Public Service Announcement, regarding National Guard service.
There has been a great deal of talk regarding George W. Bush's National Guard service. CNN posted an interview with one of his Harvard professors, in which the professor reveals that Bush confided in him, explaining that his "Dad's friends" pulled strings to get him into the Air National Guard (skipping a long line of other potential Guardsmen), so Bush wouldn't have to go to Vietnam.
The impression this gives is that the National Guard is safe, the coward's way out. Guardsmen may play Army on the weekends, but when it comes time for actual conflict, the Active Duty goes off to war, and the National Guard stays home.
I am of the belief that this was at least somewhat true during the Vietnam era. Back then, the Active Duty military was much bigger than the National Guard, so the National Guard had a fairly long wait before the American military machine needed more manpower and started activating Guard units into federal (Active Duty) service. However, even back then, the Guard was not a safe bet. My stepfather went to Vietnam along with a Wisconsin National Guard medevac unit. His knee is still messed up from when his helicopter took a hit.
Today, this is less true than ever. The Department of Defense has discovered that National Guard and Reserve units cost much less to maintain than Active Duty units, so even when the military was shrinking, the Guard was growing. Guardsmen and Reservists made up a third of all American military personnel deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and half of all personnel deployed for Operation Desert Storm.
I predict that this proportion of Active Duty to National Guard will either remain, or the National Guard will continue to increase in size relative to the Active Duty component. After all, money talks. That being the case, Guardsmen will continue to be activated whenever military conflict arises.
The National Guard is not a bunch of "weekend warriors" who "play Army." National Guard soldiers are dying in Iraq at a rate twice of the Active Duty component, and it angers me that this service is so grossly disregarded.
The impression this gives is that the National Guard is safe, the coward's way out. Guardsmen may play Army on the weekends, but when it comes time for actual conflict, the Active Duty goes off to war, and the National Guard stays home.
I am of the belief that this was at least somewhat true during the Vietnam era. Back then, the Active Duty military was much bigger than the National Guard, so the National Guard had a fairly long wait before the American military machine needed more manpower and started activating Guard units into federal (Active Duty) service. However, even back then, the Guard was not a safe bet. My stepfather went to Vietnam along with a Wisconsin National Guard medevac unit. His knee is still messed up from when his helicopter took a hit.
Today, this is less true than ever. The Department of Defense has discovered that National Guard and Reserve units cost much less to maintain than Active Duty units, so even when the military was shrinking, the Guard was growing. Guardsmen and Reservists made up a third of all American military personnel deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and half of all personnel deployed for Operation Desert Storm.
I predict that this proportion of Active Duty to National Guard will either remain, or the National Guard will continue to increase in size relative to the Active Duty component. After all, money talks. That being the case, Guardsmen will continue to be activated whenever military conflict arises.
The National Guard is not a bunch of "weekend warriors" who "play Army." National Guard soldiers are dying in Iraq at a rate twice of the Active Duty component, and it angers me that this service is so grossly disregarded.