Ellard A . Walsh Major General Ellard A . Walsh ( October 3 , 1887 – August 1 , 1975 ) was a U . S . National Guard and Army officer who is recognized as the " father " of the modern National Guard . He also commanded the 34th Infantry Division during the run up to World War II . Early military career . Walsh enlisted in the 1st Infantry Regiment , Minnesota National Guard on November 7 , 1905 . The 1st Infantry was mustered into federal service on June 30 , 1916 , for duty at Camp Llano Grande , near Mercedes , Texas , on the Mexico – United States border . World War I . The 1st Infantry was called into federal service on March 25 , 1917 , and mustered out beginning on March 26 , 1917 in preparation of service oversees . During that period , Walsh had been promoted to First Sargeant . On October 1 , 1917 , the 1st Infantry was re - designated as the 135th Infantry Regiment , 34th Division , and Walsh was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant . The 34th arrived in France just prior to the armistice and saw no action as a unit ; however , elements of the division were used as replacements for other divisions . The 34th Division was demobilized on February 18 , 1919 . Between the world wars . Walsh ' s unit was reorganized as the 1st Infantry Regiment , Minnesota National Guard on January 31 , 1920 . Walsh possessed administrative and people skills that enabled him to rise quickly through the ranks . He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and named the Assistant Adjutant General of Minnesota in 1921 . Walsh was promoted to Brigadier General on July 1 , 1927 , and he was appointed Adjutant General of Minnesota . Walsh served as president of the National Guard Association of the United States ( NGAUS ) , from 1928 to 1930 . In 1929 , Walsh was tasked to locate a new training facility site for the Guard , and selected a 12 , 000 acre area near Little Falls , Minnesota . At that location , Camp Ripley was constructed in 1930 . On May 16 , 1934 , the truck driver ' s union initiated a strike ( Minneapolis Teamsters Strike of 1934 ) , which quickly degenerated into open violence in the streets of Minneapolis . Minnesota Governor Floyd B . Olson activated the National Guard , and Walsh commanded 4 , 000 Guardsmen in the suppression of the chaos . Utilizing roving patrols , curfews , and security details , Walsh quickly restored order , thus enabling negotiated settlement of the labor dispute . Walsh put the strike experience to good use five years later when a tornado struck Anoka , Minnesota on June 18 , 1939 . Governor Harold E . Stassen called in the National Guard , and Adjutant General Walsh commanded 300 Guardsmen who patrolled the streets and imposed a quasi - martial law while the community was stabilized . Prelude to World War II . The expanding war in Europe threatened to draw a reluctant United States into the conflict . As the potential of U . S . involvement became more evident , the Franklin D . Roosevelt administration still hoped to avoid war , while military leaders needed to prepare to fight . A review of existing legislation , including the National Defense Act of 1916 and its amendments , indicated that new legislation was needed to ensure effective integration of the National Guard into the regular Army , draft and selective service regulations , and related matters . While legislative review was in motion , initial steps were taken to prepare troops what for lay ahead through " precautionary training . " The 34th Infantry Division was deemed one of the most service - ready units , and Walsh was promoted to Major General in June , 1940 and placed in command . The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 was signed into law September 16 , and the first conscription in U . S . history during peacetime commenced . The 34th was subsequently activated on February 10 , 1941 , with troops from North Dakota , South Dakota , Minnesota , and Iowa . The division was transported by rail and truck convoys to the newly constructed Camp Claiborne in Rapides Parish , Louisiana near Alexandria . The soldiers started rigorous training including maneuvers in Alexandria starting April 7 , 1941 . The climate during the summer was especially harsh . The division then participated in what became known as the Louisiana Maneuvers . By then , the division was becoming a well - disciplined , high spirited , and well prepared unit . In the early phase of the maneuvers , General Walsh , who suffered from chronic ulcers , became too ill to continue in command , and was replaced by Major General Russell P . Hartle on August 5 , 1941 . Post active military service . Walsh remained the Minnesota Adjutant General until his retirement from the military in 1949 at age 62 . In 1943 , while the National Guard was fully engaged in the war effort , Lieutenant General Leslie McNair , Commanding General , Army Ground Forces and other leaders of the regular Army met to develop plans that would determine the role of the National Guard after the war . The initial plan was developed without any input from Guard leadership . Walsh became aware of this activity , rallied political and public support for the Guard , and even used his personal funds to ensure the Guard would play a continued and key role in the military readiness of the country . Walsh was appointed to a second term as President of the NGAUS , this time from 1943 to 1957 . During that period , he established a national NGAUS office in Washington , D . C . , and the organization ' s national magazine , both of which continue to this day . Walsh was a charter member of American Legion Post 339 in Minneapolis , and was awarded the Legion ' s Distinguished Service Medal in 1955 . Walsh died August 1 , 1975 in Stillwater , Minnesota , and was buried in Green Prairie Cemetery , Little Falls , Minnesota . Legacy . In recognition of Walsh ' s half century of distinguished military service and numerous contributions to the Guard , a wing of the National Guard Memorial in Washington D . C . was named the Walsh - Reckord Hall of States . It is fitting that the Hall of States was co - named for Walsh and Major General Milton Reckord , as Reckord was a decorated veteran of both World War I and World War II , and long serving Adjutant General for Maryland , as well as president of the NGAUS as well , and Walsh and Reckord worked together on important issues that greatly promoted the Guard .