Massachusetts National Guard

Massachusetts National Guard
Massachusetts National Guard
	Seal of the Massachusetts National Guard
Active	1636–present (387 years)
Countries	Massachusetts Bay Colony; (1636–1686, 1689-1692); Dominion of New England; (1686-1689); Province of Massachusetts Bay; (1692-1775); United Colonies; (1775-1776); United States; (1776–present)
Allegiance	United States; Massachusetts
Branch	United States Army; United States Air Force; National Guard
Role	Federal Reserve Force; State Militia (Militia Act of 1903)
Motto(s)	(Latin) Ense petit placidam; (English: By the sword we seek peace)
Engagements	Colonial Wars Pequot War ; King Philip's War ; King William's War ; Queen Anne's War ; Dummer's War ; King George's War ; French and Indian War ; Revolutionary Period Boston Campaign ; Northern Theater ; Nova Scotia Theater ; American Wars War of 1812 ; American Civil War ; * First Bull Run ; * Yorktown ; * Peninsula Campaign ; * Second Bull Run ; * Antietam ; * Fredericksburg ; * Chancellorsville ; * Gettysburg ; * Wilderness ; * Spotsylvania ; * Cold Harbor ; * Second Battle of Petersburg ; * Appomattox ; War with Spain ; * Puerto Rican Campaign ; World War I ; * Champagne-Marne ; * Aisne-Marne ; * Saint-Mihiel ; * Meuse-Argonne ; World War II ; * Northern France ; * Rhineland ; * Ardennes-Alsace ; * Central Europe ; Korean War; ; Afghanistan Campaign ; Iraq Campaign ;
Decorations	Superior Unit Award (IFOR Service)
Commanders
Commander in Chief (Title 10 USC)	President of the United States (Federalized)
Commander in Chief (Title 32 USC)	Governor of Massachusetts
Adjutant General	Major General Gary W. Keefe
State Command Sergeant Major	Command Sergeant Major James L. Campbell Jr.
Notable; commanders	John Winthrop; Myles Standish (Plymouth Company Commander)
Insignia
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army.^[1] What is today's Massachusetts National Guard evolved through many different forms. Originally founded as a defensive militia for Puritan colonists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the militia evolved into a highly organized and armed fighting force. The Massachusetts militia served as a central organ of the New England revolutionary fighting force during the early American Revolution and a major component in the Continental Army under George Washington.

It is currently headquartered at Hanscom Air Force Base and commanded by Major General Gary W. Keefe. Massachusetts National Guard soldiers and airmen are trained and equipped as part of the United States Army and Air Force, and identical ranks and insignias are utilized. National Guardsmen are eligible for all US military awards in addition to state awards. Soldiers and Airmen are held to the same uniform, physical fitness, and marksmanship standards as their Active Duty counterparts.

^ Organizational History. United States Army Center of Military History. 1999. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2008.

[1] Organizational History. United States Army Center of Military History. 1999. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2008.

[1]