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CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo, Nov. 14, 2006 -- Changes being made in the way the force is structured, trains and deploys ultimately will mean fewer deployments and more predictability for individual troops, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told National Guardsmen today during a town hall meeting here. Marine Gen. Peter Pace told about 500 National Guard troops wrapping up a year-long deployment with Kosovo Force 7 the most important thing the military can offer them is a basic idea of when and how frequently they’ll be called up for duty. Questions from the group focused on the...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 20, 2006 -- Hoosier families of the Indiana Army and Air National Guard from Fort Wayne to Evansville rallied in the early dark morning here today waiting to hear words of support and gratitude from Vice President Dick Cheney. Vice President Dick Cheney addresses Indiana National Guard soldiers, airmen and family members Oct. 20 at Camp Atterbury, Ind. Photo by Sgt. Michael Krieg, USA  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. They didn't have to wait long, as Cheney opened his remarks with an expression of thanks from the commander in chief. "The citizen-soldier is absolutely vital to...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 2006 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney yesterday thanked Michigan National Guardsmen for their service to their state and nation, and talked about the war on terror and the central fronts of Afghanistan and Iraq. In a time of war, the National Guard is absolutely vital to protecting the United States, Cheney said at a rally for Guardsmen and their families in Wyoming, Mich. He said Guardsmen serve to defend the country and to respond to natural and man-made disasters. “I want all of you to know that we appreciate the work you do, we respect the...

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 28, 2006 -- Staff Sgt. Chris Salgado, a California Army National Guard member based here, remembers his wife calling him to the television set Aug. 10 to see news reports about a terrorist ring unearthed in London that was planning attacks on U.S.-bound airliners. Spc. John Rivera from 40th Special Troop Brigade, foreground; Spc. Gabriel Gambone from the 670th Military Police Company, background; and another California National Guardsman work side by side with officials from the Transportation Security Administration at San Diego International Airport to enforce airport security. Photo by Cherie Thurlby  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

WASHINGTON, August 4, 2006 -- The Defense Department this month kicked off a program to help prevent activated reservists and National Guardsmen from facing financial hardships. The Reserve Income Replacement Program will pay eligible National Guard and reserve members mobilized for extended or frequent periods the difference between their monthly civilian pre-mobilization income and their current total monthly military compensation. “RIRP is designed to assist those mobilized Guard and reserve members that are experiencing a loss of income while mobilized,” said Tom Bush, principal director of manpower and reserve affairs for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense...

ST. PAUL (AP) - Up to 200 members of the Minnesota National Guard will head to New Mexico beginning this month as part of a federal effort to beef up security along the U.S border with Mexico. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito announced the deployment Wednesday, nearly two months after President Bush asked states to commit soldiers to a mission designed to slow the tide of illegal immigration across America's southern border. Minnesota's contingent will be comprised of volunteers or Guard members due for regular training missions. "If Minnesota had a challenge of this nature, we would...

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2006 – Two Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers have been charged in connection with the death of an Iraqi citizen, U.S. officials announced today. Spec. Nathan B. Lynn is charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter and a count of obstructing justice involving the Feb. 15 death of an unarmed male Iraqi. Lynn allegedly shot the man during a security sweep his unit was conducting near Baghdad. Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr. is also charged with obstructing justice as part of the Feb. 15 shooting. Ortiz is also charged with one count of assault and one count of communicating...

PHOENIX - About 50 Arizona National Guard troops were sent to the U.S.-Mexican border Sunday as part of President Bush's plan to assist immigration agents, officials said. The guardsmen were briefed on U.S. Border Patrol operations in Yuma and were to begin working Monday as mechanics and radio dispatchers. A total of 300 guardsmen were expected to arrive at the border by the end of the week, said Maj. Paul Aguirre, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard. The troops will monitor remote cameras, operate communications equipment and perform other administrative duties. Under Bush's plan, up to 6,000 National Guard...

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2006 – As part of Operation Jump Start, the National Guard will place about 2,500 troops along the U.S.-Mexico border by the end of the month to support efforts to curb illegal immigrants from entering the country, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said yesterday. "The National Guard will support federal law enforcement agencies that have responsibilities for the security of our borders," Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum said. "What we will be doing is bringing military skills, military equipment, military expertise and experience to assist at the request of the Department of Homeland Security."...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2006 – Don Esmond, a Vietnam War hero, walked into the Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, Calif., one day in early 2004 and told the staff he wanted the company to develop a hiring program for guardsmen and reservists returning to civilian life from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. David Sweat, left, the parts department manager at Priority Toyota in Chesapeake, Va., said Army National Guard Sgt. Ricardo "Ricky" Velez came to the company about two months after leaving active duty. Velez previously served in Iraq for 14 months. Photo courtesy of James Wallace  (Click photo...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2006 – Soldiers from the California National Guard helped rescue torrential flood victims last weekend while working in tandem with civilian firefighters and swift-water rescuers. Capt. David Marciano of the Russian River Fire Department in Guerneville, Calif., said the guardsmen were "indispensable." "There's no other way to describe what they did," he said. "We don't know how we'd have managed without them." Northern California was wracked with weekend flooding that threatened life and property. Water crested to nearly six feet deep, rendering cars useless and roads non-traversable, Marciano noted. California National Guard headquarters was placed on alert...

