Missouri National Guard, Office of the Adjutant General, State of Missouri Records

The records of the Missouri National Guard, Office of the Adjutant General, contain documents pertaining to Harry S. Truman’s enlistment and subsequent commission and promotion as a member of the Missouri National Guard. Along with these documents is a historical sketch of Truman’s service in World War I.

Size: Less than 1 linear foot (about 25 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: These records are in the public domain, with the exception of the article by Major James Hurston.
Processed by: Lucia Flaim (2008) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

These records are on indefinite loan from the office of the Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard. The records were loaned to the Harry S. Truman Library in 1967.

This collection of records documents Harry S. Truman’s service with the Missouri National Guard.

Included are Truman’s enlistment (1905) and reenlistment (1908) contracts with the Missouri National Guard, as well as the enlistment papers Truman filled out when he rejoined the guard in June 1917, two months after the United States entered the First World War. Also included are records of the physical examinations Truman underwent when he enlisted in 1905 and reenlisted in 1917.

In July 1917, Truman received a commission as a Lieutenant in the Missouri National Guard. The records include his formal acceptance of that commission and the oath of office he executed on that occasion.

A 1949 publication by Major James Huston titled “A Historical Sketch of Captain Harry S. Truman, C.O. of Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division, in World War I,” is included with the records. Also included is a certification of Truman’s service in the Missouri National Guard, notarized by the Adjutant General, L.B. Adams, in 1967.

Further information on Truman’s military career can be found at the Truman Library in the papers of Harry S. Truman (Papers Pertaining to Family, Business, and Personal Affairs) and in Record Group 391 (Battery D records) and Record Group 407 (Truman’s U.S. Army personnel).