Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-25 | Page 32 | Guards to Observe their Anniversary

GUARDS TD OBSERVE THEIHJjSWIVEBSSSTj Utah Military Organization Twenty-three Years Old Tomorrow. RECORD IS FINE ONE 1 Colonel Lund, in Reminiscent Reminis-cent Mood, Tells of the Guard's Development. Tomorrow is the twenty-third anni- j versary of the organization of the Na- tional Guard of Utah, as the official military body of the state, and as no j arrangements have been mudo for any formal celebration of the event, it is j expected that members of the organization organi-zation will observe the occasion Mtly. In the past twenty-thrco years J guard has grown from a baby organiza- S tiou of two companies of infantry and one battery of a total strength of about 135 men to an organization of more than iSOO men at tlie present time consisting con-sisting of nine troops of cavalry, oua field battery, a signal corps, a field hospital hos-pital corps, making a complete organization organi-zation that is considered one of the best among national guard organizations organiza-tions of the country. Colonel H. M. H. Lund, who is the only officer in the guard at present who was an officer at the time the organization or-ganization was mustered iu, and who has seen twenty-three years of continuous contin-uous service as a guard officer, declares de-clares that the record made by the Utah guard in its life is a most enviable one, and one of which cot only the present and former members, but the etate may be proud. Lund Recalls Muster. In reminiscent mood last night the colonel recalled how the guard was mustered in by George M. Ottinger. March 26, 3S94, he being the adjutant general of the organization, and how the organization has developed iinca that time. When the guard was first mustered in there were three unita, companies A. and B of infantry and batterv A, all located in Salt Lake and consisting of about 135 men and officers. The two companies of infantry wer independent organizations that .existed before the legislature provided for a national guard, arid were mustered in as bodies. The battery was a new organization or-ganization that was formed and equipped later. The two infantry companies com-panies had their uniforms and guns when taken in. Company A was formerly theen-halter theen-halter Kiffes, a well-known citizen niNfc tary organization of the early days o the state. Company B was known then as the Norden military companvV and Colonel Lund was captain ot JjJ? V organization. It had been in existae, as explained by the colonel, fctwo f years before the guard was oiricially organized. "When his company was taken into the guard he was immedi-' ately elected captain and continued to serve in that capacity. He gradually advanced in rank to the rank of colonel. colo-nel. Had Gradual Growth. During the first year or two after the guard was organized it increased in units until there were two batteries, one in Salt Lake and another in Ogden, Og-den, a regiment of infantry,' three troops of cavalry and a medical corps. Elias A. Smith was the first major of cavalry and Colonel Page was the first colonel of the regiment. Dr. S. H. Pinkerton was the first surgeon general. gen-eral. The first legislative appropriation for the guard was $2000 for two years and as explained by Colonel Lund last night, this was used up within a few weeks after the guard was organized for in two weeks after the troops were mustered in the guard was called to Ogden Og-den as a "reception committee" to meet the Coxey army contingent which arrived from California. "We were on duty there five days, ,; said Colonel Lund, "and then when Carter's contingent of the army stole a Rio Grande train at Provo. we were sent there and were on duty a couple of days. This was the first actual service seen by the guard of Utah. "The appropriation for expenses of the organization was so limited that the boys had to 'chip in' for drill hall rent and for janitor service. Each drill night the boys were called upon to donate do-nate two-bits or some like amount to defray expenses of the guard. We all contributed most cheerfully. ; ' i Made Splendid Record. jS The next actual service seen by the fuard, Colonel Lund explained, was uring the coal strike in Carbon county in 1903 when the guard was on duty for three months. The next and most recent service of the guard was in border duty on the Mexican border, where the ltah boys made a record second to no other guard organization called out by tho president for military service. Pft nt.fl in W f Wpbh vchn is in enm. mand of the first battery, field artillery of the guard which but recently returned re-turned from the border, is the next oldest officer in the guard in point of 1 service, to Colonel Lund. Captain Webb : has been at the head of the battery or- fanization of the guard since his return rom the Philippines at the close of the Spanish-American -war. It was explained by Colonel Lund that the Spanish-American war somewhat some-what disintegrated the state organization organiza-tion in 1S98 because most of the boys enlisted in the federal volunteer troops, but when the war was over most of them returned to the guard.