National Guard (original) (raw)

From Richard L. Mitchell

In response to Ed Thelen's question "Do you have comments on the relative effectiveness of regular army vs. National Guard?".

Effectiveness: 75 percent of the Regulars lived on site and were on call at a minutes notice, giving them a possile quicker response and at least a back-up crew if necessary. This possible made them more effective. During my stay with the ING at Homewood [C-50, Illinois] I saw no difference in the caliber or quality of manpower. The USA had a strict code of compliance that was enfoprced and a trouble maker or a man with disipline problems was shipped out. Each man had already undergone an ongoing security check by the FBI and was proud of it.

From Angus P. Robinson

My understanding about our Wolf Lake site was that if we were to engage in a shooting war all our National Guard weekend warriors would be activated.

These men came in one weekend a month and two weeks in the summer. Each man was being trained for that eventuality. To be honest. those like myself, working full time, needed more help. We were sadly undermanned.

Aside from each missile pit there was the need for base security (gate, inside and outside perimeter), missile assembly, fueling and a myriad of other activities common to all camps. Not least of all was the damn grass cutting and grounds maintenance that took away from our own training. I have fond memories of those days but we knew we could not keep that base operating full time in a war-time environment without the weekend warriors.

Missile assembly alone was a time consuming job. Everything was by the book. Nothing was put on by memory or by guess or by gosh. Each part was added in a specific order and then torqued down with special wrenches designed for that one operation. Sometimes the torque value was the same for two or three parts. If this was the case the same wrench would be used. Few of our torque wrenches were multi-use. Most had one torque value and these were checked every so often at Ft. Sheridan and, if needed, reset. That was why we needed quite a lot of manpower. Unfortunately when the Basic base needs were figured out originally manpower was kept to a minimum. We were told it was a matter of appropriations.

I believe the same plan was set for Homewood. I don't remember if we had reservists coming in or not but I am sure this was to be the case. I did not stay there that long to remember.

Angus

TSGT. JIM SHEWOKIS then sent me eight Xeroxed pages of a National Guard publication. The first and seventh pages were clear enough to scan. (Images of 120 mm guns and Nikes are not included here.)

A salute to the 17 states whose Army National Guard units served The Air Defense of America.

The casing of the colors of the battalions which were in the NIKE-HERCULES air defense program marks the end of an era during which Army National Guardsmen successfully carried out a vital mission in the nation's security on a day to day basis.

Although only a relatively small number of Army Guardsmen were involved in this program probably no more than 7,000 at any given time in a 20-year span -- this participation did a good deal to call attention to a previously overlooked potential. The nation learned that its part-time soldiers could take full-time responsibility for a major defense function.

Prior to World War II many National Guard units were allocated to the Coast Artillery -- a program which was overtaken by the technology which came out of the 1941-1945 war years. This was a technology which was spurred by the advent of airpower coupled with the discovery of the key to the previously unknown factor of atomic and, later, nuclear power.

The Army had undergone the transition from Coast Artillery to Antiaircraft Artillery (AAA) during the war, and it was determined that the National Guard would provide units for the Antiaircraft Artillery effort in the postwar years.

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On guard in Chicago, a radar-directed 120 mm anti-aircraft gun crew swings into action during a mock air raid

But few of the postwar planners ever envisioned the development of an on-site, combat-ready network of Army National Guard batteries, supported by Army National Guard command and control elements, which would provide around-the-clock protection to major U.S. cities and industrial complexes. seven days a week. 52 weeks each year.

The program, at its zenith, was located in 17 States and it introduced a whole new dimension of modern-day Minuteman; the Minuteman of the missile age. He was a National Guardsman who was trained to respond to an alert which could call him from his civilian pursuit to the missile site at any time of day or night should the nation's security be threatened. Backing up these Minutemen was a small but highly trained corps of technician specialists who were on the job full time, keeping open the communications networks and providing maintenance and technical support to insure that all elements of this highly sophisticated combat system were in working order and ready to function if needed.

There were hundreds of alerts. Some were practice. Others were tense moments of waiting while unidentified aircraft were scrutinized and accounted for. No missile was ever fired in anger. This was a program which succeeded because it was so powerful a deterrent, in its day, that no enemy ever challenged it.

In the pages that follow, this story is told in capsule form in tribute to the men, to the units and the States that took part in the post-WWII Army air defense of the United States.

... six pages unscannable ...
It appears that the National Guards of the following states participated in the Nike program. They were California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and ???? [can't read it]

How the Guard was called upon for a new mission.

The onset of the "cold war" in 1948 and the discovery that the Soviet Union had lonq range heavy bomber forces and subsequent atomic and then nuclear capabilities, the need became obvious to more sophisticated air defense of the United States. A separate Army command for air defense was established in July 1950, four days after the invasion of South Korea. It was designated Army Anti-Aircraft Command (ARAACOM).

Meeting the jet bomber threat. ARAACOM consisted of World War II 75MM "Skysweeper" 90MM and 120MM anti-aircraft guns but did not possess enough personnel nor sufficient locations to provide adequate defense. The speed of jet aircraft required a weapons system that could provide an interceptor capability. This resulted in research and development that lead to the Nike Missile system. With the pressing need for air defense against the threat of jets, General J. Lawton Collins, Chief of Staff U. S. Army, proposed that the Army National Guard be called upon to defend the critical areas around the country.

