Wisconsin National Guard reflects on a historic year of deployment and public service on its 184th birthday Posted by Correspondent | Mar 7, 2021 | Curated | March 5 marked the Wisconsin National Guard’s 184th birthday, and year 183 was a notable one for the history books. The Wisconsin National Guard’s official birthday is March 5, 1837 – the date on which Wisconsin’s territorial Governor Henry Dodge commissioned Morgan L. Martin of Green Bay, Wisconsin, as a captain and the commander of the Green Bay Rangers volunteer company of mounted riflemen. The creation of the Green Bay Rangers predated Wisconsin statehood by 11 years, and the new civilian supplemented military force had a mission of protecting what was then the Wisconsin Territory.