06/16/2026
This Week in History
June 15 – 22, 2026
1884 (142 years ago) June 17 - An encampment of the organized, uniformed and equipped volunteer militia companies of the state, commenced at Magnolia Bluff, Pensacola. Col. W.D. Chipley, Vice-President of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad furnished tents and free transportation between River Junction and Pensacola. Officers and men were expected to serve without pay. Companies participating “must consist of not less than 16 men, exclusive of officers, and must be fully uniformed, armed and equipped, and must furnish rations en route.”
1916 (110 years ago) June 19 - Florida’s Second Regiment of Infantry mobilized to maintain law and order on the Mexican-American border following a raid by Pancho Villa guerrillas on Columbus, New Mexico. Commanded by then-Colonel Albert Blanding, the Second Regiment served on the border for 10 months, until March 1917.
1928 (98 years ago) June 18 - The Adjutant General Brigadier General J. Clifford R. Foster died in his home in St. Augustine. He served 22 years as Adjutant General from 1901-1917 and 1923-1928. Foster is credited with having served on a committee to draft the Militia Act of 1903, the first such act to modernize the National Guard by providing federal funds for training and equipment comparable to the Army. Later, he served on a committee of the National Guard Officers Association to draft legislation towards the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916 allowing the President to federalize the National Guard in times of emergency. Foster was also responsible for securing the lease with the U.S. Government making the St. Francis Barracks in St. Augustine headquarters for the Florida State Troops.
1951 (75 years ago) June 19 - Congress passed the “Universal Training and Military Service Act.” Among its provisions, the legislation required each male drafted after 21 June 1951 to serve two years of active duty and then six more in a reserve component. The service secretaries were authorized to permit any man who entered organized units of the National Guard or other reserve components to be released from serving in the regular armed forces.
1966 (60 years ago) June 17 - Lieutenant General Mark Lance, namesake of the Lance Armory in St. Augustine, passed away at his home in St. Augustine. Born in 1898, Lance served as a Machinist Mate during the First World War, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, before joining the Florida National Guard in 1927 and serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII with the 31st Infantry Division. Lance was largely responsible for the reorganization of the Florida National Guard following WWII, serving as Adjutant General from 1947 until his retirement in 1962.
1972 (54 years ago) June 19 - Thirty-four Florida National Guard Soldiers mobilized to assist local authorities during Hurricane Agnes. The soldiers aided in evacuation efforts spurred by flooding in Pinellas County. The storm, a category one hurricane at the time of landfall, was responsible for the deaths of 9 Floridians and caused over 8 million dollars' worth of damage.
2010 (16 years ago) June 19 - More than 30 Soldiers from the Florida National Guard were activated to perform an oil reconnaissance mission in support of Operation Deepwater Horizon. Before mission's end, more than 80 Florida Soldiers and Airmen served in direct support of Operation Deepwater Horizon with missions including liaison support, aviation support, public/external affairs, communication support and reconnaissance of beaches and coastal areas, under the direction of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard.
2020 (6 years ago) The Florida National Guard continued to support State of Florida COVID-19 response and mitigation activities. By the end of the week of June 13-19, 2020, 1,731 Florida Guardsmen were on active duty in support of the State's COVID response operating Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS). Florida Guardsmen supported the transport of supplies from the State Logistics Readiness Center in central Florida and served as liaisons for local emergency management offices across the state and at the State Emergency Operations Center. By June 19, there were 89,748 cases and 3,104 deaths from COVID reported in Florida.
This Week in History
June 15 – 22, 2026
1884 (142 years ago) June 17 - An encampment of the organized, uniformed and equipped volunteer militia companies of the state, commenced at Magnolia Bluff, Pensacola. Col. W.D. Chipley, Vice-President of the Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad furnished tents and free transportation between River Junction and Pensacola. Officers and men were expected to serve without pay. Companies participating “must consist of not less than 16 men, exclusive of officers, and must be fully uniformed, armed and equipped, and must furnish rations en route.”
1916 (110 years ago) June 19 - Florida’s Second Regiment of Infantry mobilized to maintain law and order on the Mexican-American border following a raid by Pancho Villa guerrillas on Columbus, New Mexico. Commanded by then-Colonel Albert Blanding, the Second Regiment served on the border for 10 months, until March 1917.
1928 (98 years ago) June 18 - The Adjutant General Brigadier General J. Clifford R. Foster died in his home in St. Augustine. He served 22 years as Adjutant General from 1901-1917 and 1923-1928. Foster is credited with having served on a committee to draft the Militia Act of 1903, the first such act to modernize the National Guard by providing federal funds for training and equipment comparable to the Army. Later, he served on a committee of the National Guard Officers Association to draft legislation towards the passage of the National Defense Act of 1916 allowing the President to federalize the National Guard in times of emergency. Foster was also responsible for securing the lease with the U.S. Government making the St. Francis Barracks in St. Augustine headquarters for the Florida State Troops.
1951 (75 years ago) June 19 - Congress passed the “Universal Training and Military Service Act.” Among its provisions, the legislation required each male drafted after 21 June 1951 to serve two years of active duty and then six more in a reserve component. The service secretaries were authorized to permit any man who entered organized units of the National Guard or other reserve components to be released from serving in the regular armed forces.
1966 (60 years ago) June 17 - Lieutenant General Mark Lance, namesake of the Lance Armory in St. Augustine, passed away at his home in St. Augustine. Born in 1898, Lance served as a Machinist Mate during the First World War, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer, before joining the Florida National Guard in 1927 and serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII with the 31st Infantry Division. Lance was largely responsible for the reorganization of the Florida National Guard following WWII, serving as Adjutant General from 1947 until his retirement in 1962.
1972 (54 years ago) June 19 - Thirty-four Florida National Guard Soldiers mobilized to assist local authorities during Hurricane Agnes. The soldiers aided in evacuation efforts spurred by flooding in Pinellas County. The storm, a category one hurricane at the time of landfall, was responsible for the deaths of 9 Floridians and caused over 8 million dollars' worth of damage.
2010 (16 years ago) June 19 - More than 30 Soldiers from the Florida National Guard were activated to perform an oil reconnaissance mission in support of Operation Deepwater Horizon. Before mission's end, more than 80 Florida Soldiers and Airmen served in direct support of Operation Deepwater Horizon with missions including liaison support, aviation support, public/external affairs, communication support and reconnaissance of beaches and coastal areas, under the direction of the Florida Division of Emergency Management and U.S. Coast Guard.
2020 (6 years ago) The Florida National Guard continued to support State of Florida COVID-19 response and mitigation activities. By the end of the week of June 13-19, 2020, 1,731 Florida Guardsmen were on active duty in support of the State's COVID response operating Community Based Testing Sites (CBTS). Florida Guardsmen supported the transport of supplies from the State Logistics Readiness Center in central Florida and served as liaisons for local emergency management offices across the state and at the State Emergency Operations Center. By June 19, there were 89,748 cases and 3,104 deaths from COVID reported in Florida.
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