The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...
. It traces its roots to 1747 when
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
established the
Associators
Associators were members of 17th- and 18th-century volunteer military associations in the British American thirteen colonies and British Colony of Canada. These were more commonly known as Maryland Protestant, Pennsylvania, and Ameri ...
in Philadelphia.
With more than 18,000 personnel, the Pennsylvania National Guard is the second-largest of all the state National Guards. It has the second-largest
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
and the fourth-largest
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
.
These forces are respective components of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
and
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
.
The Pennsylvania National Guard is a part of the
Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which is headed by Pennsylvania Adjutant General Major General Mark J. Schindler. It is headquartered at
Fort Indiantown Gap in
Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
Lebanon County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Lebanon Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,568. Its county seat is the city of Lebanon.
The county was formed from portions of Dauphin ...
and has facilities in over 80 locations across the state.
History
1700s
The Pennsylvania National Guard dates back to 1747 when Ben Franklin created the Associators in Philadelphia. Having overcome the long pacifist tradition of Pennsylvania's founding Quakers, Benjamin Franklin lead approximately 600 "gentlemen and merchants" of Philadelphia in signing the
Articles of Association
In corporate governance, a company's articles of association (AoA, called articles of incorporation in some jurisdictions) is a document which, along with the memorandum of association (in cases where it exists) form the company's constituti ...
to provide for a common defense against Indian raiders and French privateers. These "Associators" (today's
111th Infantry Regiment and 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion) are recognized as the foundation of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Within months, the Philadelphia Associators had brother units throughout the commonwealth. In 1755, the Pennsylvania Assembly passed the first Militia Act, formally authorizing a volunteer militia.
Shortly after the start of the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, the
First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry
The First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, also known as the First City Troop, is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. It is one of the oldest military units in the United States still in active service and is among the most decorat ...
escorted General
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
to New York to take command of the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
after it was created by an act of the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a late-18th-century meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolutionary War. The Congress was creating a new country it first named "United Colonies" and in 1 ...
on June 14, 1775. The Army's first units included a regiment of rifle companies from Pennsylvania. During the American Revolution, Pennsylvania supplied 6,000 troops—4,500 of them Associators—for military operations in New York. In all, tens of thousands of Pennsylvania soldiers were called to service over the next seven years.
After the American Revolution, the nation was put to the test when the militia in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was called upon to put down fellow citizens in the western part of the state during the
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion (also known as the Whiskey Insurrection) was a violent tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 and ending in 1794 during the presidency of George Washington. The so-called "whiskey tax" was the first tax impo ...
. More than 4,000 militiamen from Pennsylvania served.
1800s
During the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, Pennsylvania forces again volunteered to defend the nation and the Commonwealth. Altogether, more than 14,000 Pennsylvanians actively served. During the Battle of Lake Erie, an artillery company provided volunteers to serve as cannoneers on Commodore Perry's fleet. That unit is known today as Wilkes-Barre's 109th Field Artillery Regiment.
During the
Mexican War, Pennsylvania provided two regiments of volunteer militiamen from across the Commonwealth. Many of these companies that answered the call were already formed from existing regiments within Pennsylvania's militia structure.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, after President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
called for 75,000 volunteers to fight for the union, five units from the Lehigh Valley and Lewistown (Logan Guards) were quickly assembled and sent for protection. Lincoln called them “The First Defenders.” These units, from the Lehigh Valley, are the predecessors of today's 213th Regional Support Group (RSG) based out of Allentown. More than 200 Pennsylvania Regiments took part in the American Civil War in 24 major campaigns.
On April 7, 1870, the term “militia” was replaced with the “National Guard of Pennsylvania."
In 1877, thousands of Pennsylvania Guardsman were called up to restore order during the
Railroad Strike of 1877
The Great Railroad Strike of 1877, sometimes referred to as the Great Upheaval, began on July 14 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) cut wages for the third time in a year. This strike finally ended 52 da ...
