Former National Guard member, Tom Selleck Video

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Brian · #1 Post by **Brian** » Mon May 07, 2012 11:48 pm

http://youtu.be/xmFcCjxAT1c

Waterbug Blue · #2 Post by **Waterbug Blue** » Tue May 08, 2012 4:12 am

Nice one! Thanks for sharing the link.

#3 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Tue May 08, 2012 7:58 am

Not being American, can someone explain what the National Guard is? Volunteer army sort of thing?

Waterbug Blue · #4 Post by **Waterbug Blue** » Tue May 08, 2012 11:10 pm

Hmm the concept can be best described as part time soldiers - the Armed Forces being made up of professional soldiers, the National Guard consist of members who volunteer to typically serve "One weekend a month, two weeks a year."
They do not serve individually but within their units, which when called to action form 'regular' combat units - they were 40% of the US combat forces in WWI and supplied 19 divisions in WWII, with National Guard units being among the first to deploy overseas and to fight, so its's not just a part time hobby boy scout thing at all but rather a more than essential backup line for times of crisis.
Some countries with conscript armies have something rudimentarily similar in cadre units - full units that consist of reservists who train at regular intervals but are inactive outside these periods of training or activation.
Having said that, the US armed forced DO have reserves that are NOT National guard units but actually armed forces reserves.

#5 Post by **Styles Bitchley** » Wed May 09, 2012 9:54 am

Thanks. So are there National Guard units that are focussed on Navy, Air Force, Army, etc. or are they strictly trained as land-based soldiers?