Twenty-Percent Soldiers: Our Secret Life in the National Guard

Twenty-Percent Soldiers: Our Secret Life in the National Guard PDF

Author: Kevin Dellicker

Publisher: Koehler Books

Published: 2020-06-08

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 9781646630929

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". . . a poignant reminder that our freedom still depends on 'twenty-percent soldiers' who volunteer to protect and defend our nation when duty calls." -Tom Ridge, 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania, First US Secretary of Homeland Security The National Guard and Reserves is comprised of remarkable men and women who work behind the scenes as our nation's supplemental fighting force. It's a part-time job with a full-time commitment that involves the entire family. They wear the same uniforms and train to the same standards as America's full-time military. And when called to service, they fight right alongside the active duty. Nobody knows the difference. Yet they are very different. Twenty-Percent Soldiers is the true account of one couple's life in the National Guard through eighteen years of part-time warfare. With humor and humility, Kevin and Susan Dellicker portray what it's like to jump back and forth between having a "normal" civilian life in small-town Pennsylvania and conducting special operations missions in Southwest Asia. A tribute to all the part-time soldiers and their families who have been fighting the Global War on Terrorism since 9/11, this story is also a call-to-action for politicians and military leaders to fix a broken family support system that is failing the part-time force. Twenty-Percent Soldiers reinforces a truth that all Americans can embrace: With perseverance, love and faith, ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things.

The Rise of the National Guard

The Rise of the National Guard PDF

Author: Jerry M. Cooper

Publisher: U of Nebraska Press

Published: 1997-01-01

Total Pages: 6

ISBN-13: 9780803214866

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From the beginning of our republic the concept of a citizen soldiery, organized through militias, has undergirded American military philosophy. This nation fought the Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War, and began the Civil War, relying on volunteer militias and only a skeletal professional military force. The Civil War demonstrated the need to adapt state militias to the requirements of modern war, yet the United States retained its original philosophy in what became the National Guard. ø The Rise of the National Guard describes in thorough detail the evolution of the state militia system to a more federally controlled National Guard during the crucial years of development. The subject is important because the "citizen soldier" and "militia-national guard" traditions form one of the two pillars on which American military policy is built; a professional, regular military force is the other. Jerry Cooper's detailed research, unique examination of the experience of individual states, and careful analysis make this work the standard treatment of the subject.

National Guard 101

National Guard 101 PDF

Author: Mary Corbett

Publisher: Savas Beatie

Published: 2011-11-21

Total Pages: 217

ISBN-13: 1611210690

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“The first time I attended a National Guard family event in 1999, I felt like I had been abducted by aliens!” recalls Mary Corbett, author of National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses. “I didn’t understand anything! I had never been in an armory before. I didn’t know the difference between an officer and an enlisted soldier. I didn’t even know how to address the commander or his wife!” Corbett decided to “wing it,” rationalizing that since her husband was “just” a Guardsman she wasn’t a “real” military wife. After all, military spouses lived on bases, operated within a strict structure of rank, and dealt with long deployments. Thank goodness she didn’t have to worry about those things! Of course, she could have never guessed, and neither could anyone else, that in less than two years, four hijacked airliners would forever alter the purpose and public profile of National Guard soldiers and those who love them forever. On September 11th, 2001, Corbett became a military wife. But, as she realized later, she had always been one. Written in a lively and informal style, National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses demystifies the Guard’s unique hybrid civilian-military lifestyle. It is a must-read book for every National Guard family member. Corbett’s book covers a broad range of topics--from the history of the National Guard and understanding rank to Guard social life and Family Programs. Corbett also details the benefits and assistance resources available to Guard families and guides readers through the process of setting up a Personal Assistance League (PAL) to provide support during both short and long-term deployments. Ten years after National Guard 101’s original publication, National Guard spouses are still “holding down the fort.” In fact, in 2020, more National Guard troops were activated than any time since World War II due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires, and civil unrest. Year after year, the National Guard evolves to meet different threat environments. What doesn’t change is the vital role that family members play in supporting soldiers.

In Katrina's Wake

In Katrina's Wake PDF

Author: William B. Boehm

Publisher: U.S. Government Printing Office

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13:

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U.S. G.P.O. sales statement incorrect in publication.

Citizen Warriors

Citizen Warriors PDF

Author: Stephen M. Duncan

Publisher: Presidio Press

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13:

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This text concentrates on the how and why of criminal law, how and why does behaviour become, or stop, being criminal? Issues considered include fraud, squatting, sexual offences and drug use.

Purge of the Thirtieth Division

Purge of the Thirtieth Division PDF

Author: Henry D. Russell

Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Published: 2014-11-15

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 0870210742

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The Purge of the Thirtieth Division by Major General Henry Dozier Russell is the only known written work by any of the eighteen National Guard division commanders mobilized in1940 and 1941. It chronicles from a National Guard perspective many of the challenges and growing pains experienced by the Army in the critical months leading up to its entry into World War II. Through Russell, the reader gains insight into the vast cultural differences between the Regular Army and the National Guard at the time. Russell’s memoir offer an invaluable source of a commander’s first-hand account of how his division trained and fared during the 1940 Louisiana Maneuvers, and 1941 Tennessee and Carolina Maneuvers, respectively, in its preparation for overseas deployment. The narrative also contains a compelling account of the relations and tensions between Regulars and National Guardsmen. It was a scathing indictment of the Regular Army high command for what he perceived to be unfair treatment of National Guard officers during World War II. He cited many examples to bolster his claims, and contended that the U.S. Army, under Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, was out to “get” the Thirtieth Division and other National Guard divisions. He further contended that the Army believed that a non-Regular officer should not advance beyond the grade of lieutenant colonel. His memoir, which he privately printed, pulled no punches. His first-hand account was very critical of how a number of senior Regular Army officers handled affairs with his division that led to his relief as the division commander. Russell completed his memoir in 1947 and subsequently printed 500 copies, which he distributed to senior National Guard officers. He did not sell any of the books, nor were they intended for or made available to the general public. Although there was a demand for additional copies, he did not print any more. The republication of The Purge of the Thirtieth Division is intended to expand the scholarship on the history of World War II and the history of the U.S. Army.

The National Guard and National Defense

The National Guard and National Defense PDF

Author: Robert B. Sligh

Publisher: Praeger

Published: 1992-02-28

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13:

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The battle for control over the National Guard began with passage of the National Defense Act of 1933. The National Guard Association's insistence on a federal role for the Guard prompted the creation of dual status for Guardsmen. After 1933 they were not only soldiers of the state, but of the nation as well. The first test of the Guard's new status came as the world plunged into the Second World War. The compromises, conflicts, emotions, and legal precedents involved in the 1940-41 mobilization were to affect the National Guard and national defense strategy for many years to come. Yet, this important aspect of American history has been largely ignored. In most works on the Roosevelt era the federalization of 18 Guard divisions--which doubled the size of the Army--is given one or two lines. Guard historians have paid close attention to Guardsmen entering federal camps, but gloss over the politics of Army-Guard maneuvering prior to mobilization. This study demonstrates the importance of the political situation between these two defense establishments and their consequences for later defense policy and legislation. Robert Bruce Sligh shows how the mobilization in 1940-41 spurred increased federal control over the Guard. Although the Army was hesitant to take the Guard into active service, once mobilized the Guard was rapidly co-opted. The Guard's dual goals of increased federal money while staying aloof from federal control were doomed to fail. This book will be of interest to those interested in American military history, national defense policy, National Guard history, and selective service legislation.