The National Guard is no stranger to state-versus-federal conflicts. Just last year, an alteration of the Insurrection Act had governors defending their position as state commanders in chief.
As contentious as this was-and is-it's nothing new. Some of these run-ins have been the hallmark of greater cultural and historical evolution throughout the country.
One of the most prominent of these occurred in Arkansas 50 years ago, illustrating a governor's power-and a governor's limits-when it comes to activating and utilizing the Guard.
It began with the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which legally ended school segregation. Some states wouldn't comply.
In Arkansas, as the first nine black students were to enter Little Rock Central High School in September 1957, Gov. Orval Faubus ignored the court's decision and sent the Arkansas Guard to Central High to keep them out Sept. 2.
After a meeting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower a little more than a week later, Mr. Faubus appeared to comply with the courts and agreed to have the Guard protect the students.
However, it took a federal injunction Sept. 20 to order the Guard to comply.
Undeterred, Mr. Faubus still wouldn't cooperate and simply sent the troops home, leaving the students subject to the wrath of white protesters, who vandalized the school and even assaulted several reporters covering the event.
In response, Mr. Elsenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock and put the Arkansas Guard under federal control, making them protectors of the nine students. The 101st left Nov. 18, but the Guard stayed throughout the year.
Fortunately, such rifts between Washington and states are rare. Instead, a Guard force typically handles its federal role and state responsibilities in a seamless manner. Arkansas has done so for more than 200 years.
The Arkansas Guard slowly evolved into a fighting force in the early 19th century.
In 1804, laws created to govern the District of Louisiana, including what is now Arkansas, established a militia requirement.
Arkansas' evolution into a U.S. territory in 1819 reinforced the militia requirement. The law also stipulated that Arkansas' territorial governor would command the militia and appoint its officers.
But territorial governors ran into several problems maintaining a strong force. The scattered nature of the Arkansas population and the lack of good roads-as well as the pioneer nature of most territorial settlers-left many wary of any organization with a "ruling class" of governor-appointed officers.
Despite its fractured beginnings, the Arkansas Territorial Militia responded in 1828 when Gov. George Izard dispatched his adjutant general to look into reported clashes between local setders and die Delaware and Shawnee Indians.
When discussions with the Indians went nowhere, Adjutant Gen. William Rector called out members of the Miller County Militia, but the issue eventually was resolved without bloodshed.
The following decade, as Arkansas became a state in 1836, the U.S. Army had moved forces from the Indian lands west of the Arkansas Territory to fight the Seminole Indians in Florida.
Nine companies of Arkansas militiamen formed the 1st Regiment of Arkansas Mounted Gunmen and mustered into federal service that same year on Aug. 9. The regiment spent the next six months patrolling the U.S.-Republic of Texas border.
It wasn't until 1846, however, that Arkansas militia units faced combat for the first time in die Mexican-American War.
During the conflict, die Arkansas Regiment of Mounted Volunteers lost 20 members, including Col. Archibald Yell, the regiment's commander, in die Batde of Buena Vista, Feb. 22 and 23,1847. The batde ended when the Mexican army retreated die night of Feb. 23.
Then, during die Spanish-American War in 1898, Arkansas furnished die 1st and 2nd Regiments. Bodi were stationed at Chicamauga Park, Ga., but neither saw combat.
As the country moved into die 20th century, so did the Arkansas Guard, as it deployed to Deming, N.M., to repel possible incursions by Mexican bandit Pancho Villa. As with many other Guard forces deployed to the region, the experience proved a training opportunity for upcoming deployments in World War I.
When the United States entered the war, the 1st and 2nd Arkansas had been home from New Mexico less than two months.
Both regiments wound up at Camp Beauregard, La. The 1st Arkansas was redesignated the 153rd Infantry Regiment, and the 2nd became the 142nd Field Artillery Regiment. Both deployed to France as pan of the 39th Division, but neither saw combat.
When World War II hit home, however, it was the beginning of heavy participation for a variety of Arkansas forces.
The 153rd wound up stationed at several locations in Alaska.
On the other hand, the 142nd Field Artillery reorganized, and its units fought in France, Germany and Italy.
As a result of two unit additions in the 1920s, the 154th Fighter Squadron and the 206th Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) also participated in the conflict.
The 154th flew combat missions from North Africa and Italy in a variety of aircraft, including the P-38 and P-51.
One of the most decisive moments for the 206th was its assignment to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, in June 1942.
In an account from the National Guard Bureau, the 206th was "armed with obsolescent [three-inch] anti-aircraft guns and water-cooled 0.50 caliber machine guns to defend the skies over the Aleutian Islands."
It began June 3, 1942.
"A Japanese task force made up of two light aircraft carriers and supporting ships moved into position 165 miles from Dutch Harbor. Fog shrouded their advance as they eluded the United States Navy forces that were searching for them. Half of the first attack group turned back because of the bad weather, but a dozen planes flew on to Dutch Harbor," according to NGB. "The 206th still managed to provide a thick screen of anti-aircraft fire. The gunners downed one Japanese Zero, but even more [important], they denigrated the effect of the Japanese bombers' aim."
Even though the 206th stopped the Japanese, 25 died at Dutch Harbor in the 20-minute attack. The Japanese attacked again on June 4, but the 206th fought them off once more.
After the war, Arkansas jumped back in the fight as a number of Guard units headed for Southeast Asia and the Korean War.
Most notable were the 154th Fighter Squadron and the 936th and 937th Field Artillery Battalions. The 154th turned in its World War II-era P-51 and convened to the F-84 jet fighter.
The squadron flew missions from Japan and later South Korea. The two artillery battalions, which had fought in World War II after the reorganization of the old 142nd, provided fire support to U.S. and United Nations forces.
Stateside conflicts and social prejudice then became the battleground when the Guard saw its action at Central High School in 1957.
When federalized, the Arkansas Guard's operations order for their duty at Central High was clear: "Our mission is to enforce the orders of the federal courts with respect to the attendance at the public schools of Little Rock of all those who are properly enrolled, and to maintain law and order while doing so. .. .Our individual feelings towards those court orders should have no influence on our execution of the mission."
Arkansas Guardsmen kept their heads, understood their mission and maintained the peace during one of the most turbulent events in the state's history.
With the Vietnam War a rather quiet period for the Arkansas Guard, the most pressing issues to emerge in recent years began when the Middle East became a U.S. military focal point beginning in the early 1990s.
The Arkansas Army Guard had 13 units called into federal service during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and the Arkansas Air Guard had members of 10 units called up.
In the end, more than 3,400 Arkansas Guardsmen were called.
Nine Arkansas Army Guard units eventually served in combat, including the 142nd Field Artillery Brigade.
That conflict was only the beginning of a history of heavy participation in the unfolding events at the turn of the century.
More than 8,000 Arkansas Guardsmen have served in 20 foreign nations since 9/11.
By far, Arkansas' 39th Infantry Brigade was the largest to serve, spending a year in Iraq as part of the 1st Cavalry Division. As a result, 15 members of the 39th made the ultimate sacrifice, serving in the Baghdad Green Zone and in highly volatile Taji, Iraq.
And it's not over yet. The Army confirmed April 9 that the Defense Department plans to alert four Army Guard brigade combat teams for new Iraq rotations, including Arkansas' 39th once again. The first of them would deploy in December 2007 and the remaining in 2008-again illustrating the Arkansas Guard's contribution to stability at home and abroad that's lasted for 200 years.
Christopher Prawdzk contributed to this report.
© 2007 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Source: National Guard
