DVIDS – News – Kentucky Nationwide Guard celebrates 230th birthday

Airmen and Troopers from throughout the Commonwealth gathered right here Friday to have fun the 230th birthday of the Kentucky Nationwide Guard, one of many nation’s oldest state militias.

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Wilkinson, the Kentucky Nationwide Guard’s assistant adjutant basic for Air, expressed his appreciation to the greater than 100 troops who attended the ceremony, held on the Kentucky Air Nationwide Guard Base at Louisville Muhammad Ali Worldwide Airport.

“I want to thanks for being right here as we speak to have fun and honor the Kentucky Nationwide Guard, a proud group with an unsurpassed legacy of service to the nation, and to thanks to your continued dedication to hold us into the long run,” he mentioned.

The Kentucky Guard, which as we speak is comprised of the Kentucky Army Nationwide Guard and the Kentucky Air Nationwide Guard, was established in 1792 by Gov. Isaac Shelby, 19 days after the Commonwealth grew to become the fifteenth state of the Union.

Over the previous 230 years, the group has grown to fill a twin position as each a state militia, responding to the wants of Kentucky throughout occasions of native disaster and pure disasters; and as a front-line federal power, serving the wants of the nation alongside active-duty counterparts within the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Pressure. Since Sept. 11, 2001 alone, Airmen and Troopers of the Kentucky Nationwide Guard have deployed greater than 18,000 occasions for fight and combat-support roles at dozens of places world wide within the International Warfare on Terror.

“The Kentucky nationwide guard has been recognized underneath numerous names and has the excellence of being one the oldest navy forces in the US,” mentioned Andrew Dickson, the Kentucky Guard’s command historian.

“Its historical past dates again to 1775 when Kentucky was the Western a part of Virginia often known as Fincastle county. The Kentucky Nationwide Guard was initially often known as the native militia underneath the command of Capt. James Harrod, wherein the militiaman have been to function a self-protective affiliation in opposition to hostile actions from each overseas and native assaults.

“On the primary day of June, 1792, the Commonwealth of Kentucky grew to become the fifteenth state of the Union. On June 20, Gov. Isaac Shelby accredited and signed the enrolled invoice titled “An Act to Organize the Militia of This State Into Divisions, Brigades, Regiments, Battalions, and Firms, and for Different Functions.”

In 1812, open battle broke out with Britain. The Kentucky Militia responded to the decision to arms with its first main engagements, seeing motion in battles similar to River Raisin, Lake Erie, Thames and New Orleans.

Whereas many states withheld their troops from serving, roughly 24,000 Kentuckians volunteered to battle, and about 1,200 have been casualties, Dickson mentioned. Someplace between 30 and 55 % of People killed within the battle have been Kentuckians.

“Kentuckians made their mark on the Battle of New Orleans, the ultimate battle of the battle,” he added. “In 1832, an unidentified British Officer wrote an article in a Boston newspaper of a lone Kentucky marksman who confronted the advancing British troops. The person, wearing linsey-woolsey, buckskin leggings and a broad-brimmed hat, stood his floor among the many cannon fireplace and picked off British troopers one after the other together with his long-rifle and by no means wavered. This lone rifleman was so lethal, the British Officer wrote of this Kentuckian, ‘To know that each time that rifle was leveled towards us… when the hammer got here down, that the messenger of dying drove unerringly to its aim — to know this, and nonetheless march on, was terrible.’”

Wilkinson spoke to the viewers in regards to the historical past of the Kentucky Air Nationwide Guard and its 123rd Airlift Wing, which this yr is celebrating its seventy fifth birthday.

“The wing traces its roots to the 123rd Fighter Group and one hundred and sixty fifth Fighter Squadron, which have been created on Might twenty fourth, 1946, as a part of a nationwide redesignation of World Warfare II Army Air Corps items,” Wilkinson mentioned. “Below Warfare Division orders, the insignia, World Warfare II battle credit and honors of the 359th Fighter Group and the 368th Fighter Squadron have been transferred to the Kentucky Nationwide Guard, and the brand new unit subsequently acquired federal recognition on February 16, 1947. The 123rd designation itself dates to the 123rd Cavalry Regiment, which may hint its lineage to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, a unit that fought within the Civil Warfare.

“At this time, the Kentucky Air Nationwide Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing is among the most embellished items in the US Air Pressure. We now have a proud historical past of worldwide engagement and achievement. The wing’s honors embrace 19 Air Pressure Excellent Unit Awards, 5 Curtis N. “Rusty” Metcalf Trophies, three fifteenth Air Pressure Solano Trophies, three Spaatz Trophies and 10 Distinguished Flying Unit Plaques.”

Dickson closed the ceremony by reminding everybody of the significance of historical past.

“Our historical past is our legacy collectively as Troopers and Airmen of the Kentucky Nationwide Guard. As we have fun our 230th birthday, might we at all times keep in mind to ‘Battle As Kentuckians.’”