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Defending Washington, a 120 mm anti-aircraft gun crew stages a gun drill in 1956, a year when missiles were already taking over.

Each unit on site was to be supported by 15 full-time Army National Guard technicians. The remainder of the unit was available on call. The Guardsmen who manned the sites would be citizens of the areas they would be defending. Other Army Guard anti-aircraft units were designated as a Special Security Force with an "M" day capability of 90 days. By 1955 the Army National Guard was operating 50 anti-aircraft batteries while the active Army was converting to NIKE-AJAX missiles. In 1957, ARAACOM became Army Air Defense Command (ARADCOM). ARADCOM became a component of the North America Defense Command (NORAD) the same year.

The Guard mans NIKE-AJAX units. By 1958 the Army National Guard anti-aircraft gun batteries were reorganized into 27 NIKE-AJAX missile battalions. This was in addition to the four batteries of the 720th Missile Battalion, California National Guard, a test battalion previously converted to the NIKE Missile System in June 1957.

... last page unscannable ...

From Henry W. Schuchardt

I dont know if this is the kind of information you want but here goes:

In 1955 I picked up a folder at an Army Recruiting Station. It stated that the Army was looking for men with 4 or more years of active duty to enlist in the National Guard and promising a guaranteed pension after completing 20 years. Having 6 years of Regular Army under my belt I figured why not.

I enlisted in Hdqrs Btry 1st Bn 245th AAA at Site 17 just outside La Guardia Air Field. I don't remember the locations of the rest of the Bn. they were spread out around New York in a ring of active defense of the city in conjunction with Fort Totten and Fort Hamilton. A requirement for enlistment was living and working within 20 to 25 minutes of the Site. I believe your figure of 13 or 15 full time civilian/ National Guardsmen is about right. The full time men were to get everything up and running while the part timers were on the way in.

About two years later the Bn was changed to a Nike Guided Missile Bn. For awhile we operated as before full time part time soldiers. we then were moved to a site at Loyds Harbor on Long Island. A short time later the decision was made to use only full time men [ Possibly because the part time soldiers could not reach the site in a reasonable time and not a great enough pool of local enlistment prospects. So the part time soldiers were given a choice of becoming civilian employees or finding a new home.

I guess that's about all. I hope it adds a little more to your files

Henry W. Schuchardt
M/SGT Retired

> Nike site: Oxford, Ohio, B Btry, 1Bn, 136th Arty (Ohio NG)
> Date from: 10/63 to 3/65
> comments: As Unit AST, helped Capt recruit a Ohio National
> Guard unit that assumed control of Oxford Nike site from Active Army

Ed Thelen asked What is a Unit AST?

I had no idea that individual units recruited National Guard units to assume control. Could you tell me more of this interesting aspect.

A unit AST in the National Guard is a civilian title for Administrative-Supply Technician (AST). The AST is a full time civilian technician employed by the guard to take care of the day-to-day operations of the unit. The AST must also belong to the Guard Unit where he is employed, normally as the 1st Sgt. However, the AST can hold any position and rank for which he is qualified in the guard unit. Full time AST's wore their uniform daily, and looked, acted and were seen, by the community, to be professional soldiers.

When my regular Army enlistment was completed in June 1962, I returned home to my civilian job. But the place I worked was being closed. I heard about a full time job with the local Ohio Army National Guard unit, and applied for it. It was the unit AST for a transportation company. I was a SP5 at the time, but was promoted to SSGT (E6) and held the guard position of Supply Sergeant.

After a short time, the guard units were re-organized and I took another AST position in a Infantry unit in Cincinnati. Because of my active duty at the NIKE site in Wilmington, Ohio, in the Summer of 1963, I was asked to consider a position in Oxford, Ohio as the AST for a new guard unit being formed to take over operations of the Nike Missile base from the active Army. A Captain and I were the first 2 members of B Btry, 1 Msl Bn 136th Arty (ONG) assigned to the Oxford area.

Our first office was in a downtown building and our job was to recruit 100 full time technicians and also National Guardsment for the unit. This was accomplished and the unit was actually about 130 strong, with 100 of the guardsmen being employed by the State of Ohio as full time technicians. We had a part time First Sgt, but I was the full time First Sgt. When we had Guard weekends, I would be the Supply Sgt. After training, and the departure of the regular Army, The site was manned 24 hrs a day with full time personnel of the Ohio National guard. The remaining part time guardsmen would pull their weekend duty. I stayed in this job unit March 1965, when I resigned to work for Armco Steel Corporation.

Several of the persons we recruited for the Guard unit had been assigned to Nike units during their regular Army service. And these men were proud to again serve their country as civilian technicians, guarding the skies against enemy attack.

I will try to answer any questions you may have about this transition from Active Army to National Guard operational controls, how units were formed, etc.

Sincerely,

Paul M Presta - PPRESTA@cinci.rr.com