. The rioting was worst in Pittsburgh. Five Guardsman and 20 civilians were killed in the violence.
In 1898, the entire Pennsylvania division was mobilized and mustered into federal service at Mount Gretna for the
Spanish-American War
Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...
. Pennsylvania Guard units saw action in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.
1900s
In 1916, mobilization of the Commonwealth citizens occurred at Mt. Gretna for service on the Mexican Border. As troops began to come home, their mobilizations continued into the Great War, known today as
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The Pennsylvania division, now known as the 28th Division, was called up in the wake of America's entry into World War I. The division took part in six major campaigns in France and Belgium resulting in more than 14,000 battle casualties. With its entry into the war, the American forces helped turn the tide to the Allied victory. The 28th Division's ferocity in combat earned it the title "Iron Division" from General John “Black Jack” Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Force.
In 1924, the 103rd Observation Squadron was organized at the Philadelphia Airport under the 28th Division. After World War II, the unit became the forerunner of today's Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
![American troops march down the Champs Elysees](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/American_troops_march_down_the_Champs_Elysees.jpg)
By 1939, the world was once again at war. Ten months before the
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
, the 28th Division was ordered into federal service. After America entered
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the division trained extensively, both in the homeland and abroad in England and Wales. Landing in France after D-Day, the division fought through Normandy, helped liberate Paris, and ended up bitterly engaged along the "West Wall" of Germany in November 1944. One month later, during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
, the division proved instrumental in stalling the last German offensive of the war. The German High Command nicknamed the division "Bloody Bucket" following the fierce battles of the Hurtgen Forest and the Bulge. The unit suffered more than 25,000 casualties of which 2,000 were killed in action. Elsewhere in the war, the division's 111th Regiment was detached to serve in the Pacific; Pennsylvania's 213th Regiment saw action in North Africa and Italy, while other units served across the globe.
In 1947, The Pennsylvania Air National Guard was formally established.
For its efforts during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the 28th Infantry Division was mobilized to reinforce NATO forces and was sent to Germany. Several other Pennsylvania National Guard units saw active service in Korea.
On September 11, 1950, in route to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, the 109th Field Artillery was involved in a train wreck in which another train on the same track ran into the rear of the troop train, killing 33 service members from two different batteries. More than 1,000 National Guardsmen from various sections of the state, who had not been summoned for federal service, acted as a guard of honor for the bodies.
Pennsylvania Air National Guard airlift units flew 134 supply missions to Vietnam during 1966–1967, becoming the first reserve air force to ever enter a combat zone without being mobilized.
In 1972, the worst natural disaster to-date struck the Commonwealth occurred,
Tropical Storm Agnes The name Agnes has been used for a total of sixteen tropical cyclones worldwide: one in the Atlantic Ocean, thirteen in the Western North Pacific Ocean, one in the South-West Indian Ocean, and one in the South Pacific Ocean.
In the Atlantic:
* Hur ...
. As a result of the extensive damage caused by storms and flooding, the Pennsylvania National Guard was engaged in relief operations. The storm hit June 21, 1972. Guard units began relief operations from June 22 through August 6, 1972. It affected 122 communities in 35 out of the 67 Pennsylvania counties, with the hardest hit area being the Wyoming Valley region (Wilkes-Barre in Luzerne County). More than 55,000 homes were completely destroyed, thousands of additional homes damaged, and 126 bridges destroyed. There were more than $35 million in crop damages, more than 200,000 telephones out of service, 49 deaths, and property damages well over $3 billion. For the National Guard, a major call up was ordered. There were 12,036 Army National Guard and 644 Air National Guard members, for a total of 12,680 Pennsylvania National Guard personnel on duty during the flood.
During the
invasion of Grenada the Pennsylvania Air Guard's 193d Special Operations Group (today's 193d Special Operations Wing) provided airborne broadcasting and surveillance during the U.S. invasion. Later missions in Panama, Haiti and elsewhere earned the 193rd the distinction of being the most-deployed unit in the entire Air Force.
