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Show Citizen Soldiers R esume Role As Guardian of Nation's Peace National Guard Is Major Force In Security Team WNV Features. WASHINGTON. As the second summer of peace settles set-tles on the United States, an army of more than 75,000 men has been moving into camps for training which will qualify them as guardians of that peace in the years to come. They are men of the new postwar post-war National Guard. For the first time since 1940. when the initial National Guard troops were called into federal service serv-ice during World War II to protect the security of the country and the integrity of the American way of life, National Guard units are undergoing un-dergoing regular field training this summer. Encampments opened in the latter part of July and will continue con-tinue until early September. Individual and specialist training. Including small arms familiarization familiariza-tion firing, is being emphasized during dur-ing the field training this summer for the 50,000 men attending the regular 15-day encampments and the 25,000 men taking the shorter, school-type training. This is the first phase of the training program the army ground forces has patterned to the growth of the new National Guard, which Is planned as an M-Day (Mobilization Day) force of 683,000 men, trained, equipped and immediately available avail-able for service in the event of any aggression by an enemy nation. Maj. Gen. Butler B. Miltonberger of North Platte, Nebr., retiring chief of the National Guard bureau, can look back to a growth that doubled the progress of reorganization reorganiza-tion following World War I. Completely Com-pletely demobilized upon separation from federal service at the end of World War II, the new National Guard has grown to a strength of more than 100.000 in the first year , ! I : This m the type of training " "J0W" ' j I National Guard companies Hill receive. Top, artillery . ; units in training; loiver, en- : gineering companies in ac- : tion. i y ..,...,-w,..-.:.r,,.-,.-.,:,-.-,....v.-.-., - - ' v " V V V- , J 'It 'V m i it - it.Z - - ' - , - t . 1 , .- 1 - y w ... ' j 4. , S.". VAJVVV f I v - 8 - 1 ! f ' J ' - 3 J iiJ v' , " I e Mv- 1 of 200,000 men In service type units. The pattern for the military establishment of the United States was set back in colonial days when the early settlers organized or-ganized themselves into companies compa-nies to protect themselves and their property. The 182d infantry infan-try of the Massachusetts National Na-tional Guard, oldest regiment in the continental United States, traces its history back to the "North Regiment? which was organized in 1636 from companies compa-nies or "trainbands," then in existence. Reliance upon themselves as citizen citi-zen soldiers rather than upon a large professional army has been a tradition with Americans since that time. Washington's View. George Washington, who led an army of citizen soldiers to victory in the Revolutionary War, expressed ex-pressed it this way when asked by the first congress of the United States to give his views on what the military policy of the new nation should be: "Every citizen who enjoys the protection of a free government owes not only a proportion of his property but even of his personal services to the defense of it." At the conclusion of World War n George Marshall expressed it this way: "Obviously, we cannot all put on uniforms and stand ready to repel invasion. . . . But all American! can, in the next generations, pre. pare themselves to serve their country in maintaining the peace or against the tragic hour when peace is broken, if such a misfortune again overtakes us." This is the tradition and the heritage herit-age of the new National Guard, which will take its place as an integral in-tegral part of the nation's securit team. vi 113 reurgdiuzduuu. r eaerai recognition rec-ognition has been granted more than 45 per cent of the ground and air units planned for the ultimate M-Day force, and their personnel is drawing federal pay for regular, weekly training. ' Triple Strength. To Maj. Gen. Kenneth F. Cramer of Wethersfleld, Conn., falls the task of supervising the continued growth of the National Guard to a strength almost three times that authorized before World War II. Assistant Commander of the 24th infantry in-fantry division in the Pacific during World War II, General Cramer has been appointed new chief of the National Na-tional Guard bureau by President Truman for a term of four years. A veteran of both world wars who has won the Silver Star with three Oak Leaf Clusters and an officer in the Connecticut National Guard since 1931, General Cramer typifies the leadership in the new National Guard. The same high standards required of the enlisted men and officers in the peacetime regular army are met by the enlisted men and officers of the National Guard. In addition, all officers above the grade of second lieutenant must have had federal service during World War II. This requirement is designed to insure the professional fitness of the men who will have increased in-creased responsibilities in commanding com-manding a tactical force, in contrast con-trast to the prewar guard, which was a reserve force requiring additional addi-tional personnel and training before It was ready for service. The prewar National Gnard sent 18 infantry divisions into action In every theater of operation. oper-ation. At Bataan, Bougainville, Morotal and Leyte; in Tunisia, Salerno, Anzio and Normandy some 300,000 men of the National Na-tional Guard served with the distinction that has characterized charac-terized their service in every conflict into which the United States has been forced. In line with its increased responsibilities, respon-sibilities, the postwar National Guard will have 25 infantry divisions, divi-sions, two armored divisions and 21 regimental combat teams. There also will be 123 anti-aircraft artillery artil-lery battalions, 45 field artillery battalions, bat-talions, 68 coast artillery batteries, 20 tank battalions and 15 mechanized mechan-ized cavalry reconnaissance squadrons squad-rons together with the necessary supporting troops in the ground forces. Expand Air Arm. The greatly expanded air arm of the National Guard will consist of 84 tactical squadrons plus a radar and communications net of 12 aircraft air-craft control and warning groups. This contrasts with the 25 observation observa-tion squadrons which were active before World War II. No field training Is planned for air units before the summer of 1948, but already 50 fighter squadrons, squad-rons, flying P-51 Mustangs and P-47 Thunderbolts, and 10 light bombardment bom-bardment squadrons, flying A-26 Invaders, In-vaders, have been granted federal recognition and are making regular training flights. Jet-propelled P-80 Shooting Stars also will be flying National Guard insignia in 1948. This modern air arm will be integrated in-tegrated into the nation's air defense de-fense along with other regular and civilian components of Army Air Forces under the commanding general gen-eral of the air defense command and will be ready to stave off any Initial thrust of an enemy approaching approach-ing by air. Planning for this modern tactical force, equipped with the same weapons as the regular army, began be-gan before World War II's end when the nation's military leaders laid the groundwork for a balanced military force consisting of a comparatively com-paratively small regular army of 875,000, a National Guard strength of 682,000 and an organized reserve t. : . - - - Men of iht National Guard atr arm will fly p : - ! y:: -v. --. - . . - : : -v: :. J planet like these. Top, the A-26 Invader g "I -:-:.'.; v-. : - used by light bombardment squadrons', i? 1 x A d lower, a Pl Mustang used by lighter ' ' ' : squadrons. r "7. : y. : ; ' - -' - ; - . .:-' - 'r ? ' - -C'" ... -l '.-.I. . - "T-'.v.. -.5 -. A " -, v? . V-j f . , . ... .i |
