The National Guard

Written by CSM Ret Robert Neal Shaumeyer

Fall 2007

Relate my career. just so you know where I am coming from.

Proud of my service but I don't like to brag about it.

  • After WWI I joined Co G, 2nd Bn, 137th Inf of the Kansas National Guard. I started off with the rank of Sgt, went to Squad Leader with the rank of SSGT, then worked up through First Sgt of the Company. Then in October 1963 I was promoted to Bn CSM and was Sgt Major of the Bn until I retired almost 20 years later.

  • Before I get into more general information about the Guard I would like to tell you about an amusing incident that took place during my tenure as First SGT. In the company we had a PFC by the name of Holt who was a good soldier. Now, Holt was not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, probably if he stayed in the service he would have been a perennial PFC. But if he was given good instructions to do a job he would do everything he could to do that job to the best of his ability. You could assign him a chore and leave him to accomplish the task, with every confidence that he was going to get it done, no matter what - as long as you gave him detailed instructions. We were at our annual field training in Ft McCoy, WS and taking part in tactical exercises. We had what is called opposing forces and were told that they may try to infiltrate our areas at night. We set up a perimeter guard. Private Holt was assigned to one of the guard posts (Listening post). MSGT Hershel Williams was the Sgt of the Guard. Late that night Sgt Williams was making the rounds of the various guard posts to check on the guards, that they were awake and alert. Upon approaching Holt’s post, from out of the dark came Holt’s voice, "Halt." Sgt Williams replied, "Holt?" Came a reply, "Halt." Again Sgt Williams asked, "Holt?" Again the challenge, "Halt." Sgt Williams, said, "Holt, is that you?" After a rather lengthy silence, again, the challenge, "Halt." Finally after a few more exchanges like that, Sgt Williams decided that at least Pvt Holt was awake and alert and started to walk away. He hadn’t gone far when from Pvt Holt’s direction came three shots in rapid succession, the signal for a problem. Sgt Williams ran back to Holt’s position, this time not waiting for a challenge. When he arrived at Holt’s position he asked him what was wrong. Holt told Sgt Williams that just a few minutes ago someone kept trying to get past his guard post, but he never let them come close. Sgt Williams' first inclination was to utter a few curse words in Holt’s direction but quickly overcame that urge, and told Holt that he had done good and to keep up the good work. Sgt Williams related that tale to me the next morning.          

  • All military services depend rather heavily upon reserve force; Navy, Marine, Coast Guard. But the Army and AF are unique in that they have two separate reserve forces, the reserve and the National Guard. What is the difference between the two forces? The Reserve is directly under the control of the Army and Air Force while the National Guard is under the control of the Army through the various state governments, available for state emergency duties. The Guard is split between the Army National Guard and the Air Force National Guard. How this dual status came about is the result of history.

 

Origin of the Guard

Minutemen of Massachusetts.  Paul Revere.

  • Revolutionary War the Continental Army was composed of militias of the 13 colonies. 

  • The adoption of the Constitution mentioned the need for an organized militia. 

  • During the Civil War, again the armies of both North and South depended upon those state militias for the bulk of their armies. 

  • After the Civil War, and as the Nation expanded westward, the National Guard was formally organized by the Congress, forming around those various existing militias. The First Cavalry of Kansas was the nucleus of the Kansas National Guard. Since then the NG has been involved in every conflict and war that came along. The Spanish-American War, the Mexican Border skirmishes, units of the Kansas National Guard served in the Philippines during the insurrection there. 

  • World War I found them fighting in Europe. In early 1941, the National Guard was mobilized for one year. (Remember the song, "Goodbye Dear, I’ll be Home in a Year"?) Well, the one year stretched into five after the Pearl Harbor attack.    

  • The 35th Kansas-Missouri Infantry Division again served with honors in Europe.

  • Some units of the Guard were mobilized during the "Berlin crisis" in 1961

  • Units of the National Guard were again mobilized during the Korean War and the war in Viet Nam.

  • My Brigade, the 35th Infantry Brigade was mobilized during the VN war and sent to Ft. Carson, Colorado.

  • Units served in the first Iraq war and are again in service in Iraq. A transportation unit of the Kansas National Guard stationed in Kansas City, Kansas and Olathe are in Iraq right now and as you probably saw in the news recently an Artillery Battalion has just returned from there. There are many other Guard units there, also.

