Kentucky National Guard History

The Kentucky National Guard, like other state National Guards, has been known under various names such as state militia or state guard. It has the distinction of being one of the oldest military forces in the United States. Its history dates back to 1775 when Kentucky was known as Fincastle County, a part of western Virginia. The fundamental concept of a state or local military organization has existed since 1636, when the Colony of Massachusetts formed a regiment of “Trained Bands.”

Throughout her history, Kentucky has cherished the tradition of rendering military duty with zeal when called upon. Kentucky’s history teams with incidents of self-sacrifice unsurpassed in daring and achievement. Kentuckians have answered the call to arms in all wars of our country.

Since its inception, the Kentucky National Guard has not only stood ready as an alert fighting force ready to defend Kentucky and the United States against those who would destroy our democratic way of life but this voluntary citizens Army has also served in times of national disaster. The skill and proficiency with which the Guard has served Kentucky further contributes to the fact that it is, and will continue to be, a necessary and indispensable organization for the continuing existence of the Commonwealth.

To see the more of the rich and distinguished history of the Kentucky National Guard please Click Here.

Click here for information on the Centennial of World War I.

Three U.S. Air Force North American F-51D Mustang fighters from the 165th Fighter Squadron, 123rd Fighter Group, Kentucky Air National Guard, in flight. The 123rd FG flew the F-51 from 1946 to 1952.

KyNG History Articles

KY Native Charles Young Posthumously Promoted to BG by U.S. Army
February 3, 2022 — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that the U.S. Department of Defense has approved the posthumous honorary promotion of U.S. Army Col. Charles Young to Brigadier General on Feb. 1, 2022. In February 2020, Gov. Beshear recognized the promotion of Young on the state level and submitted a letter to President Joe Biden to have the honorary promotion be instated on a federal level. ... MORE

Brigadier General Jackson Morris, 29th Adjutant General of the State of Kentucky, 1920-1923.
February 1, 2022 — Jackson Morris, lawyer, politician, sportsman and soldier was born February 1st, 1875, at Crockettsville, Breathitt County, Kentucky. One of seven children born to Nacy W. and Louise Spicer Morris. The Morris family was of the Baptist Church faith, which he followed throughout his life. As a teenager, he became a Mason. He was fraternally affiliated with Pineville Lodge, A. F. and A. M.; Pineville Chapter, R. A. M.; London Commandery, K. T.; Kosair Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Louisville, and the Lodge of Odd Fellows at Frankfort... MORE

George Lee McClain, Adjutant General of Kentucky 1935-1939
January 23, 2022 — The thirty-fourth Adjutant General of Kentucky was George Lee McClain, born on January 23, 1895, at Bloomfield, Nelson County, Kentucky. George was the only son of William Thomas and Nina Cochrane McClain. By 1900, his father had moved the family to Bardstown, where young George received his initial education in the local schools... MORE

Isaac Shelby – Placing the Commonwealth and the Kentucky Militia on a Strong Footing
January 4, 2022 — Isaac Shelby served as the first and fifth Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Kentucky. Shelby was the right man at the right time, his political insight and his participation and military leadership in America’s Colonial Wars was of paramount importance in the organization and development of the Commonwealth and her militia. Before his settling in Kentucky, he had served in the state legislatures of Virginia and North Carolina. He also served as a soldier in Lord Dunmore’s War, the American Revolutionary War, and as Governor of Kentucky would serve in the War of 1812. Governor Shelby led Kentucky Troops in the Battle of the Thames, an action that would end hostilities in the Old Northwest Territory during the War of 1812. For his gallantry at the Battle of the Thames he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in March 1818. ... MORE

The Eighth Kentucky and the Battle Above the Clouds
November 24, 2021 — Every war has its iconic images or photographs, capturing for posterity, depicting a moment defining a battle or conflict. During the Second World War, one such moment was captured on February 23, 1945, with the Stars and Stripes being raised over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima, by five Marines. Just over eighty years before this event, six Union Soldiers from Kentucky, were captured in a photograph accomplishing a similar mission atop Lookout Mountain, located near Chattanooga, Tennessee, during what would become known as the “Battle Above the Clouds.” ... MORE

Kentucky National Guard documented in Kentucky visual history series
November 23, 2021 — Soldiers and Airmen of the Kentucky National Guard will be featured in a photo series documenting Kentuckians, to include Soldiers training at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Ky., in November 2021. James Southard, a fine arts photographer with the Kentucky Documentary Photographic Project (KDPP), wanted to include the Kentucky National Guard in the visual history series after conducting his own research on his father’s military career. ... MORE

Kentucky National Guard Veteran restores howitzer
October 20, 2021 — A retired Kentucky National Guard member returned a decommissioned Howitzer to its former glory on Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Ky., during the summer of 2021... MORE

Charge of the Forlorn Hope
October 6, 2021 — The “Charge of the Forlorn Hope” during the Battle of the Thames on November 5, 1813, was one of the most heroic events in the annals of Kentucky’s Military History, in which twenty Kentuckians rode in the face of an enemy to certain death, to attract their fire, so that their companions might make an advantageous assault... MORE

Remembering 9/11
September 11, 2021 — Today we hold in remembrance those we lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001. Beginning at 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center, and 17 minutes later, Flight 175 struck the south tower. A third flight, Flight 77, hit the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. Passengers of the fourth and final passenger airplane, Flight 93, learned about the deliberate attacks and would take back control of the plane, forcing it to impact in a field in western Pennsylvania. The nation learned shortly after that these were terroristic attacks on Americans from 19 terrorists linked to al-Qaeda. In total, 2,977 people were killed because of the hijackings... MORE

“To Meet the Enemy on Any Element”
September 10, 2021 — On February 8, 1813, Oliver Hazard Perry was ordered to Sacket’s Harbor, New York, for duty on Lake Erie. Once he arrived at Erie, Pennsylvania, he began setting in motion his campaign on Lake Erie. Today, few Kentuckians know of the role Kentucky’s Militia played in Perry’s ultimate victory on September 10, 1813, at the Battle of Lake Erie. ... MORE

Kentucky National Guard History

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