After the
Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was an operation conducted by Iraq on 2 August 1990, whereby it invaded the neighboring State of Kuwait, consequently resulting in a seven-month-long Iraqi military occupation of the country. The invasion and Ira ...
in August 1990, eight Army and Air Guard units from Pennsylvania
[Historical Highlights of the Pennsylvania National Guard](_blank)
, accessed January 2014. were mobilized for duty during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Among ANG units involved were the
193rd Special Operations Wing
The 193rd Special Operations Wing is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, stationed at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania. The wing is gained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when in a "state" status, as wel ...
, flying C-130s modified to transmit radio and television signals, and the
171st Air Refueling Wing. Seemingly the four Army units were scheduled to all return home by May 1991. Every member returned home safely.
Following the end of the Cold War, National Guard
State Partnership Program
The State Partnership Program (SPP) is a joint program of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the individual states, territories, and District of Columbia. The program and the concept are entirely new, originating in 1993 as a si ...
s were established across Europe. The
Pennsylvania–Lithuania National Guard Partnership was initiated in 1993 as part of a U.S. initiative to promote the growth of democratic institutions among the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.
2000s
Approximately 1,100 28th Infantry Division Soldiers became the command element of NATO peacekeeping operations in Bosnia from 2002 to 2003.
28th Infantry Division units become the first Guard command element for peacekeeping operations in eastern Kosovo from 2003 to 2004. The 213th Area Support Group, Co. G, 104th Aviation and several smaller support units deployed in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
Approximately 2,000 Pennsylvania Soldiers and Airmen were deployed in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom to search for weapons of mass destruction, provide convoy security, rebuild infrastructure, and protect senior officials.
Approximately 750 Soldiers assigned to Task Force Dragoon helped to protect 29 polling locations during Iraq's first free election in 2005. Task Force Dragoon units returned home in November. An additional 2,100 Soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division's 2d Brigade Combat Team, augmented by 2,000 Soldiers from 30 other states, touched down in Iraq in June. Known as the "Iron Brigade," Soldiers conducted convoy escorts and patrols, and provided training for Iraqi civil defense forces.
On September 1, 2005, Governor Edward G. Rendell mobilized 2,500 Pennsylvania Army and Air National Guard members to support hurricane disaster relief efforts along the Gulf Coast. Pennsylvania National Guard personnel arrived over the weekend of September 3–5. The relief mission lasted approximately 30 days.
2007 was a major year for the Pennsylvania National Guard. About 380 Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armored Regiment deployed to Afghanistan. At the same time, approximately 400 Soldiers of the 104th Cavalry departed for a deployment to the Sinai Peninsula. Members of these troops stood watch along the border between Egypt and Israel to ensure that the 1978 Camp David Accords peace agreement was upheld. Units from the 213th Air Defense Artillery Battalion, 131st Transportation Company, 104th Aviation, 228th Brigade Support Battalion, 107th Field Artillery, and 28th Division Support Command returned from their overseas deployments. Both Army and Air National Guard members deployed to the Mexican Border. Members of the 201st Red Horse Squadron helped construct new roads and border wall sections.
![Black Hawk flares](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Black_Hawk_flares.jpg)
In 2010 the governor of Pennsylvania mobilized members of the 193rd Special Operations Wing to take part in a humanitarian assistance mission in Haiti, which was impacted by a major earthquake.
Several hundred Soldiers from the 3rd Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment deployed to Poland in 2019 for a NATO mission.
In September 2020, about 1,000 Soldiers from the
28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade deployed to the Middle East, where they provided aviation assets at several locations for
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Ta ...
. Prior to deploying, the brigade completed pre-deployment training at
Fort Hood
Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...
, Texas.
