Five years before “discovering” electricity and 29 years before signing the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin faced a conundrum.

He recognized that Philadelphia needed to be defended against Native American raiders, French privateers and other threats, but he also knew that the Quakers who controlled colonial Pennsylvania were pacifists and likely would not approve of a militia.

So, Franklin formed a group that would train like a militia, and in times of crisis, they could come together to protect the city. But instead of calling it a militia, Franklin called his group the “Associators.”

In late 1747, Franklin led about 600 “gentlemen and merchants” of Philadelphia in signing the “Articles of Association,” and on Dec. 7, 1747, they held their first muster.

“On Monday Afternoon a great Body of Associators met with their Arms at the State House, and from thence marched down to the Court House, in Market street, where they agreed to the proposed Divisions of the City into Companys (sic),” the Pennsylvania Gazette reported on Dec. 10, 1747. “His Honour the President, and several Gentlemen of the Council being present, the Secretary, by Order, acquainted the Associators, that their Proceedings were not disapproved by the Government.”

The Associators later became part of the Pennsylvania Militia, which eventually became the Pennsylvania National Guard.

They Associators are recognized as the foundation of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and Dec. 7, 1747, is recognized as the Pennsylvania National Guard’s birthday.

Today, the Pennsylvania National Guard comprises nearly 18,000 soldiers and airmen, making it the third-largest state National Guard. It has units headquartered in more than 60 different communities across Pennsylvania.

The organization’s members have fought in nearly every major conflict in America’s history, including the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, World Wars I and II and most recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The Pennsylvania National Guard has a long and admirable history, stretching back to nearly 30 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” said Capt. Michael Sprowles, curator of the Pennsylvania National Guard Military Museum at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. “Our members have distinguished themselves in nearly every major war involving our country, and they have fulfilled their state missions to aid the commonwealth and their communities during numerous, diverse emergencies.”

True to its original mission to protect Philadelphia, Pennsylvania National Guard members have also been called upon for domestic emergencies such as extreme weather events like hurricanes and snowstorms and civil unrest.

The Pennsylvania Militia was first called upon at home in 1794, when more than 4,000 militiamen from Pennsylvania were part of a four-state force that quelled the Whiskey Rebellion in Western Pennsylvania.

At the outset of the U.S. Civil War (1861-1865), President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to fight for the Union, and five units from the Lehigh Valley were quickly assembled and sent for protection. Lincoln called them the “First Defenders,” an honor still borne by their descendants in today’s 213th Regional Support Group in Allentown.

More than 200 Pennsylvania regiments took part in the Civil War in 24 major campaigns. Among the battles was the Battle of Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania on July 1-3, 1863 — a Union victory that many consider is the war’s turning point.

Several current Pennsylvania National Guard units can trace their lineage to units that fought at Gettysburg, including the 103rd Brigade Engineer Battalion; 1-104th Cavalry Regiment; 1-107th Field Artillery Regiment; 1-108th Field Artillery Regiment; 1-109th Field Artillery Regiment; 1-111th Infantry Regiment; and 1-112th Infantry Regiment. Of note, the Philadelphia Brigade — today's 111th Infantry Regiment — helped turn back the center of Pickett’s Charge at “the Angle” on July 3, 1863.

On April 7, 1870, the term “militia” was replaced with the National Guard of Pennsylvania.

During the War of 1812 (1812-1815) Pennsylvanians again volunteered to defend the nation and the commonwealth. Altogether, more than 14,000 Pennsylvanians actively served. During the Battle of Lake Erie, an artillery company provided volunteers to serve as cannoneers on Commodore Perry's fleet. That unit is known today as Wilkes-Barre's 109th Field Artillery Regiment.

During the Mexican War (1846-1848) Pennsylvania provided two regiments of volunteer militiamen from across the commonwealth. Many of these companies that answered the call were already formed from existing regiments within Pennsylvania’s militia structure.

