CHAPTER ONE GET TO KNOW THE GUARD Every state and territory in the United States has its own national guard For the most part a soldier in the guard works in their home state Members of the guard follow orders from the governor of their state They can be deployed to communities facing all kinds of emergencies such as natural disasters or large acts of violence Most of the time when national guardsmen are called into duty it’s to a place within their home state However at times of national or major emergencies they may be sent to other states This commonly happens during destructive natural disasters such as hurricanes DEPLOY TO MOVE TROOPS INTO A POSITION OF READINESS 6
GUARDSMAN A PERSON SERVING IN THE NATIONAL GUARD Members of the national guard are often sent to areas to help people during or after big natural disasters such as floods 7
At times members of the national guard also take orders from the president During war or other national emergencies the president may send the national guard overseas to fight for their country When this happens it means the members are called to active duty While being in the national guard is generally a time part job and not an duty active position people enlisting need to consider the fact that they can be called to fight time full as an duty active soldier for up to two years people who have served on active duty or in another military branch don’t have to meet all the same requirements as new enlistees For example they may be older than 35 or 39 8
WHO CAN SERVE Guardsmen need to be tough mentally and physically They also need to be driven and work well with a team To enlist in the army national guard you must be between 17 and 35 To join the air national guard you must be between 17 and 39 If you’re 17 you need permission from a parent or guardian You can enlist in the air national guard as a senior in high school but you can’t begin training until you’ve finished high school or received your GED Those enlisting also need to be able to pass certain tests and screenings ENLIST TO SIGN UP FOR DUTY IN THE MILITARY 9
