I use to train against the National Guard, I gotta tell you, they sucked.

Several times during my enlistment with the 82nd Airborne, my unit would have the opportunity to practice missions against National Guard units throughout the country. They would drop us into places like Utah, Arizona, etc and our mission was to capture National Guard units.

Oh..it would usually take a couple of hours before we had them all rounded up. Sometimes we'd come up on them sitting in their folding chairs drinking their Bud's...other times we just caught them sleeping... These missions were a big joke at the time...

But you know what... In defense of these guys...they were weekend warriors with limited duty throughout the year and they were going up against the elite 82nd Airborne Infantry...

These guy's barely trained in Infantry tactics and most were there to collect a couple hundred bucks a month...Supplemental income for them and their families...

SO...when I read that half the units patrolling over in Iraq are Army Reserve and National Guard units, my heart goes out to these guys. Their folding chairs have now been replaced by a seat in an unfortified Hummer waiting to hit that next roadside bomb!

Imagine what these guy's are going through....

my very good friend, who just graduated from high school, might go to Iraq in the near future. He said that most of those enlisted in the guard are not prepared for 'nation building' and 'peacekeeping' operations.

We were mechanized (Bradley gunner) and not only didn't we do infatry training I think I had one day in basic training on peace keeping type stuff.

Most of those "guys" did join just for supplemental training and we probably sure that their real duty was to after hurricanes, earthquakes, and such.

Last weekend we had lunch with my folks and my stepfather was going on and on about how they had collected all that free money for so long and how they knew what they were signing up for....I just looked at him and said,"They aren't trained to do that". He didn't respond.

I haven't mentioned this before but I'll bury it in here. Without being to specific I know a guy who well let's say he has been in Afghanistan and in front of the front lines. He is freakin GI Joe- he has enlisted in different ways at least 3 times and re-upped in a not active duty position again due to the economy. I asked my mother if there was any chance of him going to Iraq and she said that he said that asked him to and he told them to buzz off and said if they tried to make him he would head north. He knows how bad it is over there for sure.

When I was stationed in Germany we had to deal with these guys during REFORGER.

I feel for them.

Heading back after a year, to a wife and three young kids, who've had their hands full.

If the sacrifice were for a worthy and just cause, it would be different.

you are right and anytime i talked to someone in the guard this is the feel i got. i am sure now though they are training much harder and more serious, though we all know that isnt going to put them on the scale of career soldier. now national guard is 20% to career soldier 80% over there,. to switch that number to 80% nation guard, even a military dimwit like me see all sorts of mess and chaos in this.

they are setting up the country and these men............

Some take their work very seriously- that attitude comes from a culture or professionalism within the unit established by the leadership. Others just show up, do the minimum, and collect their pay.