National Guard

[undercovergeek]

Lol

Totally intrigued - didn't know any of this stuff

[bayonetbrant]

Come to Origins next year, buy me a beer, and I'll tell you all about it.  Typing it all out just makes my hands hurt.  And my head.  You don't even want to get into states where the senior military officer in the National Guard is a state-wide elected official...

[undercovergeek]

so in laymans terms/limeys terms ( :P) the people can vote for the commander of a governors personal army who have no loyalty to the President?

[JudgeDredd]

It does sound like a potential hotbed...loyalties, political views etc...hence my statement about you lot wanting to keep your firearms!

[undercovergeek]

im trying to think of a circumstance where all that goes wrong and theres a march on Washington

[JudgeDredd]

Kind of sounds feasible, doesn't it?

[BanzaiCat]

Since when was our current President concerned about Acts of Congress?

[Staggerwing]

Since when was our current President concerned about Acts of Congress?

Since when was any?

[BanzaiCat]

Fair point...

[GDS_Starfury]

im trying to think of a circumstance where all that goes wrong and theres a march on Washington

that kinda happened after WW1.

[Staggerwing]

^Bonus Expeditionary Force.

It serves as a jumping-off point for William Manchester's book the Glory and the Dream.

[undercovergeek]

i did not know that, thanks for the links

[bayonetbrant]

Yeah, but that post-WWI march on Washington wasn't some state governor sending the National Guard. Those were regulars.

Also, just to clarify something from further upstream. The National Guard are organized, trainwd , and equipped just like the regular army (though they can be a few years behind on new eqpt roll outs). They don't bring their own weapons to drill; they are issued at the unit just like a regular unit, and keep them stored in an arms room.

[Jarhead0331]

State Guard units, like the one Gus and I belong to, are direct decendents of colonial militia that fought in the Refolutionary War. My brigade, the 88th, traces it's lineage to the Fighting Irish, which saw significant combat throughout the Civil War, including at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. Elements of the 88th NYS Volunteers were at Appomatox Courthouse when General Lee surrendered. It also saw service during WWI and WWII.

Most importantly, Gus is a Private, and I am a Captain.  >:D

[BanzaiCat]

Would be interesting to read more about both subjects (or discuss it further). I knew state militias existed but other than that have no idea how they work, at least until I read this thread.