CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – To celebrate America’s 250th birthday this year, the Arkansas National Guard ceremonially enlisted 250 Arkansas National Guard recruits April 11 at the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History in Little Rock.

“This ceremony recognizes America’s 250th birthday in Arkansas while honoring the military service that helped secure our independence,” said Brig. Gen. Chad Bridges, the adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard. “The colonial militias – the predecessors of today’s National Guard – stood against the British Army at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, and the Continental Congress established the Army two months later on June 14, 1775. Arkansas also has a direct Revolutionary War connection through the 1783 battle at Arkansas Post, recognized as the only Revolutionary War battle fought in present-day Arkansas.”

The 250 recruits are representative of the nearly 1,300 Guardsmen recruited annually by the Arkansas Army National Guard and Arkansas Air National Guard into their respective brigades and wings.

The Arkansas National Guard traces its roots to 1804, one year after the Louisiana Purchase.

“The legislative body governing the Indiana Territory, of which Arkansas was a part, enacted a law making most males liable for military service,” according to the Arkansas National Guard Museum’s website.

Throughout its history, the Arkansas National Guard has answered the call in times of war, natural disasters and other domestic emergencies. Its legacy reflects the service of Arkansas residents who have balanced civilian lives with military duty, exemplifying the Citizen-Soldier ethos that has defined the nation since its founding.