"*Harry Hope" <rivrvu@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:lv3ah11n4vbj9ab4sveukgetrrkrji9sfe@4ax.com...

The Army National Guard was formed as a part-time force, with its
members living civilian lives while doing periodic military training.

But the Pentagon has relied heavily on these troops in combat roles in
Iraq.

Unlike soldiers in the part-time Army Reserve, made up of federal
troops, those in the National Guard serve under the control of state
governors usually for roles like disaster relief in their home states.

They can be summoned to active-duty Army service in times of national
need.

Some state governors have worried that the Pentagon's deployment of so
many Guard troops has eroded their states' abilities to respond to
disasters like wildfires and hurricanes.

The Pentagon has promised never to deploy more than half of a state's
guard force at any given time.

"It certainly means that they (the states) don't have the level of
personnel that they might desire to handle some of these situations.
They're doing with the minimum, not what might be optimal," said Cato
Institute defense analyst Ted Carpenter.


From Reuters, 8/30/05:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N30539163.htm

Strained US National Guard has hurricane relief role

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON, Aug 30 (Reuters) -

National Guard troops played a leading role responding to Hurricane
Katrina's destruction along the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, but
thousands more who might have been part of the effort are deployed in
Iraq.

________________________________________________________

Thank you, Mr. Presidunce.

Harry

Well, we'd better have an election so the people can decide.

oops, we already did