guard was mobilized again in 1940 and all of the soldiers had to repeat basic training. Before WWII soldiers had to join a unit and then "drilled" to learn soldiering basics from the few veterans left from WWI. They did not go off to basic training like modern M-Day soldiers. It was part of the Presidents plan to get the nation ready to join the war in Europe against the Nazis, of course Japan took care of that problem for us on December 7.
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Not exactly, but close. And WWI was unique in that they took the step of drafting the membership of the Guard. That is no longer necessary because the Guard, since the Mobilization Act in 1933 created the dual status that Guard members have today, as either a member of their state militia (Title 32) or as a reserve of the Army (Title 10) and the ability to move units and individuals by legislation and/or orders.
Back then Regiments were responsible for the training of their troops--there were no Basic Training Centers as there are today, that serve all formations and then farm the trained troops back out. Instead the 179th Infantry Regiment (as an example) took in its own recruits and did Basic Training of them, in accordance with Army standards, but independently. That system lasted through the Korean War.
Back then Regiments were responsible for the training of their troops--there were no Basic Training Centers as there are today, that serve all formations and then farm the trained troops back out. Instead the 179th Infantry Regiment (as an example) took in its own recruits and did Basic Training of them, in accordance with Army standards, but independently. That system lasted through the Korean War.
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Good History lesson. Reminds me the same thing happen in WWII, Korea and our recents wars in Iraq and Afganistan. Active duty personnel my not like them and call them names like Nasty Girls. But there needed no matter what.
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Very interesting bit history. I hadn't realized that the Guard had been drafted!
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