Video

Video by Master Sgt. Khalia Jackson

District of Columbia National Guard Commemorates First Muster

DC National Guard

Oct. 30, 2022 | 3:06

The District of Columbia National Guard (DCNG) commemorates the 220th Anniversary of the First Muster and honors the sacrifice and dedication of our forebearers.

On May 3, 1802, Washington, D.C. was incorporated as our nation’s capital city. On that same day, the District of Columbia National Guard was born. Originally founded as the D.C. Militia, its central purpose was to defend the federal government, the nation’s capital, and its people from foreign and domestic threats.

Nearly six months after the D.C. Militia’s founding, its first formation likely took place near present-day Walt Whitman Park on October 30th. That event, remembered today as the “First Muster,” marked the beginning of the DCNG’s long, complex, and proud history of service and sacrifice to the nation, the capital city, and its people.