Although the history of the Montana National Guard is still being written as its members continue to serve around the globe, the seeds of this long-standing military organization germinated in 1867, when the teritory’s acting governor organized a rag-tag militia force in response to widespread fear of impending Indian uprisings against the white population. It was a fiasco that cost the government dearly. Yet from that humble beginning arose a far more worthy band of soldiers, serving honorably during natural disasters, the Spanish-American War, the Mexican border crises, labor disputes, both World Wars, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and more.