An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Dec. 10, 2010

National Guard’s 374th birthday gets Capitol Hill celebration

By Army Sgt. Darron Salzer National Guard Bureau

WASHINGTON - The National Guard gets better and better every year, the director of the Air National Guard said at a Capitol Hill birthday celebration for the nation’s oldest military force here Thursday.

“Historians have traced the origins of the National Guard to the first muster of Dec. 13, 1636 in the colony of Massachusetts, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony summoned their militia, and organized them into three regiments in the North, South and East,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, director of the Air National Guard.

 “I’m sure those Guardsmen and Soldiers in Massachusetts back in 1636 could not have imagined the missions that the Guard does today

“They would probably also be amazed to find that we now number close to half a million Soldiers and Airmen in service to their country.”

Other honored guests that were in attendance to wish the Guard a happy birthday included Congressmen Steve Buyer of Indiana, Duncan Hunter from California, Gene Taylor from Mississippi and Christopher Bond of Missouri.

The National Guard Association of the United States hosted the event.

 

 

Related Articles
Arizona Army National Guard Sgt. Sean Smeltzer, assigned to Alpha Company, 49th Missile Defense, Ground Based Interceptor Security Company works on shift at Ft. Greely, Alaska August 13, 2025. Smeltzer is currently on a one-year rotation with the AZARNG, augmenting the missile defense site’s military police force. (Alaska National Guard photo by David Bedard)
Alaska Army Guard Forges Mission Success Through Resilience, Community
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Sept. 9, 2025
FORT GREELY, Alaska – In the heart of interior Alaska, where the wind howls across the tundra and winter locks the land in 40-below darkness, Soldiers of the Alaska Army National Guard’s 49th Missile Defense Battalion carry...

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Ruth, right, and Spc. Joshua Hodges, center, assigned to the Tennessee National Guard, provide equipment to Soldiers at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Sept. 4, 2025. About 2,300 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work and visit the District.
Tennessee Guard Sustains D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission
By Sgt. Kalina Hyche, | Sept. 9, 2025
WASHINGTON – Soldiers and Airmen from the Tennessee National Guard are delivering essential sustainment support to Task Force Volunteer during the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission in ensuring Guard members remain equipped,...

Sgt. Alex Beglau and Sgt. Geoffrey Machado, both assigned to 2nd Battalion, 162nd Infantry Regiment, engage targets while Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Graham, Staff Sgt. Michael Kissee and Staff Sgt. Tyrone Morris spot and score from behind at Boardman Training Area, Ore., Sept. 5, 2025. The range officers evaluated competitor performance during the inaugural Oregon State Sniper Qualifier.
Oregon Guard Members Train for Sniper Competition
By Maj. Wayne Clyne, | Sept. 8, 2025
RAYMOND REES NATIONAL GUARD TRAINING CENTER, Ore. – The crack of precision rifles echoed across the high desert as Oregon's best sniper teams gathered for an unprecedented competition designed to elevate the state's...