  • Let me tell you how we received word of our mobilization. We were on riot duty because of the race riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King. Our staff was in a meeting the afternoon of April 11, 1968 planning that night’s activities. A reporter from the K.C. Star stuck his head in and asked Gen Breidenthal what he thought about our mobilization. GB started to talk about the mobilization for the race riots when the reporter interrupted him and said no, you have been mobilized for active duty in the Viet Nam war. GB left the room to get in touch with Topeka HQ and shortly returned to verify that, indeed, we had been mobilized. It was a matter of pride to our soldiers that the Guard outshone the regular Army units at Ft. Carson in tests, inspections, and morale. (AWOL rate) In Fort Carson, instead of sending complete units, the Defense Dept started taking individuals out of the units and sending them to Viet Nam. Our Brigade sent 93% of its officers and warrant officers and 51% our enlisted men. 38 of our people were killed in Viet Nam. Since returning from active duty, the Kansas National Guard units, both Air and Army, have continued to set the pace in many ways. The pilots of the Kansas Air National Guard often beat the regular AF and Reserve pilots in air gunnery tests, hitting their targets by a much higher percentage and also in maintenance of aircraft.

  • And let me tell you about my Battalion, the 2d of the 13th Infantry. Last summer I had the honor of being invited to visit the Bn in Ft Riley during VIP day where they had been training for almost three weeks. They were training in the use of their newly received Bradley Fighting Vehicle (describe the vehicle.  Tow, 75mm cannon, 50 cal MG). Over 85% of the soldiers qualified in their tests on the first try. The tester from Fort Benning, GA told us in our briefing that that was the highest percentage ever qualified on the vehicle, both active army and reserve forces. The Bn commander had qualified at 2 A.M the morning before we got there on our visit. The soldiers gave a good demonstration on the operation and capabilities of the Bradley; it was impressive. But more impressive to me was the attitude and morale of the soldiers. As a long time senior NCO, I knew from experience that to find out what is really going on in a unit, you talk to the privates, the corporals and the lower ranking sgts. I made a deliberate effort to talk to as may of them as possible. I found them intelligent, dedicated, and proud. I mentioned to them that by making such good test scores, they were making themselves eligible for duty in Iraq. Their answer, almost to a man, was that is what we are here for.

 

    So, in closing, I tell you that you can be proud and confident of your National Guard and the young men who are doing their duty and doing it well.

 

This is the story of the life of Cleta and Robert Shaumeyer.

Written by CSM Ret Robert Neal Shaumeyer

21 Jan 2004

We’ll start with Robert, only because he was born before Cleta. Certainly not because he is more important than Cleta.  Both always considered each other equals in their life together.  Both were equally proud of each other. We will get into their life together later.

 

Robert Neal Shaumeyer was born on June 18, 1923 at 327 South Boeke Street in Kansas City, Kansas.  He was the youngest of six children born to Albert George and Rose Jemima (Jenkins).  His brother, Albert George, Jr., was the oldest, being 13 years of age at the time.  His sister, Rosina Jane was 12 years of age, his brother William Hopkins was 11, sister Anna Mary was Ten and Frederick Francis was Six.   A story his sister Mary delights in telling, on the morning of the day of Robert’s birth all of the children were sent out to play.  Shortly thereafter the doctor arrived and went into the house carrying a little black bag.  When he came out later, he told the children that they had a little baby brother.  Mary said that for a long time she thought that the doctor had brought her new baby brother in that little black bag.

 

Almost immediately he became known to his parents, brothers and sisters as “Bobby” and to his aunts and uncles as “Little Bobby,” a title which would stick with him into late in his teen years.

 

In January, 1925 Bob’s father died of a heart attack, leaving his mother to raise and provide for the six children on her own. How traumatic that must have been to Bob’s mother! Suffering not only the loss of her husband but facing the future to raise six children and with no tangible means of support.  However, Rose was not daunted.  She was one of the bravest women in Bob’s life!

 

The aunts and uncles gathered together after the funeral and discussed how they could help Rose.  Each one was going to take one of the children to their home.  However, no one seemed to want to take Fred.  Albert, the oldest child overheard them talking about this and determined that he was not going to let  them break up his family.  To help his mother, Albert got a job delivering newspapers, which involved making morning and evening deliveries and collecting subscription money.  He continued this job until he was old enough to get a regular job.  Then he went to work for the Kansas City Fiber Box Company, a company for which he worked until his retirement, even through a number of ownership and name changes, ending up as Hinde & Dauch..  As soon as William was old enough, he joined Albert at that company and also stayed with it until his retirement.

 

The big depression came along when Bob was six years old and because of the rough times, his mother was forced to sell the house on Boeke and the family moved to a rented house on  Bethany just one block south of Central Avenue.  This was the first of several moves as Bob was growing up.

 

When they moved to 1240 Pacific Avenue in 1930 Bob’s oldest sister became pregnant.  She was married to William Gier, and they were living with Bob’s family.  “Sis” gave birth to a girl, Rosemary Elizabeth, on December 8, 1931.  On December 21 Sis died from complications of childbirth.  Rosemary was than raised by Bob’s mother and became more like a sister than a niece.

