Photo Essay: Celebrating National Guard Training at Fort McCoy

Photo By Scott Sturkol | Designed Dec. 13, 2022, this graphic celebrates the birthday of the National Guard, and the thousands of National Guard troops who train at Fort McCoy regularly every year. According to the National Guard, on Dec. 13, 1636, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts. Based upon an order of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court, the colony's militia was organized into three permanent regiments to better defend the colony. Today, the descendants of these first regiments — the 181st Infantry, the 182nd Infantry, the 101st Field Artillery, and the 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard — share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military. Dec. 13, 1636, thus marks the beginning of the organized militia, and the birth of the National Guard's oldest organized units is symbolic of the founding of all the state, territory, and District of Columbia militias that collectively make up today's National Guard. (U.S. Army Graphic/Layout and Design by Scott T. Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)  

FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES

12.13.2022

Story by Scott Sturkol                                                                                                      

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office           

Designed Dec. 13, 2022, this graphic celebrates the birthday of the National Guard, and the thousands of National Guard troops who train at Fort McCoy regularly every year.

According to the National Guard, on Dec. 13, 1636, the first militia regiments in North America were organized in Massachusetts. Based upon an order of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's General Court, the colony's militia was organized into three permanent regiments to better defend the colony.

Today, the descendants of these first regiments — the 181st Infantry, the 182nd Infantry, the 101st Field Artillery, and the 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard — share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military.

Dec. 13, 1636, thus marks the beginning of the organized militia, and the birth of the National Guard's oldest organized units is symbolic of the founding of all the state, territory, and District of Columbia militias that collectively make up today's National Guard.

Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”

Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on the Defense Visual Information Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/fmpao, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base.

• Date Taken: 12.13.2022
• Date Posted: 12.21.2022 17:07
• Story ID: 435693
• Location: FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US