WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD HISTORY: WHO WAS ROSSELL G. O'BRIEN?

As you walk up to the main entrance of the Washington National Guard headquarters building, the name, Rossell G. O’Brien, sits just above the doorway. This feature of the nearly 100-year-old building is often overlooked, just like the plaque on the right side of the doors that briefly tells his story.

Long before he was called the “Father of the Washington National Guard,” Rossell Galbraith O'Brien was born in Dublin, Ireland, on November 27, 1846, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1853, settling down in the Chicago area. When he was just 16, O’Brien entered military service becoming a private in the Ellsworth Zouaves (Governor's Guard). The Zouaves was a military drill team that toured the country, inspired by the French Zouave Infantry units of the 1830s.

He served with the Zouaves until April 28, 1864, when he enlisted in Company D, 134th Illinois Volunteer Regiment and mobilized for service in the Civil War. He was made a second lieutenant on May 31, 1864, serving in a summer campaign in Kentucky until Sept. 1864. He was then ordered to St. Louis with the regiment and served in the campaign against units commanded by Confederate General Sterling Price in Missouri. St. Louis was looked at as a strategic Union stronghold during the war, because of the strong military base and public support. In late September 1864, the Confederate Army of Missouri and Arkansas under Price’s command reentered Missouri and fought several battles but were turned away by the Union soldiers, including O’Brien’s unit, never to step foot in the St. Louis area.

In October of 1864, O’Brien was honorably mustered out of the service and returned to the Governor's Guards of Chicago serving as a first lieutenant from 1865 to 1870.

As the war ended and the nation’s eye turned toward western expansion, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed fellow Union officer and Illinois militia member Edward S. Salomon as the Territorial Governor of Washington. Through his connections Salomon reached out to O'Brien to accompany him and in July 1870, the group arrived in Olympia.

The new governor selected O'Brien as deputy collector of Internal Revenue in 1871 and later served as Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly. In 1876 he was appointed as United States Commissioner. As his civilian career was taking off, O’Brien looked to come back to service. On January 10, 1881, he was appointed as a Captain in the Washington Territorial Militia and formed the “Capitol Guards,” one of the first permanent units in the state. In 1884, O'Brien was appointed as Adjutant General guiding the organization through its formative years, organizing and equipping the militia as a permanent presence in the state. He also served as the adjutant general during the state’s transition from territory to statehood in 1889.

In 1891, while still serving as the adjutant general, O’Brien was elected as the 15th mayor of Olympia, Washington, serving in the position until 1892.

O’Brien was not only a leader in the National Guard, he was a devoted member the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, an organization of Civil War veterans. At a meeting in Tacoma’s Bostwick Building on October 18, 1893, O’Brien proposed a motion that all should stand and remove their hats during the playing of the Star-Spangled Banner. The motion was unanimously adopted, and within two years, had also been adopted nationally by the Loyal Legion which promoted the custom nationwide.

Ready for the next phase of his life, O’Brien retired from the Washington National Guard on July 23, 1895.

Focused on his business career, O’Brien moved to San Francisco establishing himself in real estate and became a broker before moving to Oakland. In 1914, while in Pasadena on business, he was injured in a streetcar accident, which he never recovered from and died in his home on February 12, 1914.

O’Brien’s legacy lived long past his untimely death. In 1931 the custom of standing at attention was formally adopted by United States Congress. In July 1970 a Tacoma chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution installed a plaque on the Bostwick Building commemorating the custom of standing during the Star Spangled Banner. In January 1973 the US House of Representatives adopted House Resolution 137 stating, “The late Rossell G. O’Brien, former mayor of Olympia, Washington, is hereby recognized and honored for originating the custom of rising and standing with head uncovered during a rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, the national anthem of the United States.”

While recent historians argue it was not O'Brien who originated the custom of standing during the anthem, his legacy of service to community, state and nation will never be forgotten, as his name is forever on display on the doors of Building One on Camp Murray.

Employees and Volunteers help bring Holiday Magic to Guard families

With the cost of necessities on the rise due to ongoing inflation, this year’s Holiday Magic event became even more important to National Guard families.

“We have seen a significant decrease in our fundraising and in the amount of donations that we normally do, but we have done a great job of still putting together the resources and our partners that did help have been so generous,” said Deb Discolo, lead military and family readiness specialist with the Joint Service Support (JSS).

This year, the JSS helped to alleviate the pressures of the holidays for 500 families with gifts, stocking stuffers and holiday meals. The full-time staff members of the JSS, along with volunteers from across the Washington National Guard, were on hand Dec. 14 and 15 to help those families attending with securing items and food and making the holidays a little more magical.

“We talk about soldier care, but there is no great way to show our soldiers that we care than to volunteer at events like this and give back to the organization,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Josh Orr, a human resources technician. “Just helping them out when they need it the most is so important.”

Orr is a regular volunteer with JSS, taking his own time whether after work or taking leave in order to ensure events like Holiday Magic are a success.

“We set up all the tables, unloaded all the boxes, sorted the items and are here to help the families that need it,” said Orr. “Events like this mean the world to our soldiers and airmen.”