Florida National Guard During World War II

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Florida National Guard members, circa World War II

Photo Credit: Florida State Archives

After Florida's National Guard was federalized during the War, most of its servicemen remained on active duty until 1945.

When World War II began, the Florida National Guard consisted of over 3,000 citizen-soldiers. After World War I, the Florida Guard quelled civil disturbances, assisted in relief efforts and enforced health quarantines. After France fell in 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt urged Congress to institute the first peacetime draft in American history. He began federalizing certain National Guard units, including Florida’s. The men’s original one-year term of service was extended in the fall of 1941. Unless discharged sooner, most remained on active duty until 1945. To provide for Florida’s protection, a Florida Defense Force, later known as the Florida State Guard (FSG), was established.

Florida’s National Guard units were initially part of the Army’s 31st Division. Camp Blanding, near Starke, was the division’s mobilization and training site from late 1940 through the summer of 1941. The 31st Division saw combat at New Guinea and the Philippines. Elements of the Florida Guard’s 124th Infantry Regiment, by then reattached to the division, earned Distinguished Unit Citations for their performance. At least 158 guardsmen died during the war.