3.1
National Guard
All 50 states in the United States (U.S.), plus the District of Columbia and the U.S.
territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have their own National Guard.
The National Guard is the oldest defense force in the U.S., tracing its origins to 1636
when the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s General Court organized the colony’s militia into
three regiments to defend settlers. This marked the organization of the first militia
regiments in North America. The term “National Guard” was first used in 1824 by
New York State militia units to honor the French Marquis de Lafayette and his French
National Guard. The term was officially adopted in 1903.
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG) is one component of the U.S. Army, the total force
consisting of the Active, Guard, and Reserve components. The ARNG is composed of
civilians who serve their country on either a part‐time or full‐time basis. Each state and
territory has its own ARNG as provided by the U.S. Constitution.
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard (ANG) is one component of the U.S. Air Force, which is comprised
of the Active, Guard, and Reserve components. The ANG provides almost half of the
Air Force’s tactical airlift support, combat communications functions, aeromedical
evacuations, and aerial refueling. In addition, the Air National Guard has total
responsibility for air defense of the entire United States.
3.2
Arizona National Guard History
During the American Civil War, the U.S. War Department authorized Governor John
Noble Goodwin of Arizona to raise five companies of volunteers to establish the First
Arizona Volunteer Infantry Regiment in1864. By the fall of 1865, over 350 men, primarily
Hispanics from Sonora and Native Americans from the O’odham and Maricopa Tribes,
had been issued into service under the command of nine officers. Their duties included
guarding wagon trains between Prescott and La Paz, Arizona, mostly against hostile
Apache and Yavapai.
When the Spanish‐American War began in 1898, Arizona sent two groups of 250 men to
San Antonio, TX to assist in the effort. These recruits became part of the First Volunteer
Cavalry, which was led by Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt and were later known
as the “Rough Riders.”
After Pancho Villa’s forces killed 17 Americans in Columbus, New Mexico in 1916 during
the Mexican Revolution, General John Pershing led an expeditionary force into Mexico to
capture Villa and prevent further raids into the U.S., but was unsuccessful in capturing
Background Report
3-3