The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-07-24
NATIONAL GUARD
STATUS IN N. D.

Whether North Dakota is to have
one or two national guard regiments
under the reorS5 cc::::i2aticn plan an
nounced from ', ! 81 ngSon few days
ago will depend upon the attitude OF
towns which a.. ~-sGy have companies
towards these units, says AdJutant
General G. Angus Fraser, who is in
Fargo today.
"North Dakota can have two regi-
ments," said General Fraser. "Ihat
is a question that is left to US for de-
cision. But l would rather have one
corking god regiment than two slip
shod ones. If the towns which are
capable of supporting companies
want them and will provide armories
for their troops and take care OF
them, we will have two regiments.
Otherwise, we will get along with
one, as we did before the war;"
North Dakota's pioneer national
guard unit is the Fighting First,
which dates back to the Governors
Guard" of territorial days. The
First served through the Filipino
campaign, and was in national serv-
ice during the Mexican border trou-
bic in 1916. With only two-months
respjte it got back into the harness in
April, 1917, and saw Is months Cruel
ling action in France.
The Second North Dakota was or
ganized in the spring Of 1917 by Ma
Tor Frank White of Valley City, un-
der proclamation from Governor
Frazier. White was commissioned
colonel of the new organization, and
he commanded it until it reached
Camp Greene, where it was dismem-
bered, and it's units assigned to 9TH
rorg organizations. A majority OF the
units which made up the Second
were furnished by towns which were
not represented in the First, but
there were several exceptions, as in
the case of Bismarck, which had A
company in the first and I in the
Second. General Fraser is under
stood to be opposed under the reor-
ganization plan to permitting, any
town to attempt to support two letter
companies. AS a result, if two regl-
ments are organized, there will be
several companies to be assigned to
towns which have not to date active
" supported the national guard or
ganization.
eve will know more about what IS
to be done with the national guard
in New York on Aug. ~ said Gen
eral Fraser, who is member OF TINS
committee. The four, other commit
teemen are General Berry OF New
York, chairman; General Moore OF
South Carolina and Colonel Burk-
head of Texas. Col. Bennett Clarke
of Missouri, son of Champ Clark, is
president Of the national guard as
ISOLATION and he will meet with the
executive committee. i
IF we continue to receive soldiers
military record applications at the
present rate Of 500 a day and can
answer every application the day 1t
comes in. it will still take US 60 days
to get around to every North Dakota
veteran of the world war, so l wish !
you would tell the boys not to worry
if their response seems little slow
in coming" said General Fraser.
Application for blanks and the COM
pleted blanks from early applications
are still coming in at the rate OF a
half-thousand day, and the adJu-
tant generals staff is busy filing
away the completed information and
mailing out blanks to new appli-
cants. When this task is completed:
which probably will not be short of
two months, the state will have an
authentic military record of every
North Dakotan who was in any
branch of the military or naval
service during the world war.