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4 unusual facts about Arkansas National Guard and World War II


Arkansas National Guard and World War II

The National Defense Act of 1916 provided for an expanded army during peace and wartime, fourfold expansion of the National Guard, the creation of an Officers' and an Enlisted Reserve Corps, plus the creation of a Reserve Officers' Training Corps in colleges and universities.

Many of these units had completed their post mobilization training and been shipped to duty at various stations several months before the United States officially declared war after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

As the Defense Department slowly implemented the massive changes and expansions outlined National Defense Act of 1916, the Arkansas National Guard was allowed to reorganize its war time units, including the 153rd Infantry Regiment, the 141st Machine Gun Battalion, and the 142nd Field Artillery.

The 206th Coast Artillery Regiment was deployed to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska and had been on station for approximately 4 months when the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.



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