WASHINGTON — Today is the birthday of America’s oldest military force. It’s not the Army, Marines or Navy. It’s the National Guard and the Guard is even older than the U.S. as an independent country. The National Guard is marking its 375th birthday. The Guard and its joint civilian-military function is a unique institution in the U.S., said David McGinnis, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs. The Massachusetts Bay Colony formed three regiments of citizens of a permanent militia in 1636 who were required to defend against restive Indian neighbors and against potential attacks by Spanish and French raiders. Other colonies copied Massachusetts. The state militias were gathered into a National Guard in 1903.
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m.
