Milton Reckord

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General Reckord speaks to a special services volunteer
General Reckord speaks to a special services volunteer

Milton Atchison Reckord (December 28, 1879 – September 8, 1975) was an important figure in the history of the National Guard of the United States. He also served as Adjutant General of the State of Maryland

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[edit] Early life and family

Reckord was born to John and Lydia (Zimmerman) Reckord at their home in Harford County, Maryland. He commenced work at his father's milling plant in 1896 upon his graduation from Belair High School. He was married to Bessie Payne Roe from 1910 until her death in 1943, and had one daughter with her, Gladys Atchison Reckord.

[edit] Military career

Reckord expressed desire to serve in the military, but, at the request of his mother, delayed entry into service until he turned 21. He enlisted in Company D, 1st Maryland Infantry, Maryland National Guard on February 15, 1901, and would eventually rise to command the same company when he was commissioned as a captain in December 1904. As a major, in 1916, Reckord was given command of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Maryland Infantry, which deployed to the Mexican border and served in the Mexican Expedition commanded by Gen. John J. Pershing. When the 29th Infantry Division was created on the eve of World War I in 1917, Reckord was given command of one of its regiments, the 115th Infantry, which saw combat during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. In 1920, he was appointed Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard and, in 1934, while still serving as Maryland's Adjutant General, he assumed command of the 29th Infantry Division.

During the years between the First and Second World War, Reckord was a leading advocate for increasing the role of the National Guard in the United States' national defensive strategy. From 1923 to 1925, he served as president of the National Guard Association of the United States. In 1933, he authored legislation that permanently gave National Guard personnel status as both state and federal troops.

Reckord was mobilized for World War II with the 29th Infantry Division in February 1941 and took a leave of absence from his post as Maryland's Adjutant General. Deemed by the Army to be too old to command a division in combat, he was relieved of command and assigned as the commander of the III Corps Area. He later deployed overseas and was named Theater Provost Marshal, European Theater of Operations.

After World War II, Reckord returned to his post as the Adjutant General of Maryland. He was promoted to Lieutenant General by Governor J. Millard Tawes in 1961, and continued to serve as Adjutant General until his retirement in 1966.

[edit] Legacy

The Reckord Trophy is a prize awarded annually to the Army National Guard battalion(s) that achieves the highest standards of training and readiness. The Reckord Trophy is one of the highest peacetime awards given to National Guard units.

Reckord Armory, a recreation and athletics building on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park, was named for Milton Reckord in 1961. There is also a National Guard facility in the town of Bel Air, in Harford County, Maryland known as Reckord Armory. It is now a Recreational facility.

[edit] Awards and medals

  • World War II
    • Bronze Star Medal with citation (June 28, 1945)
    • British Knight Commander Order of the Bath (September 5, 1945)
    • Two Oak leaf clusters added to Distinguished Service Medal with citations (February 28, 1944, and May 24, 1947)
    • French Croix de Guerre (July 31, 1946)
    • French Legion of Honor
    • American Defense Medal
    • Victory Medal
    • Distinguished Service Medal from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Alabama
    • Distinguished Service Medal of the American Legion
    • Third Bronze Oak Leaf cluster added to Distinguished Service Medal (December 21, 1965).

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

  • The Maryland National Guard: A History of Maryland's Military Forces 1634-1991, by Joseph M. Balkoski
Preceded by
Henry M. Warfield		 Adjutant General of the state of Maryland
1920–1966		 Succeeded by
George M. Gelston