 

The final move of the family was to 557 Freeman.  And it was while they were there that World War 2 began for the United States.  Bob was inducted into the Army in January, 1943 and served in the European Theater of Operations.  He was released from the Army in January, 1946  In March, 1946 he went to work at H.D. Lee Garment Factory at 20th and Baltimore in Kansas City,  Missouri.  It was there that he met Cleta Brewer, working at the same place.

 

Now, let us go to the story of Cleta before she and Bob met.

 

Cleta was born on a farm in Northwest Missouri near the town of Rosendale.  The date of birth was October 6, 1925.  Her parents were Orville and Iva Brewer.  She had a sister, Doris Irene who was a year and almost 5 months older.  Her mother gave birth later to a son, Kenneth Reed.

Cleta went to school and lived on a farm until she turned 18 years of age in 1943.  She and Doris moved to Kansas City, Missouri to work at H.D. Lee Garment factory.  Her Aunt Margaret Lewis was working at that plant and since it was a time of war, help was needed and Aunt Margaret got them both jobs working there.  She and Doris lived with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Bill for a short time and then moved into an apartment of their own at 910 East 25th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

When Bob started work at H.D. Lee, he was almost immediately attracted to Cleta by her beauty and quiet manner.  Bob had a job called “bundle boy.”  In this job he was required to keep machine operators in the coverall department supplied with the parts they needed to keep the assembly line moving.  Part of his duties was to go to the next floor up to secure the parts from the cutting room.  Cleta’s machine, which made button holes in flys for jeans, was close to and faced the elevator door in which Bob brought the parts down to this floor.  So, every time he came down with a dolly loaded with parts, one of the first persons he saw was Cleta.  Even though it seemed that she was ignoring him, Bob was determined that he was going to ask Cleta to go out with him.  In her memoirs latr Cleta disclosed that she “was interested in him from the time she first saw him.“  It took some persuasion but finally Cleta assented when Bob got promoted to supervisor of the Coveralls department and he asked her to go out with him to help celebrate. 

 

After about a six month courtship, Bob asked Cleta to marry him and finally, on the third try she said, “Yes.” A wedding date of April 5, 1947 was set. 

During this time, Doris was married to Charles Clements and moved out of the apartment back to the Stanberry, Missouri area where Charles was a farmer.  Doris and Charles were married at a Christian Church Parsonage in Maryville, Missouri.  Cleta and Bob were Maid of Honor and Best Man at their wedding.

 

On April 5, 1947, the day before Easter, Cleta and Bob were married at the same Parsonage by the same minister.  This time, Doris and Charles were Maid of Honor and Best Man.  Mary Jo Womach a cousin of Cleta’s and Ray Whitlock, a friend of Bob, were attendants.

 

They returned to the Brewer farm near Stanberry that afternoon where the Brewer relatives gave a reception.

 

That evening, Cleta, Bob and Ray decided to go to St. Joseph to see a movie.  While they were in St. Joseph it rained rather heavily.  Since the Brewer farm was on a dirt over a mile from the nearest gravel road it was necessary for Cleta, Bob and Ray to walk the distance from the gravel road to the Brewer house.  So Cleta and Bob spent part of their first night together wading through mud to get to the Brewer house. 

 

The next day, Easter Sunday, Cleta and Bob returned to Kansas City and Bob’s mother hosted a reception there at her house for them in which many of Bob’s relatives attended.

 

Since Cleta had been living by herself in the apartment since Doris left, Bob moved into the apartment with her.

 

On the following Monday, Cleta and Bob went to Wichita, Kansas where they spent a week for their honeymoon.

 

In the Fall of 1947, Cleta quit her job at H. D. Lee and went to work as a sales lady for new Sears store which opened on the Country Club Plaza.  She worked in the camera and office equipment department where she made a very good commission, outselling all the other sales people in that department. 

Then, in January 1948, Bob quit his job and went to work for the Kansas City Public Service Company, the transit company in greater Kansas City as an operator of streetcars, trolley buses and buses.   This was job he really enjoyed until the company started eliminating streetcar lines.

 

On June 22, 1949 Cleta gave birth to a daughter, Vicki Gayle, at Bethany Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas.  Vick was born by caesarean and was four months premature.  She weighed in at a little over four pounds and had to spend about four weeks in the hospital  before she could come home. 

 

During this time Cleta and Bob bought their first house at 1504 Haskell Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas.  Therefore, even though Vicki’s birth certificate shows her place of residence as 910 East 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, she never lived in Missouri, but only in Kansas.

 

After Vicki’s birth Cleta did not return to her job at Sears but become a full time stay at home mother.. 

 

In October of 1949 Bob joined the Kansas Army National Guard on a part time basis.  He slowly worked his way up in rank to become First Sergeant of Company G, Second Battalion, 137th Infantry.

 

Then, in September, 1955 a full time position with the Kansas Army National Guard opened up and after consultation with Cleta, Bob decided to take the position.  This became his life time career.