History of the National Guard

From Early Beginnings to Modern Day

The National Guard celebrates a centuries-old history, but the branch as it is known in the modern era, arguably, started in the societal rubble of the Vietnam War.

In the wake of America’s first ever defeat, and the concurrent societal strife that nearly ripped the nation apart in the 1960s, one man felt that he had at least one of the answers. Famously Lyndon Johnson had decided NOT to mobilize the National Guard for service in Vietnam, making it a sought after haven for those who didn’t want to serve in Vietnam.

General Creighton Abrams, who had followed William Westmoreland as commander of US forces in Vietnam, believed that Johnson’s move was a fundamental mistake. He argued that the National Guard represented not only a trained military wartime reserve but also an indispensable link between the US military and national support.

The National Guard was the people – its members holding down jobs in communities far and wide, its armories serving as focal points for all manner of community events, and its members coming to their neighbor’s rescue in times of disaster. Abrams felt that this link between the military and the people had broken down in Vietnam – something that he was determined never to happen again. The US military restructured in the wake of Vietnam, the most famous facet of which was the switch to an all volunteer force.

But, almost lost in the weeds, was a seismic shift for the National Guard.

In 1973, when he was serving as Chief of Staff of the US Army, Abrams enacted the Total Force Policy, which placed much of the US military’s logistic function within the National Guard. This phrase might not sound revolutionary, but it was. With its logistics tied to the Guard, this meant that the US military effectively could not go to war without the Guard, as it had in Vietnam. And, as time went on, more and more battlefield combat functions were shifted to the Guard as well.

The revolutionary nature of these changes really were not felt until the wake of 9/11. US military engagements before 9/11 tended to be short and sharp – notably the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Without a long war to fight, the National Guard kept up its more traditional functions.

What was the perception of the Guard before the turn of our new century? Weekend warriors who were perhaps a little overweight and not up to regular military snuff. Folks in the community who worked for a second paycheck and for military educational benefits. The guys who hosted 4th of July cookouts and scout meetings, who marched in local parades. The guys who turned up in uniform after hurricanes or tornados carrying ice and chainsaws.

This, more traditional role of the Guard, was especially important in the rural south, where armories were centers of community activity and serving in the Guard was a key economic opportunity for poor whites and blacks alike.

Those in the know, though, already realized that real, pervasive change was afoot. Guard units were training harder and receiving the newest generations of military equipment. Professionalism and performance were being honed over years behind the scenes as the military readied to put Abram’s new policy to the test.

The true meaning of the Total Force Policy, struck like a thunderbolt as the US found itself locked into long wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

All over the country guard units were called up and sent to war – and a different war than that for which they had trained. Instead of armored units squaring off against enemy armies, the National Guard, like the Regular Army, found itself engaged in counterinsurgency efforts fought in lands where guardsmen knew little about the local cultures.

The Guard’s role in these conflicts was pivotal, but largely remains untold – in part because it is so hard to get at. The Guard is scattered across the country with its documents located in thousands of armories instead of one handy location like the Regular Army. But getting at this story is key, for it forms a real unnoticed revolution in how America functions and fights its wars.

The Guard is now a kinetic warfighting force – with multiple deployments wearing down units, altering recruitment, heightening military professionalism, and heavy increases in training. The US military has discovered that the Guard is actually more adept at counterinsurgency than the Regular Army. Being historically a local force that had to make due with less, Guardsmen tended to think outside of the normal military box and relate closely to the localities in which they served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead of going by the book, the Guard tended to see things as they were and react.

The increased use of the Guard on the battlefront also transformed its relationships to its home communities. Gone are the days of local armories being a center of community life. Gone are the days where the Guard functioned as a group of local friends serving together in a battalion. With rising pay the Guard became an ever more attractive option for economic advancement, making it a more diverse entity than ever before. The Guard now incorporates a higher percentage of black and female servicepeople than ever before, revolutionizing the social makeup of Guard units.

In these, and many other, ways the story of the National Guard in the 21st century is deep and meaningful. Integration of the Guard into the battlefront is perhaps the most important military story of recent years. And this military change led to transformations of communities across the country on a host of levels.