In January 2021, following the
2021 storming of the United States Capitol, over 2,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members were activated and deployed to Washington, D.C., to provide support to the District of Columbia National Guard and federal law-enforcement agencies. About 450 additional Pa. Guard members were activated to help provide security at the Pennsylvania capital in Harrisburg and other locations in the state. After those missions concluded, about 450 other Pa. Guard members were activated and deployed to Washington, D.C., in February 2021 to support federal law-enforcement agencies for several weeks.
Major Units
Army
28th Infantry Division (Harrisburg)
*
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Washington, Pa.)
*
28th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade (Fort Indiantown Gap)
*
55th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade (Scranton)
*
56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team
The 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 28th Infantry Division, also known as the ''Independence Brigade'', is a brigade combat team of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard and has its headquarters located at Horsham Air Guard Station in ...
(Willow Grove)
213th Regional Support Group (Allentown)
Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (Fort Indiantown Gap)
166th Regiment Regional Training Institute (Fort Indiantown Gap)
Air
111th Attack Wing (Willow Grove)
171st Air Refueling Wing (Pittsburgh)
193rd Special Operations Wing
The 193rd Special Operations Wing is a unit of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, stationed at Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Middletown, Pennsylvania. The wing is gained by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania when in a "state" status, as wel ...
(Middletown)
Leadership
The command element of the Pennsylvania National Guard is the ''Joint Staff''.
Commander-in-Chief:
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Tom Wolf
Thomas Westerman Wolf (born November 17, 1948) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Republican incumbent Tom Corbett in the 2014 guber ...
Adjutant General: Army Major General Mark J. Schindler
Deputy Adjutant General - Army: Army Brigadier General Laura A. McHugh
Deputy Adjutant General - Air: Air Force Brigadier General Michael J. Regan Jr.
Director of the Joint Staff: Air Force Brigadier General Terrence Koudelka
Senior Enlisted Leader: Army Command Sergeant Major Jon B. Worley
State Partnership Program
As part of the National Guard's
State Partnership Program
The State Partnership Program (SPP) is a joint program of the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the individual states, territories, and District of Columbia. The program and the concept are entirely new, originating in 1993 as a si ...
, the Pennsylvania National Guard has had a partnership with
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
since 1993. Since the beginning of the partnership the two sides have had over 700 total engagements, including military exercises, senior leader exchanges, strategic planning, professional development and defense support to civil authorities training.
Gallery
File:MediaPa.6thRegimentArmoryCo.Hc.1909pc.jpg, Media Armory
File:Groff Armory WC PA.JPG, Groff Armory in West Chester
File:Armory, Nanticoke, Pa (79610).jpg, Armory in Nanticoke
File:Harrisburg Military Post Dauphin Co PA.JPG, Harrisburg Military Post
File:Fort Indiantown Gap front gate.jpg, Fort Indiantown Gap
File:200629-Z-WW085-997.jpg, Muir Army Airfield
See also
*
Associators
Associators were members of 17th- and 18th-century volunteer military associations in the British American thirteen colonies and British Colony of Canada. These were more commonly known as Maryland Protestant, Pennsylvania, and Ameri ...
*
Pennsylvania National Guard awards and decorations
*
List of Pennsylvania state agencies
State related agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Agencies
*Pennsylvania Attorney General
*Pennsylvania Auditor General
* Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole
* Pennsylvania Department of Aging
*Pennsylvania Department of Agricult ...
*
Media Armory
The Media Armory, is a historic National Guard Armory located in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania built in 1908 for ''Company H of the 6th Infantry Regiment'' of the Pennsylvania National Guard.
History
The original building was designed b ...
*
Pennsylvania State Guard
The Pennsylvania State Guard (originally known as the Pennsylvania Reserve Defense Corps) is the currently inactive official state defense force of the state of Pennsylvania, which was active during World War II and the Korean War. The unit was org ...
References
External links
*
PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs official websitePennsylvania National Guard AssociationsPennsylvania National Guard Quarterly Magazine - Guardians
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