Minuteman Minute | The Guard in the Great War

Guard units across the country were mobilized and began recruiting when the United States entered World War I. 1st Lt. Aloysius Francis Hutchins commissioned into the Ohio Guard as it prepared to deploy to France.

Hi, I’m Will Roulett, director of the National Guard Memorial Museum here in D.C., and this is your Minuteman Minute! First Lt. Aloysius Francis Hutchins of the Ohio National Guard’s 37th Infantry Division wore this uniform when he deployed to France in June 1918. Hutchins commissioned into the Quartermaster Corps in May 1918 as the 37th approached full strength and prepared to join the American Expeditionary Force. After U.S. entry into the war in April 1917, Guardsmen across the country were drafted into federal service. As Guard units trained and recruited, the army reorganized the Guard into state and regional divisions, including the 37th. Hutchins and the “Buckeye” Division participated in the Ypres-Lys and Meuse-Argonne offensives from September 1918 until Armistice on November 11th. Those offensives were part of a massive and successful Allied effort to force Germany to surrender and end the war. Hutchins returned home and was honorably discharged in April 1919. Come see this – and a whole lot more – at the National Guard Memorial Museum. I’m Will Roulett, and that’s been your Minuteman Minute, brought to you by the National Guard Educational Foundation.