100 years ago: Entire National Guard drafted for World War I
By National Guard Bureau Historical ServicesAugust 4, 2017
ARLINGTON, Va. - On this date 100 years ago, August 5, 1917, the entire National Guard was drafted into U.S. Army service for World War I. This represented the culmination of several steps declared by President Woodrow Wilson that would mobilize the National Guard into the "Great War" and which sent troops into Europe for the first time.
This act stands among a series of laws and military decisions in the early 20th century that resulted in the transformation of the National Guard from a traditionally local military organization into professional military force. A little over a year earlier, the National Defense Act of 1916 introduced the modern integration of National Guard Soldiers as an element of the United States Army. It required that Guard members in federal service would serve in the U.S. Army uniform and train to federal standards, in addition to other measures designed to improve readiness and efficiency.
https://www.army.mil/article/191849/100_years_ago_entire_national_guard_drafted_for_world_war_i
