As the year 1939 brought yet another world war, the Ohio Guard found itself in a relative state of readiness and under the leadership of one of its greatest officers, MG Robert Beightler. The Buckeye Division along with most other Guard units were mobilized in late 1940 as it appeared the United States would be inevitably drawn into the conflict. Once the nation committed to war following the Japanese sneak attack at Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Ohio Guard almost immediately began playing its role. One of its units, the 192nd Tank Battalion, was stationed in the Philippines when the war broke out. Outgunned and undermanned, they tenaciously attempted to stem the Japanese invasion of those islands and became an integral part of the plucky but doomed "Battling Bastards of Bataan." Captured along with the remainder of the U.S. Forces in 1942, they suffered unspeakable horrors and cruelties at the hands of their captors in POW camps.
The Buckeye Division also participated in the Pacific theater of the war, serving during the bloody battle of Guadacanal, New Guinea and the re-taking of the Philippines. The combat record of the Buckeye Division is perhaps best reflected in the fact that it was home to seven Medal of Honor recipients for their heroic actions under fire in World War II. Respected for his leadership and tactical skills, MG Beightler led the Buckeye Division throughout the course of the war, the only one of 32 National Guard division commanders to accomplish this. As in prior conflicts the price of battlefield victory came at a considerable cost as thousands of Ohio Guardsmen made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.