The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-07-18
NATIONAL GUARD
A NECESSITY
1t Was the Only Force We Had to
Help Out Our Tiny
Army
(Army and Navy Journal)

(Army and Navy JournaD
The Importance of the National
Guard in any estimate of our military
nnan-power is not to be discredited.
On June 20 the force of the guard in
federal service throughout the coun-
try was 4,130 officers and LOG, ,280 men.
On June 80 the number of men in the
guard not in the federal service was
1917, the list of officers being in
complete although the records show
that on June 20 these numbered 5,787.
This makes total of 300,1 ,127 officers
and men available, which is a larger
force than we have in the regular
army. 1t will require about 100000
more men to bring the guard up to
the war strength prescribed in the
national defense act, but these can
easily be provided through the opera
ton of the selective draft law as is
the present intention of the war de-
partment. When these men go into
selected for them, although at this
writing only two divisions have been
definitely assigned to cantonments
the 10th, including the California
guard to Linda Vista, Cal, and the
10th to Palo Alto, Gait will prob
ably take less time for the guard to
get into shape to be sent abroad than
the war department now estimates,
which is several months"
Despite the many criticisms the
National Guard has received in the
past as not being dependable force
for war as a whole, it is a very for
tunate thing for the nation at this
time that we have the guard. While
the dependence to be placed upon it
as national force was open to ques-
ton, the National Guard was never
theless the only organized military
force we had to augment our small
army, and its officers and men in their
dual capacity of citizens and soldiers
have done the best they could under
very hard conditions. The work that
has been accomplished among the
best elements of the National Guard
has been surprisingly good, and mark
ed efficiency has been shown by many
organizations. Under competent lead
ers, and where all its units are thor
oughly trained; the guard should
prove a magnificent force of men.
The existence of the National
Guard has helped our war prepara-
tions immensely, for it had the foun-
dation of organization for rapid ex-
pansion to war strength, and has
proved big asset to our regular
army. Many of its officers and men
have qualified as commissioned Off
GERS for both the regular and the
national army. at time when Off
GERS are badly needed. The previous
training of the National Guardsmen
on duty at the officers and citizens
training camps has facilitated rapid
ity of instruction and the securing of
officers who have had some previous
military experience of value. It can
hardly be denied that intelligent men
who have served from three to five
years or more in the National Guard,
including service on the Mexican bor-
der, are better qualified In the begin
ming for work as officers in the ma
tional army than are men fresh from
civil life who have little or no mill
tary training or experience. The men
Of the guard viii be equally valuable
in furnishing an army of some 400,-
900 men in quick time for the United
/ States. 1t is true that large per-
centage of National Guardsmen will
be recruits, but the same can be said