The National Guard has been organized in Richmond since June 3, 1916, when it was federally recognized as Field Hospital Company No.2. On July 1, 1922, the company was reorganized as the 138th Hospital Company until it was incorporated into the 113th Medical Regiment on February 16, 1923. "Effective January 1, 1937, the 138th Hospital Company, 113th Medical Regiment, was redesignated Company 'H', 113th Medical Regiment." Since that time, the National Guard in Richmond has undergone several reorganizations, with a medical detachment located there during World War II, a field artillery unit, and the 103rd Forward Support Battalion (now in Harrodsburg) all having been there at one time. During World War II, the unit fought in Ardennes, France, and the Argonne Forest.
The National Guard in Richmond has seen active duty in several wars, including World War II, Korea, and most recently, Desert Storm, where the 2123rd was on active duty from October 1990 to June 1991.
The 206th Engineers has the largest authorized strength in the state with a total of 805 people. The Engineers have been as far west as Colorado, and have been overseas. Members of the 206th went to Germany as part of an exchange program between members of the Kentucky National Guard and the German Guard in the late 1980s and 1990s. In 1993-94 the Guard traveled to Honduras for their annual training. Recently, the 206th Engineers were the first unit in Kentucky to send a barge load of equipment to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas for annual training.
The 206th Engineers were activated for state duty during the March 1997 flood, snow duty during the storm of 1998 (where they served in 30 different counties), tornado clean-ups in western Kentucky and Berea in 1996, and war exercises. Other state duties have included building dams in Garrard County, cleaning up at Lake Reba, and building an obstacle course, washrack, and tent pads at the Wendell Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville. The Engineers also built concrete pads and loading docks at the Bluegrass Army Depot in Richmond. The Engineers have completed many projects in the Richmond area, including an annual clean-up of the Kentucky River every year, assistance to local Boy Scouts, and participation in the Special Olympics torch run every year. The Battalion provided boats to cross the river when the Valley View Ferry had to be repaired.
The 2123rd Transportation Company was Company B of the 735th Main Support Battalion until 1988 when they became the 2123rd. The unit was activated for Desert Storm in October of 1990, and was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait until July 1991. The unit hauled heavy equipment, such as the Army's M-1 tanks while they were in Desert Storm. Their mission was to haul equipment from the transport ships to the Army bases, a 357 mile one-way trip. Sometimes trucks were on the road for 24 hours. Unlike other companies, which may be activated for only brief periods during the year, the 2123rd is on duty year round, due to part of their state mission, which includes hauling equipment to annual training sites for every unit in the state. The 2123rd supports the Army during wartime. Between the years of 1997-2002, the unit will be sending 60 drivers to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California, in 3 rotations every year.
In all, the company has 96 trucks, with 48 of these kept in Richmond, mainly at the Bluegrass Army Depot's motor pool. The trucks which are used to haul the Army's M-1 tanks are known as the M1070 or M1000 Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET).
The 2123rd was recognized for their service in Desert Storm with the Meritorious Unit Commendation Award, two Kuwait Liberation Medals - one from Kuwait and one from Saudi Arabia, as well as the Southwest Asia Service Medal.
The National Guard has played a part in the military and community life of Richmond since its inception in the 1920s. The armories have been important military and community centers for Richmond, and continue to function in that capacity today, as the current armory is the center for many community activities, and the old armory functions as a community recreation center. The current armory is not eligible for the National Register based on its recent date of construction. However, the former Richmond Armory, built in 1942, is eligible for the National Register.
The old armory in Richmond is a two-story yellow brick building located at the corner of 2nd Street and Moberly Avenue in downtown Richmond. The building was completed and dedicated in 1942, and was designed by the architects Weber & Weber, who also designed the old armory in Lexington in the same style. Preston S. Sinton was the principal engineer on the project. The building was completed with Works Progress Administration (WPA) funds. Currently, the old armory is owned by the city of Richmond, and it now houses the Richmond Parks and Recreation Center. The site of the old armory has an extensive history, as many other buildings existed there before the armory.
The first building on the site was Madison Academy, a three-story brick school building built in 1856. In 1894, the school was demolished to make way for a newer, more modern facility, which became known as Caldwell High School. Like its predecessor, the high school was a large three-story brick building, and it remained on the site until March 9, 1921, when it burned. After that, the one-and-a-half acre lot sat empty until 1940, when construction of the armory began.
The armory was completed and dedicated in 1942, and a Medical unit was the first to be stationed there. This unit served in World War II. The National Guard from Richmond also served in Korea, at which time they were a Field Artillery unit. Mr. Elmo Gum, a retired Sergeant Major who served in the Richmond Guard for 37 years, remembers "...the unit was the 144st and then the 138th Field Artillery, and that over the next 18 years, remained Field Artillery, but moved up from smaller to larger artillery pieces (from towed guns to self-propelled)." In 1985, the National Guard was reorganized as the 206th Engineers, and a detachment of the 2123rd Transportation Company was also located there.
The old armory is a two-story painted brick building with some decorative horizontal bands of brick projecting from the facade, giving it a touch of the Art Deco style popular in the 1920s and 30s. The building has a set of replacement glass doors leading into the building. The original were most likely wood. The interior of the building, especially the basement, has been altered. Mr. Gum remembers ".. the basement had a dirt floor," when he first joined the Guard, and that while he was there, "...the floor was changed to poured concrete." Military vehicles were stored in the basement, and there were two garage doors located where the two sets of glass doors are today.
This armory was vacated by the National Guard in 1977, when a new armory was built on Irvine Road. The old armory was acquired by the City of Richmond in 1978. The Richmond Parks and Recreation Board maintained an office in the building after it was acquired, and the building also functioned a as a Senior Citizens Center. It may also have been a roller rink for a while. Many renovations took place after the building was acquired by the city.