Always on guard for nation

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the two local Guardsmen recently lost in Iraq, along with gratitude to all who give for others. The National Guard has a long history of protection in these United States. In a way, all our armed forces derived from their roots.

In the days of the American colonies the settlers were responsible for their own defense, so they organized English-style militias of men young and old. These colonial militias protected families and neighbors against any form of "outside" attack, whether Indian, foreign, or British in the Revolutionary War.

When the U.S. Constitution was formed, the drafters empowered Congress to "provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the militia," but reserved appointments of officers and training these existing militias to the states. Hence the National Guard was born and retains its hybrid state-federal identity.

Because the nation was so young and its Army small, the militiamen comprised the bulk of fighters in the Mexican, Spanish-American, and early Civil wars. By 1903, Congress had increased the role of the National Guard (as it became known), expanding it to be a reserve force for the Army.

I have tended to think of the Guard, distinguishable from the other armed forces, as a domestic protector, a sentry force for the nation and primarily staying within national borders. While the former may be true, history would have trouble with the word "primarily." In World War I, the Guard provided 40 percent of U.S. combat divisions in France. In World War II, they were the first to fight overseas. The Guard sent forces to Korea, Vietnam (23,000 active duty; 8,700 sent to Vietnam), NATO deployments, and Desert Storm (75,000 in 1991).

Before WWII the National Guard had aviation units, but they didn't become an official component as the Air National Guard until after that war. The Air National Guard was instrumental on 9-11, its planes responding quickly to the scene following the hit on the Pentagon. By Sept. 12, 2001, 34 ANG units had launched fighters across the country, including 179 air patrols.

The Guard still protects at home, responding to Hurricane Katrina and other emergencies. The Guard's Counter Drug Program also provides training, aerial, and other military support to law enforcement's counter-drug operations. North Idaho residents can't miss the ANG's MAFFS - the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System planes; the older MAFF model is still used by the U.S. Forest Service. The ANG MAFFS crews also fight fires outside our borders.

The Guard does far more than what's listed here. For more about their mission and history, see Ang.af.mil, Arng.army.mil, and Ng.mil.

Sholeh Patrick is an attorney and a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.