California's path to honor began with the arrival of the first American settlers in the 1830s and 1840s. Their militias helped win California for the U.S. during the Mexican-American War. During the Civil War, the state sent 17,000 volunteers to support the Union. California Soldiers have also contributed in the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Afghanistan and Iraq. At home, the California Army National Guard saw state active duty during the 1965 Watts riots in Los Angeles, after the powerful San Francisco-area earthquake of 1989 and patrolling the Mexican border for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. Their path to honor has been a celebrated one, and you can follow it.