COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio National Guard celebrated its 218th birthday July 25.
The ONG traces its roots back to that date in 1788, when Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, signed into effect a "law for regulating and establishing the Militia in the Territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio."
Ohio's Citizen-Soldiers have participated in every major campaign since that time, and the organization has evolved from an all-male Army, armed with muskets and bayonets, powder horns and bullet pouches, to today's elite fighting force of men and women armed with M-16 rifles, M-1 Abrams tanks, and Global Positioning System guided munitions.
A Rich History of Volunteerism
Throughout the Ohio National Guard's history, its Citizen-Soldiers have readily responded to calls to duty from both the state and nation.
In 1812, as the second war with England began, more Ohioans offered their services than could be accepted. When war with Mexico was declared in 1846, 3,000 answered the call and within weeks were marching toward the rendezvous at Camp Washington, near Cincinnati. Again, more volunteered than were necessary and many were sent back.
During the Civil War, 319,000 Ohio Soldiers answered the call. More than 200,000 re-enlisted when their contracts expired and fought until the war ended.
In April 1898, when Congress declared War with Spain, more than 15,000 men organized at Camp Bushnell, near Columbus, and quickly mustered into federal service, and Ohio sent the first volunteer regiment into the field.
When the Ohio National Guard was mobilized for service along the Mexican Border in June 1916, more than 7,000 Soldiers mustered at Camp Willis, near Upper Arlington, and began to arrive in Texas by late August. A majority of Ohio's units had returned home when the entire National Guard was drafted into Federal service on Aug. 5, 1917, as the United States entered World War I, helping turn the tide for the Allies.
In 1940, when war talks again began to surface, the Guard began to prepare for the call to duty. That call came when Ohio's 37th Infantry Division was inducted into federal service on October 15. Under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler, the 37th Division served five years with hundreds of days in ferocious combat in the Pacific Theater. During that time, it earned the nickname "The Heavyweight" as the unit fought virtually without rest from June 1943 until August 1945. Beightler distinguished himself as the only National Guard division commander not to be relieved of command, entering service as its commander in 1940 and continuing to serve in that capacity until its inactivation in 1945.
Soon after, fighting in Korea began. Multiple Ohio National Guard support units entered federal service to back-fill deployed active-duty forces, and the 987th Armored Field Artillery Battalion deployed to Korea. The battalion quickly distinguished itself, receiving three Meritorious Unit Citations and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.
In 1990 Ohio again answered the nation's call, this time in the deserts of Southwest Asia. About 1,000 Soldiers from nine units were deployed. Four earned the Meritorious Unit Citation.
Just weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on our country, Ohio Soldiers were called upon to provide additional security in Ohio's airports. Many also deployed throughout the Midwest to provide force protection at key instillations and military bases.
In 2003, Ohio units were called to service for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They have served with honor from the initial ground attack to present day. About 6,000 Ohio National Guardmembers have deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism and about 1,200 are currently deployed.
Despite increased deployments, Ohio's Citizen-Soldiers continue to respond in record numbers. While many states are experiencing a recruiting slump, the Ohio National Guard currently boasts membership over 100 percent of authorized manpower in both its Air and Army components, said Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt, Ohio adjutant general.
"People are joining the Ohio National Guard today more than ever before, because they get to experience the full spectrum of operations. They get to do it all," he said. "I always ask troops ‘Would you deploy again?' And their answer is always, ‘When do you need me?' I think morale is higher than ever before. All the sudden they feel like they have real meaning and purpose."
Wayt said the National Guard Bureau currently ranks Ohio first nationwide in readiness. He attributed Ohio's success in large part to the dedication and professionalism of the organization's noncommissioned officers.
"The biggest cultural change since 9/11 I believe has been in the NCO corps," he said. The NCO corps is truly running the National Guard. They're training all our men and women and they get all the credit for our level of readiness.
Transformation
Following the Civil War, the Ohio Militia began restructuring and evolving into an organized and professional branch of Ohio's government. Legislation in the early 1870s began to provide more funding for the peacetime Guard, and companies of Soldiers organized in nearly every community throughout the state.
The Militia Act of 1903 effectively converted the Ohio Militia into the Ohio National Guard as we know it today. Sponsored by U.S. Sen. Charles Dick, who was also a major general in the Ohio National Guard, the act allowed Guard units to receive increased federal funding and equipment, and required the troops to conform to federal standards for training and organization.
Throughout the 20th century, from World War I through the Cold War, the Guard experienced multiple transformations as it responded to the needs of a country at war and at peace. In 1946, the Ohio National Guard was split into two separate organizations, the Army and Air National Guard.
Today, the Ohio National Guard is undergoing its largest transformation since that time. The Army is restructuring from a division-based force to a more modular brigade-based force. This new force structure will provide better equipped, more rapidly deployable and self-sustaining units.
"We've spent the past five years working on Ohio's force structure. This is the largest transformation since World War II and at the same time, we're fighting a war and providing homeland defense," Wayt said. "Never before has this been done all at once. And if not for the professionalism of our NCOs and officers, pulling together as a team, could it be done."
With the increase in deployments, Soldiers and Airmen themselves have experienced a transformation, gaining confidence and knowledge as well as increasing interservice relations.
"We've become a more joint force and a more professional force than before the deployments," Wayt said. "We've gained experience not only in our federal mission, but also in our state mission. No other component does full spectrum operations like we do."
As for the future, the deployment pace for Ohio National Guard units will likely soon decrease due to Department of Defense restrictions on National Guard troop deployments, Wayt said. Most Ohio units have already spent 14 to 16 months deployed.
"I wish I had a crystal ball," he said. "We're in a long war, but we don't have any Army elements in the queue for future deployments because we've all been deployed. (Department of Defense) rules state that our forces can only be deployed for an operation for a maximum of 24 months."
Ohio is the only large National Guard state complete with all 10 of the unit types considered essential to military operations: Joint Force Headquarters, civil support, transportation, communication, medical, logistics, engineering, maintenance, aviation and security forces, Wayt explained. Because of this, he said the Ohio Guard is uniquely qualified to meet the needs of the nation, state and community.
"With all of our assets, especially our exceptional Soldiers and Airmen, we can do all missions. Katrina showed us that," he said. "And now as always, when called, the Ohio National Guard has responded with ready units."