PRINTER'S NO. 3712
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 551
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, HOHENSTEIN, HILL-EVANS, McNEILL,
M. MACKENZIE, GUENST, BRENNAN, PROBST, MARCELL, SANCHEZ,
KENYATTA, FLICK, O'MARA, VENKAT, VITALI, GIRAL, STAATS,
DONAHUE, SOLOMON, SCHLOSSBERG, HADDOCK, KAZEEM, MALAGARI,
GALLAGHER, DELLOSO AND GILLEN, OCTOBER 4, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, OCTOBER 4, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Celebrating the United States National Guard on its 388th
2 birthday.
3 WHEREAS, The National Guard was assembled as the first
4 organized militia of the United States in Boston, Massachusetts,
5 through an act legislated by the Massachusetts General Court on
6 December 13, 1636; and
7 WHEREAS, The Massachusetts General Court declared that the
8 colony's existing militia companies be organized into three
9 regiments: North, South and East; and
10 WHEREAS, Four current Army National Guard units descended
11 from those original three regiments and remain the oldest units
12 in the United States military; and
13 WHEREAS, Citizens first assembled for military training in
14 Salem, Massachusetts, during the spring of 1637, which became
15 known as the "First Muster" of a militia regiment; and
16 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania National Guard was assembled as the
 1 first militia of this Commonwealth in Philadelphia when Ben
2 Franklin established the Associators in 1747; and
3 WHEREAS, During the 19th century, the term "National Guard"
4 began to replace "militia" in honor of Marquis de Lafayette and
5 the contributions of France's "Guarde Nacional de Paris" during
6 the Revolutionary War; and
7 WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's militia was redesignated as the
8 "National Guard of Pennsylvania" on April 7, 1870; and
9 WHEREAS, Throughout its history, the National Guard has
10 expanded and organized into units in each of the 50 states, the
11 District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, The National Guard has a dual duty to both state and
14 nation, consisting of "Citizen Soldiers" and airmen who provide
15 protection from natural disasters and other threats, foreign and
16 domestic; and
17 WHEREAS, National Guard members train regularly to sharpen
18 their military readiness skills in the name of protecting life
19 and property, maintaining peace and order, and defending our
20 interests at home and abroad; and
21 WHEREAS, The National Guard has served our communities,
22 protected our Commonwealth and defended our country for more
23 than three centuries; therefore be it
24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives celebrate and
25 congratulate the United States National Guard on its 388th
26 birthday on December 13, 2024; and be it further
27 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the
28 Pennsylvania National Guard.
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