Do you think that think the National Guard is underutilized during state emergencies?

2014-01-09T20:16:02-05:00

Last year Arizona had several major wildfires. Evacuations were conducted as well as posting officers at roadways to tell drivers to turn around or that the road was blocked. Other officers went house to house to help civilians evacuate. Watching this on TV, the first thing I thought was, "Why don't we use the guard for most of the evacuation work and road closures and let the Police...idk Police."

IDK, Maybe as a guard member myself I just want to do more to help our state during times like this. What are your thoughts?

Response by SFC James Baber made Jan 9 at 2014 8:25 PM

2014-01-09T20:25:22-05:00

SPC,

It all comes down to your Governor, they are the ultimate controller of what the guard is used for in your state, if they didn't feel the need or necessity of the guard, there probably was a good reason.

You can always bring your concerns to them directly via letters, petitions, email, etc., many do respond to military members with concerns or questions, it may be worth a shot to put a bug in their ear about what you feel and think the guard could contribute.

Response by SPC Christopher Morehouse made Jan 9 at 2014 11:18 PM

2014-01-09T23:18:01-05:00

You want the real answer? $$$$$.

If your governor deploys you for an emergency, your State has to pay for it. When you get activated for a deployment over seas, the fed is paying for it. Deploying guard forces can be pretty pricey if you think you can get away with using emergency service personal (already being paid, a lot of which at local and not state levels) or volunteers.

It's all about the Benjamins.

Response by SPC Richard White made Jul 31 at 2014 5:25 AM

2014-07-31T05:25:27-04:00

In California I don't think the National Guard is underutilized.The units were activated for fires,the Rodney King riots, amongst other things.Maybe in other states the guard maybe underutilized.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2014 2:31 AM

2014-09-17T02:31:16-04:00

In MA the Guard gets activated quite a bit. Anytime there's a state of emergency declared, severe weather (tornados.. yes we get them there and with increasing frequency over the last few years.. and hurricanes). We support LE for the Boston Marathon and the Boston 4th of July. When the DNC was in Boston a few years back, we were activated for that. Our aviation assets supported the search efforts after the Boston Marathon bombing. The MA Guard is quite busy most of the time.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 12 at 2014 10:28 PM

2014-12-12T22:28:52-05:00

SSG Philip Cotton I've often thought the same thing myself, but I think SPC Christopher Morehouse nailed it. As well as the fact that calling up troops can be a burden, certainly is on employers. Do it too often, and you start to loose goodwill in the state. There are those of us who don't care, we jump at every opportunity to get on orders, but for others the unplanned time away from work is a bigger deal.
One way that I've seen around this however is to activate a unit, and then backfill that unit with volunteers from other companies who DO want to go on orders. Also serves as a way to provide work for unemployed Guard members.