When my professor randomly assigned me to report on the National Guard, I didn’t know what to expect. A lot of questions went through my head, including this big one: What did a governor mean when he said the National Guard was activated? Activated? As if the National Guard was some kind of computer program.
Over the past two months, I’ve found out the Guard runs like a well-oiled machine, with lots of opportunity.
Throughout my reporting, I was surprised to learn that nearly half of active Guardsmen have served, or are serving, terms overseas.
I was also surprised to find a large community of Guardsmen, and their family and friends, in discussions on Facebook and Twitter. The National Guard Facebook Page boasts nearly 900,000 followers.
When I picked that piece of paper with National Guard written on it, I didn’t know how to react. How could I infiltrate the armed forces?
Unfortunately, I didn’t infiltrate anything, but I did get skim the surface of what the Guard is all about, from its domestic service to trips overseas.
What struck me the most was the compassion Guardsmen have for one another. I didn’t realize the National Guard would be such an intense brotherhood for some.
In my interview with Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Vorpahl of the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Brigade, Vorpahl expressed such adoration for his fellow Guardsmen. He talked about his colleague, a gunner, who died when a roadside bomb exploded in Iraq.
This past Memorial Day, I asked him what the day meant to him.
“It is a day of reflection for the soldiers who passed away,” he said. “I wish I could elaborate more but that’s what it is. My gunner passed the day we were attacked plus through the year three others passed to roadside bombs. That stuff is real to me, but it goes deeper to past wars.”
What surprised me the most were the responses I got from my friends, non-Guard members. “It’s the start of summer, a day to honor those who served our country,” one said. But that was the only response I receieved referencing the soldiers, “Honestly, it’s a day off from work with my family” one said, “Holiday pay!” another said.
Many Americans fail to realize not only is Memorial Day a time to honor our soldiers who have died, but it’s a day to reflect on the service of those men, many who served in the National Guard.
Listening to Vorpahl’s story, and reading other’s stories online, I realized the ambition and patriotism the members of the National Guard have for our country.
I’ve also found out the important of the Guard to our security at home: from helping to sandbag along a river to prevent flooding, to performing search and recovery missions after a deadly tornado.
There’s no way to measure the necessity of a program like the National Guard to our nation, but clearly, the National Guard plays an important role in keeping our country safe at home and overseas.
