If I had it to do all over again - I think I would have liked to have been one of them.

They serve at the call of the Federal Government, but also at the call of States when national and local emergencies arise, such as fires and major flooding, disaster relief, and earthquake response.

-They turned out for 911.
-They waded in, after Hurricane Katrina.
-They are at work today and tonight on the fires in California.
-They are sandbagging the Mississippi River to prevent flooding RIGHT NOW.
-They fly rescue choppers and B-1 bombers
-They have been shot at in combat zones, and here at home...

But they never quit...

I can think of no organisation I have more respect for

They were the original MILITIA, and still are today.

Unlike the Federal Military - they serve to handle National Emergencies, Disaster Relief, and in Foreign Wars...

The most capable branch of the ARMED FORCES.

We are aware of the popular branches of the ARMED FORCES, NOW HEAR THIS! They are hiring, if you can handle it - here is the link:
The National Guard - Official Website of the National Guard

They serve FAR AWAY, but they also serve AT HOME!

God bless them, I wish I had known the whole story when I was young.

If you follow that link and look at the history of it - I think you will see what I did.

~Wolfie
AT1/AW J. USN(ret)


I have posted this, because their story does not seem to get told as widely as the other branches of the services, and they do so much that their story needs to be told and brought attention to!

I salute them!

~Wolf

 

Great post, Dutch!!!!!!!!


Right here in my 'back yard'. . . . DC Air National Guard. 113th Tac Fighter Wing.

These guys play in the sky, right over my house!!!!!!!!


Ahhhhhhhh. . . the sound of Freedom!!!!

One of the guys I used to work with served with these guys. (But, that was waaaaaaaay back when they flew the F-100 Super Sabre, aka "The Lead Sled".)

 

I get it all except the "unknown" part.

 

I never even thought of or heard about them when I wanted to join up.

It would have made a BIG difference in what I wanted to DO WITH MYSELF at the time...

I wish I had done that in the beginning - but it's too late now.


I SWEAR TO GOD!!!

 

It's a part of the armed forces that does not have offices for recruitment all across the country.

You can find branches of the armed forces recruiting in most cities - but the guard is not an obvious recruiter.

Ever see a guard office next to the other branches?

I kind of think that sucks - because given the choice I'd have GONE THERE

Can you imagine helping your own when you were not deployed?

Federal troops are restricted in that....

When San Diego was ON FIRE a few years ago, the official NAVY and USMC people were not allowed to help.

Because we were federal troops....

I had to take leave to find out if my own brother was burned out of his house in Spring Valley!!!

 

At 18, I registered for the draft and joined the Marine Reserves. My fighter squadron (VMF112) is still active today after all these years, although the F-4U Corsairs have been replaced with Hornets. I got to meet and work with some great people in the reserves. I wanted to go to college and the G.I. Bill was in place so I had my name placed at the top of the draft list (enlist equaled 3 years, draft was 2 years). All in all, the Army was a good experience and taught me a lot, but I hated having others in control of my life. I did my 2 years, earned my 4 years of college and wouldn't change a thing.

 

Ironically enough, if you watch the news and see millitary people Sandbagging in Quincy IL, they arn't the Guardsmen from the Quincy unit, theyre in the sandbox....

 

Like blue oval stated. I have the the Massachusetts Air Nation Guard base in Westfield, MA very close. It is home to the 104th fighter wing. They fly F-15's. Their mission is to protect the northeast against another 911 attack.

I drive near to base a few times a month to watch departures and arrivals of the fighters. A few weeks back they were doing touch and go's....very cool to watch.

The F-15's are new to Barnes ANGB as part of the BARC. Before that we had the A-10's. One of my friend is in the guard and a base firefighter. Through him I have had to pleasure of meeting and becoming friends with alot of guard service people.

If that is not enough, in the next town over we have Westover Air Force Reserve Base. They are the 439th airlift wing. The fly the HUGE C-5B's.

 

I have to disagree with you on the militia part, Dutch.

The militia in this country was originally every able-bodied male--it wasn't a real formal, organized outfit, but everyone who wanted to defend their way of life and believed in the idea of freedom from tyranny. I don't recall if they were required to own a musket or not, but I bet many/most did.

They're definitely not unknown, either. Many Guard units have done 2-3 rotations overseas since 9/11. Our local unit (209th Quartermasters) have done at least two that I can think of. I believe that those who went on the first tour were given the option of not going the second time, but most didn't exercise that option.

Jason

 

The Governator just called out the National Guard to help with the wildfire situation here in CA. While military training does not prepare them for that type of firefighting, they can provide all kinds of backup and vehicles to help out.

Jim

 

Jason - this is copied and pasted from the National Guards own website (the link to it is in the top post):

About the National Guard

The National Guard, the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation's longest-enduring institutions, celebrated its 370th birthday on December 13, 2006. The National Guard traces its history back to the earliest English colonies in North America. Responsible for their own defense, the colonists drew on English military tradition and organized their able-bodied male citizens into militias.

The colonial militias protected their fellow citizens from Indian attack, foreign invaders, and later helped to win the Revolutionary War. Following independence, the authors of the Constitution empowered Congress to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia." However, recognizing the militia's state role, the Founding Fathers reserved the appointment of officers and training of the militia to the states. Today's National Guard still remains a dual state-Federal force.

Throughout the 19th century the size of the Regular Army was small, and the militia provided the bulk of the troops during the Mexican War, the early months of the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War. In 1903, important national defense legislation increased the role of the National Guard (as the militia was now called) as a Reserve force for the U.S. Army. In World War I, which the U.S. entered in 1917, the National Guard made up 40% of the U.S. combat divisions in France; in World War II, National Guard units were among the first to deploy overseas and the first to fight.

You'll find it in the top navigation bar on their website, under "About the National Guard".

 

Thanks, Dutch, for the text--you helped me make my point. The original National Guardsmen were local outfits, now they're "state-federal". Not to mention, the enlistment standards mimic those of their active branches, leaving many older, yet still very capable, men from coming to the defense of the country.

Jason

 

I asked a rep online if there were civilian support positions (Like tech reps, or something) but they said no - all their positions are military.

They also told me that if you're retired from one branch, you can't come back in as a Guardsman. Not that I'd want to finish destroying my legs and ankles, running is something I no longer do.

 

The ANG is usually composed of Very Happy and Very Experienced people. It is a way to get a very long (longer than Active Duty) and interesting career. If I had it to do over again I'd probably still go Active USAF, but if you want to live in one place while enjoying a career of yummy Air Force goodness, go AF Reserve or Guard.

"Not to mention, the enlistment standards mimic those of their active branches, leaving many older, yet still very capable, men from coming to the defense of the country."

You CAN separate (as opposed to retire) and go Guard or Reserve with appropriate credit. I always thought that allowing full retirees to go Guard or Reserve with a modificed pay package makes great sense, and even forwarded the suggestion up the chain.

 

One of my regrets in my life and I think the biggest..is not serving in the military. Now, I am too old to do so, but my son signed up and doing what I should have done. Thanks Ben!