The Militia Act of 1903 transformed the once-fractured state militias into modern National Guard.

Among the act's many requirements, state troops had to conform to federal training and organization standards. But in return, they received a desperately needed infusion of federal funding for equipment.

The face of the Militia Act was Charles WF. Dick, born Nov. 3, 1858, in Akron, Ohio. He authored the legislation, which today is simply known as the Dick Act.

As a law student, he volunteered in Ohio's B Company, Eighth Regiment. In just one year, he became B Company commander. Over the next 14 years he rose to the rank of colonel and served in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

With an eye on law and politics, he won a seat in U.S. House of Representatives in 1898. But he remained loyal to the Guard, the 1903 Militia Act making him an icon in Guard history.

Dick also continued his Guard service, becoming a major general in 1900 and commander of the Guard's Ohio Division. In 1902 he began a seven-year run as NGAUS president. Two years later he was elected to the Senate.

But Dick was hardly the only Buckeye Guardsman to become a major player on national stage. Ohio claims seven presidents-more than 15 percent of the 43 to date. Three of them served in the Ohio Guard.

Other members of the force have also had central roles in some of the most memorable moments in U.S. history.

The Ohio Guard began in 1788 when Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, signed into effect a "law for regulating and establishing the militia in the Territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio."

Comprised of many Revolutionary War veterans, the first Ohio militia was the foundation of a force solidified when the Militia Act of 1792 required all able-bodied men aged 18 to 45 to serve in the militia-with their own weapons and equipment.

In Ohio, still a territory at the time, this was vital. Indian tribes-with significant British influence-raided a variety of settlements. But a decisive militia military victory near Toledo and subsequent Treaty of Greenville (Ohio) eliminated the threat in 1795.

The 19th century saw Ohio emerge as the incubator of U.S. presidents. In 1822, Rutherford B. Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio. A law student, Hayes received his degree from Harvard in 1845.

Hayes didn't serve when the United States declared war with Mexico, in which about 3,000 Ohio troops answered the call. But he did volunteer for the Civil War, becoming a major in Ohiois 23rd Volunteer Infantry.

Hayes eventually became a major general and was in the Army when elected to Congress in 1865. After one term, he returned home and was a three-term Ohio governor until his election as president in 1876.

At the end of Hayes' term, the nation sent Ohioan James Garfield to the White House in 1881.

Garfield also served Ohio in the Civil War, winning a victory over Confederate troops in Middle Creek, Ky. By age 31 he was a brigadier general, eventually becoming a major general.

But tragedy struck in his first year as president. An assassin, bitter when denied a post in Garfield's administration, gunned down the president at a Washington, D.C., train station July 2, 1881.

He lived for more than two months but eventually died from an internal hemorrhage Sept. 19, 1881.

It didn't take long for another Ohio Guardsman to reach the White House. Another Civil War veteran, William McKinley from Niles, Ohio, became the 25th president in 1897.

He served in the Civil War as part of the Union Army. After the war, he left the Ohio Volunteers as a major.

With McKinley in office, Congress declared war with Spain in 1898. More than 15,000 Ohio troops organized at Camp Bushnell, near Columbus, and quickly mustered into federal service.

But McKinley, too, served a short presidential term. An assassin killed him at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 6, 1901.

State histories in the early 20th century tend to quickly jump from the Spanish-American War to the Mexican border defense in 1916, and typically involve the Army Guard. But Ohio is different.

Unknown to many people, the first military plane, a Wright Flyer, was delivered to Ft. Myer Va., in 1908. In that same year, 17 members of the New York National Guard's 1st Company, Signal Corps were detailed to form an aeronautic corps.

The corps never "took off" due to a shortage in funds; however, the National Guard began training aviation members earnestly in 1912. And the first to Guardsman to earn his wings was Lt. Col Charles Winder from Ohio.

All of this predated the Ohio Guard's mobilization to stop border incursions by Mexican Bandit Pancho Villa in June 1916. More than 7,000 soldiers mustered at Camp Willis, near Upper Arlington, Ohio, arriving in Texas by late August.

