Illinois National Guard Heads to Libya (for real)

[ensho]

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Ill-Air-National-Guard-Unit-Deployed-to-Libya-118359004.html



The unit specializes in refueling aircraft in mid-air


-snip-


"I am proud that the National Guard is able to play a part in curbing the atrocious violence against Libyan civilians by their own government,” said Maj. Gen. William L. Enyart, the Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard, in a statement.

The unit based out of Scott Air Force Base in southwest Illinois specializes in refueling aircraft in mid-air and will join the mission to establish a no-fly zone over Libya.

The 126th Air Refueling Wing and its 906th air Refueling Squadron fly the KC-135-R Stratotanker, which is the military version of the Boeing 707.
-snip-
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the Ill. Natl. Guard belongs in Ill. - nowhere else.

and why would a state Guard be taught how to refuel airplanes?

I know, I know, because the pentagon wants it so.

so when Ill. has some kind of disaster and needs the Guard? too bad.

William shouldn't be so proud.

[onenote]

1. the national guard has been a part of the US armed forcees for over 100 years

as such, it makes perfect sense for there to be guard units trained it such matters as re-fueling airplanes.

[ensho]

2. does that include refueling over another country?

nt

[onenote]

6. Of course it does.

I'll say it again. The National Guard has been a principal part of the United States armed forces for over a century. More specifically, the Guard has been the principal reserve force for the US military since the passage of the Militia Act of 1903. But the roots of the guard as part of the nation's defense system (not just state disaster relief) is in the US Constitution (Article I, Section 8) dealing with Congress' authority over state militias as well as in the 1792 Militia Act, which authorized the President to call out the militias as a fighting force along side the regular armed forces.

Attributing the use of the national guard as part of the US armed forces to "the Pentagon" shows a misunderstanding of the history of the Guard.

[Lurks Often]

3. You are misinformed

The National Guard and the Reserves, to include the Army, Air Force (after it was created in 1948) and the other branches have been called up for all major conflicts since WWI

Per Wikipedia:

WWI: The National Guard and the Reserves made up 40% of the combat troops
WWII: The National Guard and the Reserves made up 19 divisions (figure between 250,000-350,000 men)
Korean War: The National Guard had 140,000 men activated
The National Guard and the Reserves were also activated for Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Vietnam was the only major conflict where the National Guard did not have a significant role, although one artillery unit was activated and sent to Vietnam.

After Vietnam was over the Army re-organized things so that any major deployment would require the use of the National Guard and thus involve the American public. (Much for the same reason that some wish to bring back the draft).

Additionally the shrinking of the active duty Army has resulted in the National Guard making up a larger percentage of the "specialty" units such as Military Police, Civil Affairs and other units not normally needed in large numbers during peacetime.

I was in the National Guard from 1992-1995 and the National Guard unit I was part of ran a prisoner of war camp during Desert Storm, was activated and sent to Panama along with other National Guard military police units from around the country in 1995 to handle garrison duty while the active duty military police ran the Cuban refugee camps and was activated for the Iraq War, where they patrolled Baghdad and assisted in the training of the Iraqi police.

The Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves make up a substantial portion of the tanker and cargo fleet of aircraft and routinely support the Air Force and other branches over and above the "one weekend per month and two weeks per year" that people think.

It has ALWAYS been the role of the National Guard and the Reserves to support the active duty military and it is insulting to myself and others in the National Guard and the Reserves who busted their asses to go through the same Basic Training and Advanced Training as the regular military, just so ignorant people could think our only role was disaster relief.

[ensho]

4. I disagree with what the pentagon did to the Natl. Guard

I think the Guard should only be used in the State or in major disasters, sent to help in other States.

never in other countries.

[Travelman]

7. Why have all of the military hardware, then?

If all they ever do is clean up after tornadoes and such, then having howitzers and (in this particular case) air-to-air refuelers is utterly pointless.

I don't know about Illinois, but here in Tennessee we have the Tennessee State Guard, who take up the slack when the National Guard is deployed. I know lots of other states have something similar.

[Lurks Often]

8. You are free to believe what you wish

however that doesn't make you right. The Air and Army National Guard and the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine and Coast Guard Reserves and the predecessor the state militias (which was replaced by the National Guard just after the turn of the 20th century) has ALWAYS been used as a supplement to the active duty military.

[vaberella]

5. Thanks so much for the great information and for your service.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[ClarkUSA]

9. I'm glad you stopped lurking long enough to tell us how you, a National Guard, feel about this.

I'm proud that the US Armed Forces are a force for good again under CIC Obama. Thank you.