by Jeremy P. Amick (Author)

Jefferson City has a unique and enduring legacy of brave individuals banding together to answer the nation's call to arms. The Missouri National Guard's Company L, 2nd Infantry mobilized in support of the Mexican Border War in 1916 and later federalized for deployment during the Great War. Local youth scrambled to recruiting stations for a chance to join in the fray against Germany and Japan during World War II. Later, brave residents found themselves in the Korea peninsula or the jungles of Vietnam. It is clear that the Jefferson City community has a history of embracing the groundswell of patriotic pride that emerges in support of those who chose to fight--and sometimes lay down their lives--for a cause they view as greater than themselves.