In 1877, thousands of Pennsylvania Guardsman were called up to restore order in the face of a violent statewide railroad strike. Five guardsman and 20 civilians were killed in the violence.

In June 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes struck Pennsylvania causing widespread flooding across the commonwealth. More than 12,600 Pennsylvania National Guard personnel were activated to assist to local authorities from June 22 through Aug. 6.

More recently, between March 2020 and March 2022, Pennsylvania National Guard members completed hundreds of COVID-19 support missions across the commonwealths, including providing staffing support to 161 long-term care facilities, assisting local government agencies with operating testing sites and administering over 82,000 doses of vaccines.

In May and June 2020, about 3,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members were activated to provide support to local law-enforcement agencies in Philadelphia and several other locations during protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

In January 2021, more than 2,000 Pennsylvania National Guard members were activated to provide security and support local and federal law-enforcement agencies in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg around the Jan. 17, 2021, presidential inauguration.

“Today, people often think of the Pennsylvania National Guard primarily as a force that deploys overseas in a combat role, but we also have a domestic mission to provide civil defense,” Sprowles said. “Throughout its history, the Pennsylvania National Guard has mustered to respond to numerous missions here at home.”

As far as overseas missions, the Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the most deployed state guard in the country.

It started in 1916, when the guard was sent to the Mexican border at El Paso, Texas.

In 1898, the entire Pennsylvania division was mobilized and mustered into federal service at Mount Gretna for the Spanish-American War. Pennsylvania Guard units saw action in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.

Again in 1916, guard members were serving on the Mexican border. As troops began to come home, their mobilizations continued into the Great War, known today as World War I.

The Pennsylvania division, now known as the 28th Division, was called up in the wake of America's entry into World War I (1917-1918). America entered the war during the last two years. The division took part in six major campaigns in France and Belgium resulting in more than 14,000 battle casualties. With its entry into the war, the American forces helped turn the tide to the Allied victory.

On July 15, 1918, elements of the division (notably the 109th and 110th Infantry Regiments) beat back German attacks along the Marne River. Pockets of division Soldiers were surrounded and cut off but fought at the company and platoon level in a ferocious defense of their positions, beating their way through German lines and back to secondary defensive positions. The 28th Division’s stalwart stand earns its soldiers the moniker “Men of Iron” from General of the Armies John Pershing, commander of the Allied Armies.

In 1924, the 103rd Observation Squadron was organized at the Philadelphia Airport under the 28th Division. After World War II, the unit became the forerunner of today’s Pennsylvania Air National Guard.

By 1939, the world was once again at war. Ten months before Pearl Harbor, the 28th Division was ordered into federal service. After America entered World War II (1941-1945), the division trained extensively, both in the homeland and abroad in England and Wales.

Landing in France after D-Day, the division fought through Normandy, helped liberate Paris, and ended up bitterly engaged along the “West Wall” of Germany during the Battle of Hurtgen Forest in November 1944. One month later, during the Battle of the Bulge, the division proved instrumental in stalling the last German offensive of the war.

Elsewhere in the war, the division's 111th Regiment was detached to serve in the Pacific; Pennsylvania's 213th Regiment saw action in North Africa and Italy, while other units served across the globe.

In 1947, The Pennsylvania Air National Guard was formally established.

For its efforts during the Korean War (1950-1953), the 28th Infantry Division was mobilized to reinforce NATO forces and was sent to Germany. Several other Pennsylvania National Guard units saw active service in Korea.

Pennsylvania Air National Guard airlift units flew 134 supply missions to Vietnam between during 1966-1967, becoming the first reserve air force to ever enter a combat zone without actually being mobilized.

Eight Army and Air Guard units from Pennsylvania mobilized for duty in Southwest Asia during Operations Desert Shield (1990-1991) and Desert Storm (19991).

Since 9/11, its soldiers and airmen have completed more than 43,000 individual deployments to locations such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Bosnia, Kosovo and Poland.

Brad Rhen is in the Public Affairs Office of the Pennsylvania National Guard Public Affairs Office.