But the bigger test began Aug. 5, 1917, when the president federalized the entire Guard for World War I. Ohio's 37th Infantry reached France in 1918 and suffered more than 5,300 casualties in the fierce trench fighting.

The 37th again stepped up in World War II. Under Maj. Gen. Robert S. Beightler, the 37th "Buckeye" Division served in the Pacific.

Earning the nickname, "The Heavyweight," the 37th fought virtually without rest from June 1943 until August 1945.

And General Beightler was the only Army division commander-active component and Guard-not relieved, entering service in 1940 and continuing until the 37th's inactivation in 1945.

Seven 37th members earned the Medal of Honor during World War II; two were among the division's original 9,000 Buckeye Guardsmen. Another Ohio Guard recipient during the war was Lt. Col. Addison Baker, a member of 112th Observation Squadron.

During the Korean War, multiple Ohio Army Guard units mobilized and served at home as well as in Korea. Among those deploying was the 987th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, which received three Meritorious Unit Citations and two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations.

The war on Korean peninsula also saw the first mobilization and deployment of the new Ohio Air Guard. Members of the 121st Tactical Fighter Wing activated for 18 months, serving at home, in Europe and Korea.

During the Vietnam War, Ohio sent soldiers and airmen to Southeast Asia. But the Ohio Guard may be best remembered during the conflict for the May 4, 1970, shootings at Kent State University.

State officials had dispatched the Guardsmen to the campus to maintain order during an anti-war protest. The university president actually cancelled the protest, but word of the change didn't reach all of the students.

By late morning, about 2,500 people-not all of them students-gathered near the charred remains of the school's ROTC building, which had been set on fire by war protesters.

About 125 Guardsmen were on the scene. A police official, riding in a Guard Jeep, approached the protesters, ordering them to disperse. The group responded with rocks, forcing the Jeep to retreat.

Tensions escalated until an unidentified gunshot rang out, followed by more gunfire as 16 Guardsmen, without an order, shot into the crowd. Four people died; another nine were wounded.

Many Guardsmen-and some bystanders-said they heard a single shot from a nearby campus building. But despite extensive state, federal and private investigations, it was never determined who fired the first shot.

The Ohio Guard spent most of its time during the rest of the 1970s and 1980s training as the nationis Cold War strategic reserve and responding to natural disasters and other state missions.

The nation called again in 1990. This time the destination was Southwest Asia after Iraq invaded Kuwait. About 1,000 soldiers from nine units deployed to the region, with four earning the Meritorious Unit Citation. Nearly 600 Air Guard personnel also served in the first Persian Gulf War.

Although the war ended quickly, the continuing presence of Saddam Hussein required the United States to maintain a military presence in the region. This included the Ohio Guard Air Guard, which helped enforce the no-fly zones over northern Iraq.

Meanwhile, other Ohio Guardsmen participated in peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and humanitarian assistance operations in Central America.

Ohio was also among the early participants in the Guard's State Partnership Program, which assists fledgling democracies around the globe. It partnered first with Hungry, which went on to become a NATO member. Last year, the state entered into a similar relationship with Serbia.

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Ohio soldiers provided airport security and force protection at key installations throughout the Midwest.

Involvement increased as the war on terror expanded. To date, about 6,000 Ohio Guardsmen have deployed worldwide, including 1,200 currently deployed.

They have also continued to assist first-responders during natural disasters in Ohio and elsewhere.

About 1,600 Ohio Guardsmen went to the Gulf Region after Hurricane Katrina. This included members of the 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry, the first out-of-state troops to assist with the evacuation of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.

Despite the Ohio Guard's heavy engagement, the state maintains its manpower at 100 percent of its authorized strength.

"People are joining the Ohio National Guard today more than ever before, because they get to experience the full spectrum of operations. They get to do it all," says Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt, adjutant general. "I always ask troops 'Would you deploy again?' And their answer is always, 'When do you need me?'"

Christopher Prawdzik and John Listman contributed to this article.

© 2007 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.