Governor's Guards (Florida)

Troop C, 1-153rd Cavalry
Active1857–1865, 1877–1891, 1897–present
CountryUnited States
Allegiance United States
BranchFlorida Army National Guard
TypeInfantry/Cavalry (RSTA)
RoleReconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition
SizeTroop
Garrison/HQTallahassee, Florida
Nickname(s)"Governor's Guards"
Call Sign: "Regulators"
(formerly: "Raptor")[1]
EngagementsThird Seminole War
American Civil War
World War I
World War II
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation New Dawn
DecorationsPresidential Unit Citation (US) Philippine Presidential Unit Citation

The Governor's Guards is a historic unit of the Florida Army National Guard, stationed in Tallahassee, Florida. Its current designation is Troop C, 1st Squadron, 153rd Cavalry. The unit has one of the oldest continuous lineages in the Florida National Guard. In 1857, Captain John Parkhill, his brother Samuel M. Parkhill, and Theordore Brevard, Jr. formed a mounted company of "Leon Volunteers" to fight in the Third Seminole War, where John Parkhill was killed in action. John Parkhill's cousin, Captain George W. Parkhill and his brother, Richard C. Parkhill formed a new company called the "Governor's Guards" circa 1859-1860 which later changed its name to "Howell Guards" and fought with the Second Florida Infantry during the Civil War. After the war, the company reorganized as "Governor's Guards", a local militia company, under the command of Captain Alexander Moseley and have had a near-continuous lineage henceforth. The Governor's Guards served as an infantry unit for most of its existence, including in the Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Iraq War and the Global War on Terrorism. The unit consolidated with the Franklin Guards, a detachment in Apalachicola and since 2007 has been Charlie Troop, a dismounted infantry reconnaissance troop.

The Governor's Guards on the Capitol steps in 1899.
C Troop at the end of Annual Training, March 2015 Fort Stewart
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