On November 17, 1921, the 3d Infantry Regiment arrived at Fort Snelling, MN. The Regiment had departed Camp Perry, OH in September and marched to Fort Sheridan, IL for a short break. The snows started early, and the 940-mile exercise was not without incident. The Regiment became acclimated in this way to its old home in Minnesota and its old mission. This mission to be taken up when the regimental commander found that cold weather equipment, including skis, snowshoes, and sled mounts for machine guns had been turned-in by units recently stationed in North Russia.
The Regiment settled into a twenty-year peacetime mission of training National Guard and Reserve troops from the surrounding states and in the local camp of the Civilian Military Training Corps. For a few weeks a year, these men began to get some military training and a basic introduction to military life. The program was particularly important during the Great Depression, as it provided a structured life, with some pay, for men not otherwise employed.
The Regiment called Fort Snelling home for twenty years, earning the nickname “Minnesota’s Own.” The history of Fort Snelling and The Old Guard crossed paths multiple times in the 19th century. The Regiment left Fort Snelling again in January 1941, deploying to Newfoundland to protect North Atlantic shipping lanes and trade long before the U.S. formally entered World War II.
Old Guard History 