The office of the
Adjutant General has been a very busy place during the past
two years. The United States has been involved in two wars
during this period. At the beginning of the year 1917 the
Iowa National Guard, with the exception of the Field
Artillery, which was mustered out in December, was in
Federal service and was on duty on the Mexican Border
guarding the border states from invasion. The
organizations were returned to their homes early in the
year and by March 23, 1917 were all out of active service.
On March 25, 1917
the President again issued a proclamation calling into
active service a part of the National Guard from each
state, preparatory to entering the World War. In Iowa the
First Regiment of Infantry was called into service and
placed on duty guarding bridges and munitions plants. By
July 15, 1917 all other organizations of National Guard had
been called into service.
On August 5, 1917
all men who had been mustered into National Guard service
were drafted into U. S. service. This took the Guard
entirely from under the control of the state. By the
latter part of August all Iowa units had left the state.
Iowa Guard units
sent into the service were all efficient, but it so
happened that only one of them, the Third Iowa Infantry
(168th U.S. Infantry) experienced any battle
field service. This regiment was a part of the 42nd or
Rainbow, division, and was a composite organization,
composed of the third and parts of the First and Second
Infantry regiments. Three-fifths of the enlisted men of
the Third, when it left Iowa, had been for some time in
the ranks of this regiment. Two-fifths were Guardsmen,
transferred from the First and Second Regiments. As a
result it was truly a representative Iowa National Guard
unit, and its brilliant achievements on the battle fields
reflects credit upon the National Guard as a whole.
