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Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green) made the following statement recognizing December 13th, 2010 as the 374th anniversary of the establishment of the National Guard.  On November 30th, Congressman Latta delivered remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives in support of H. Res. 1740, a resolution he introduced to honor this anniversary.  H. Res. 1740 passed the House of Representatives later that day by a vote of 404-0.  Video of the floor remarks can be found here.  

“The National Guard dates its origins back to December 13, 1636, when the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony ordered existing militias to be organized into three regiments.  Since then, the National Guard has fought in every major American conflict.  From the ‘shot heard round the world’ at Lexington Green, and later Concord Bridge in April of 1775, to our men and woman standing strong and fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the National Guard and its citizen-soldiers have been there for us no matter what: Always ready, always there.

The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces in the United States.  The National Guard’s number one priority is the security and defense of our homeland, at home and abroad.  Even before the United States existed, Americans have relied on their National Guard for more than three and a half centuries.  I want to thank all past and present members of the National Guard for their service in response to the attacks on September 11, 2001, and their continuing role in homeland security and military operations.  In today’s world it is essential that we honor and support all of our service members who have sacrificed so much for us to ensure our freedoms and liberties in the United States.  We need to support and provide our men and women in the National Guard, and all of the Armed Forces, with the necessary resources to ensure its readiness and success.

As the National Guard’s official song goes “Defending Freedom, protecting dreams, this is the spirit of what it means to me.  For my God and my home that I love: I Guard America, Guarding America, America.”