Pennsylvania National Guard celebrates 275th anniversary

• Scott LaMar
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  Scott LaMar has worked in both radio and television for more than four decades.
  
  Currently, LaMar is the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar has moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  LaMar often emcees or moderates local events and has gone as far as California to emcee a national event.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

 Mindaugas Kulbis / The Associated Press

FILE PHOTO: Members of the U.S. Army of the Pennsylvania National Guard unload equipment as they arrive at a airport in Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, June 5, 2016.

Airdate: December 20, 2022

The Pennsylvania National Guard is celebrating it’s 275^th anniversary this month.

In December 1747, Pennsylvania was still very much a colony made up of pacifists befitting its Quaker tradition. Joining us on The Spark Tuesday, Captain Michael Sprowles, a curator at the Pennsylvania National Guard Museum talked about the Quaker tradition,”They’re very much opposed to the idea of having military force here. Kind of went against their beliefs. But there were threats to Philadelphia in particular at the time. So Benjamin Franklin proposed the idea of a volunteer association, people, unpaid, locals that would get together, organize, and they would act as a militia in intent, but without really carrying the name of an organized militia.”

Longevity aside, during its 275 year existence, the Pennsylvania National Guard has played a leading role in American military history, including in the American Revolution,”The first city troop, first one or fourth Cav, they escorted George Washington to the Continental Army when he actually took control of it. And that unit’s been escorting the president to the inauguration ever since. These units, they fought with Washington during some of the more notable experiences. Right. So that their famous painting of Washington crossing the Delaware that was actually the Pennsylvania National Guard at the time with him. Other units as well. But but the guard was there, the artillery and the infantry. They went on to the Battle of Princeton, the Battle of Trenton, the story of Molly Pitcher, almost legendary. She was actually with the artillery and the Pennsylvania National Guard, or at least the historic basis for her was.”

The Pennsylvania National Guard fought at Gettysburg in the Civil War and the Battle of Marne in World War I, but Sprowles said they Guard was especially notable at the Battle of the Bulge in World War II,”The German army actually mounted their last major offensive of World War II right in the Ardennes and centered on the 28th I.D. (Infantry Division). Now the 20th I.D., they to their credit, were outnumbered 7 to 1 and larger, depending on if you include armor and all that stuff they were facing. They held out for two days and allowed the allies to reposition forces into Bastogne.”