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Texas Air National Guardsmen returning home from Hurricane Katrina duty had just enough time to catch up on sleep before receiving the order to repack their bags. Now they are preparing to deal with the aftermath of another hurricane, but this time it will hit closer to home. Hurricane Rita is aiming for the Texas coast. Guardsmen with the 149th Fighter Wing here will be part of Task Force-Seguin, a force comprising 400 people, which is part of the 1,750-person Joint Task Force-Texas. Texas National Guard Soldiers and Airmen will constitute the task...

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 20, 2005 – A National Guard unit soon will be conducting security and recovery missions for residents in Algiers, a New Orleans neighborhood located across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter. "We're going to put soldiers in grocery stores helping them to stock shelves, whatever we have to do," said Army 1st Lt. Richard J. Chappell, executive officer of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 185th Armor Regiment, of the California National Guard. The 185th is headquartered in Escondido, Calif. The Golden State guardsmen will continue to assist Algiers residents and help the area's business community get back...

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 31, 2005 – The Anchorage Police Department has put into writing its verbal commitment to the Guardsmen and Reservists who protect and serve the community when they're not protecting and serving the country. Anchorage Police Chief Walter Monegan signed a "statement of support" under the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve's "5-Star Employer Program." "All it (involved) was basically memorializing an existing (verbal) agreement," Monegan said about the statement of commitment he signed in April. "Members of the Guard and Reserve do double duty, and I respect that." The document declares, in writing,...

TAJI, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2005 — Rhode Island never gets this hot. For Rhode Island National Guard soldiers of D Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment, the Iraqi heat has been a challenge, but integrating with other units has gone smoothly. The infantry company is attached to 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment, 48th Brigade, Georgia National Guard, which is supporting 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division here. "Three-quarters of my unit are prior active-duty soldiers, so they seamlessly transitioned to what they once were," said Capt. William H. Tuttle IV, D Co. commander from Warwick, R.I. "I have not seen...

In California: An e-mail campaign, plus favors and donations from families and friends, will get Asedullah Ibrahim a necessary operation Next week's hurdle will be the last, and perhaps the most dangerous. A dark-complected Afghan man dressed in a long, flowing caftan and turban, holding the hand of an 11-year-old boy, could spark suspicion when the two change planes in Germany, New York and Los Angeles. Any stress, from an overly aggressive security guard searching the boy to walking more than a few steps, could cause the child to collapse, perhaps die. Back at Bagram Airfield in north-central Afghanistan, Chief...

Gen. George Casey, Commander, Multinational Force Iraq and Bryan Whitman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, Monday, November 8, 2004, DoD News Briefing via Teleconference from Iraq Key Messages: - Monday, Iraqi security and coalition forces kicked off offensive operations to eliminate the terrorist and insurgent safe haven in Fallujah and to restore control to the Iraqi government. The name of the operation is al-Fajr, the Iraqi word for dawn - This operation differs from the battle in Fallujah which took place in April because of the presence of an interim Iraqi government and its efforts to resolve...

In defense of Lt. Bush By Charles D. Youree, Jr. President Bush's military service is being unjustly vilified. I feel a sense of anger and frustration when I hear that instead of volunteering for Vietnam, Mr. Bush "hid out" flying fighter/interceptor jets in the Air National Guard (ANG) for four years. As a former Air Force pilot with 6,000 hours of flying time, including more than 3,000 hours in jet fighters, I know that whenever you strapped yourself into a jet fighter and took off, you were in harm's way. Your life was on the line. As fighter pilots, we...

I wrote an email to a friend of mine in the Arkansas Libertarian Party. I said I am itching to vote for Bush but I havent received my ballot. I have received a ballot for school miliage issue so I know I have filled out everything properly. Here is what he said: Your ballot may be late because the Dems have sued to get Nader taken off. It's tied up in court and may not be resolved in time to get the military ballots printed, shipped and returned by election day. I had to laugh when Ron Oliver, the chair...

Sgt. 1st Class Dean Smith of Spokane, who visited Yakeen Swadi and her family in their home near Baghdad in July, teaches history when he's not deployed. He says he was glad to work with "Team Democracy" because he came to Iraq "to try to help." While politicians back home talk about bringing democracy to Iraq, some soldiers in the 81st Brigade Combat Team are working on the ground to do it. Four members of the brigade's 1st Battalion, 161st Infantry Regiment are using skills from their civilian jobs as schoolteachers to educate their Iraqi colleagues in the best ways...