The War over the National Guard

this is what my son is going through...the possible deployment of his unit, from MI, overseas....Its total bullshit, and even tho he has done his time, and is supposed to be out in NOV, they put a STOP LOCK on him and others who have done their time..

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/08/19/guard/index_np.html

May Rumsfield Rot Eternally in Hell.

military service is rough all around right now. best wishes whichever way it goes.

Originates from. It is for National emergencies and or riots and such not going to war in some foreign invasion. My prayers are with you and your son and I hope this evil bastard we have in the whitehouse gets half of what is his due. Bush* is going to make it so no one will ever want to join the guard again. I hate what our country has become.

Is there any way he can "fail" the physical before going? Migraines perhaps? Desperate times call for desperate measures, I know I would try something like that.

http://girights.objector.org/

He is meeting with his lawyer today also

deploying our "Homeland Defense" in a war that is likely to provoke more terrorist attacks on the U.S.

What's sticking in my craw is: WTF is Tommy Franks doing retiring while the fat's still crisping flambe, when EVERYBODY is supposed to be extended, stop locked in place, etc.???!!!

Well, of course, Rumdum gets to retire any 3 or 4 star that gets in his way, so what should I expect?

FTA

General Franks can retire because he is an officer. Officers can resign their commission at any time and are not enlisted to serve for any set period. The catch being someone must accept their resignation.

An enlisted man has signed a contract to server for X amount of time. EVERY initial enlistment in the military is for 8 years. You may sign up for 2 years active and 6 inactive or 4 and 4, etc. BUT, you are still a member of the armed services for 8 years from the time you are sworn in. This is applicable to the National Guard as well (speaking from experience here).

The role of the National Guard has changed drastically, beginning in the 80's (thank you Mr. Reagan). The National Guard, believe it or not, now is often the first line of deployable forces to a region, as their training and readiness supposedly makes them more easily deployable on a rapid basis. The designated task is usuall to "hold down the fort" until regular army (or whatever branch) can replace them.

It ain't pretty, and it ain't nice, but it's in the papers you sign when you enlist, and you do agree to it. I spent 8 years in the military between the Army and the National Guard, so this stuff kind of stuck with me :).

Also - each National Guard Division has a particular theater that is designated as their area of operation. The 40th Infantry Division (mostly in California and my old division) was previously designated for the Korean Peninsula, but I've been told that because of their proximity to desert training facilities (i.e. Ft. Irwin near Barstow, California, etc.), they have been redesignated for the Middle East (I'm not sure if this is fact or not, as I haven't had anythign to do with the military since '95). There are also support battalions and divisions in Arizona who are designated for Middle East deployment (last I heard, once again this may be wrong now).

and I hope that I'm not on the recieving end of one in March 2004

Excepting some air, I guess. And didn't they try this during Nam and only 1, maybe 2 guard units deployed, with a stink so big the brass/pols re-calc'ed how pissed off they could get the middle-class and still suck blood and money?

--snip--
Constitutional charter of the Guard

The Total Force Policy, 1973

Following the experience of fighting an unpopular war in Vietnam, the 1973 Total Force Policy was designed to involve a large portion of the American public by mobilizing the National Guard from its thousands of locations throughout the United States when needed. The Total Force Policy required that all active and reserve military organizations of the United States be treated as a single integrated force. A related benefit of this approach is to permit elected officials to have a better sense of public support or opposition to any major military operation. This policy echoes the original intentions of the founding fathers for a small standing army complemented by citizen-soldiers.
--snip--

MORE AT
http://www.arng.army.mil/history/Constitution/default.asp?ID=17

and this...

--snip--
The force composition of the ARNG is 52 percent combat, 17 percent CS, 22 percent CSS, and 9 percent table of distribution and allowances (TDA) units, typically state headquarters units.
--snip--

MORE AT
http://www.arng.army.mil/about_us/organization/force_structure.asp