Soldiers mark 374th birthday of U.S. Army National Guard

Pvt. Matthew Todd and Sgt. 1st Class Gary Scheppers, of the 1035th Maintenance Support Company, cut a cake marking the 374th Birthday of the U.S. Army National Guard. Todd, who has been in the Guard for just 10 months, and Scheppers, a 34-year Army Veteran drafted in 1971, represented the newest and longest serving Soldiers of the 70th Troop Command, the largest brigade in the Missouri National Guard. (Photo by Bill Phelan)

By Bill Phelan
Ngmo.pao@US.ARMY.MIL

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Responsible for their own defense, English colonists in Salem, Mass., formed a citizen militia, which conducted its first drill on Dec. 13, 1636, founding what would later be known as the U.S. Army National Guard.

Thus, National Guard units throughout the state and nation are marking the organization's 374th anniversary in traditional military fashion.

"Today, the legacy of that moment 374 years ago lives on in the more than 360,000 men and women of the Army National Guard," said Maj. Dominic Sansone, a human resources officer with the 70th Troop Command, headquartered at historic Jefferson Barracks in south St. Louis County. "Citizen-Soldiers have demonstrated their value to the active component of the Army beyond their prowess in many operations."

At Dec. 4 ceremonies at Jefferson Barracks and many other Missouri locations, the longest serving Soldier in each unit cuts a cake with the newest Soldier of the unit, symbolizing the never-ending line of military service from one generation to another.

"By the time of the American Revolution, the Army National Guard had been in existence for 140 years," said Col. Wendul G. Hagler, Missouri National Guard chief of staff.

Speaking at Jefferson Barracks, Hagler demonstrated the history of the National Guard by forming a line of Troop Command Soldiers.

"If we divided our lineage into 20-year groups, which is about the length of a typical career, we would have 19 generations of Americans serving in the National Guard," Hagler said. "That's how close each of you is tied to the heritage of this organization and this nation."

Later, during a similar ceremony in St. Clair, Hagler spoke to Soldiers of the 1175th Military Police Company, stressing the importance of the National Guard since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"There are 53,778 National Guard Soldiers deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and other areas around the globe," Hagler said. "There are 6,134 on duty here in the United States performing security operations along our borders. We salute them and all of our brothers in arms."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com