Civilian In Peace Soldier In War

They were there at Concord Bridge. They shaped the vast volunteer armies of the Civil War. They have fought in America's major wars around the world. And they made the first military response on 9/11 after the World Trade Center towers crashed in Manhattan. The National Guard has had a singular place in American history as citizen-soldiers responding both to homeland crises and to the need for fighting power overseas. Michael Doubler now offers the first comprehensive history of the Guard to appear in over thirty years, tracing its role from the days of colonial militias to the dawn of a new millennium. Spanning more than four centuries, he records the Army National Guard's outstanding accomplishments in peace and war on behalf of both state and federal authorities. Originally published as I Am the Guard by the Government Printing Office and with only limited public distribution, this sweeping history is now available in a paperback edition that (in a new preface) updates the National Guard story up to the events of 9/11. Beginning with the first regiments formed in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Doubler chronicles how American militiamen have transformed themselves from a loose collection of local defense forces into a modern efficient reserve force. After action in the Spanish-American War, the militia era ended in 1903 with the creation of the modern National Guard as the federal reserve of the U.S. Army. In covering the last century, Doubler takes readers from Guard service in both world wars to Cold War duties, the Gulf War, and assignments in the Balkans. He tells of its not always friendly relations with the Regular Army, as well as of those times when Regulars and Guardsmen effectively reinforced each other to get the job done. The militia and National Guard have always concerned themselves with homeland defense, and as the current administration reviews national security, this book provides an opportunity to reconsider the role of the Army National Guard in America's latest war. With 2003 marking the modern National Guard's centennial, Civilian in Peace, Soldier in War offers a virtual primer on the military policy of the United States, showing us that citizen-soldiers have played a vital role in struggles against imperialism, fascism, and communism-and assuring us that they will be ready for the war on terrorism as well.

This is a study of the legal and historical role of the warrior who is, first of all a citizen employed in any of a vast number of civilian occupations and professions, and who is, secondarily, a soldier prepared to defend his homeland. The concept is essentially as old as recorded history and as modern as national guards in contemporary nations. Citizen-soldiers constitute a reservoir upon which a nation can draw for defense, for civic action, or for a multitude of other duties. What began as an obligation that all males owed to their sovereigns also developed into a right to keep and bear arms.

While much has been written about civilian-military teams in Vietnam and, most recently, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the subject has not been addressed in a single, comprehensive publication containing historical context and reflecting a broad diversity of views. It is the intention of the coeditors of Unity of Mission to fill this gap. The authors are convinced that without unity among military and civilian actors, long-term mission success is difficult at best. They believe the essays contained in this volume attest to this assertion. They are also fully aware that civilian-military teams are not a silver bullet. Rather, at best, such teams serve as a useful tool in a more comprehensive security framework. Nevertheless, in an age of budgetary constraints, the need to coordinate military and civilian resources-hard, kinetic, and soft power-is clear. It is the opinion of the coeditors that civilian-military teams are critical to achieving the goals of sustainable peace, stability, and security.

Comprehensive reference for military forces and other agencies Peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, nation assistance, civil agency support The first book to cover on-the-ground functions, such as working with international and interagency task forces; methods of coordination; rules of engagement; checkpoints; civilian population and movement control; evacuating noncombatants; distributing humanitarian aid; operating dislocated civilian camps; providing medical care; conducting cordons and searches; disarming belligerents; confiscating hostile weapons and equipment; conducting negotiations; exchanging prisoners; interacting with the media; and dozens of other military and civil support type operations.

Acclaimed New York Times journalist and author Chris Hedges offers a critical -- and fascinating -- lesson in the dangerous realities of our age: a stark look at the effects of war on combatants. Utterly lacking in rhetoric or dogma, this manual relies instead on bare fact, frank description, and a spare question-and-answer format. Hedges allows U.S. military documentation of the brutalizing physical and psychological consequences of combat to speak for itself. Hedges poses dozens of questions that young soldiers might ask about combat, and then answers them by quoting from medical and psychological studies. • What are my chances of being wounded or killed if we go to war? • What does it feel like to get shot? • What do artillery shells do to you? • What is the most painful way to get wounded? • Will I be afraid? • What could happen to me in a nuclear attack? • What does it feel like to kill someone? • Can I withstand torture? • What are the long-term consequences of combat stress? • What will happen to my body after I die? This profound and devastating portrayal of the horrors to which we subject our armed forces stands as a ringing indictment of the glorification of war and the concealment of its barbarity.

The Citizen Soldier in War and Peace is a is a short historical look at the use of firearms in America and throughout the world this book appeals to anybody who believes in the Second Amendment or who is interested in the historical use of firearms. It begins with the use of guns for hunting and self-protection ad well as personal property and of course national defense early in our country‘s early history . It also analyzes the philosophical standpoint of the idea of the armed citizen and its relationship to freedom. A freeman with a gun, an armed citizenry means a free country The book also does a thorough job of examining other countries and other philosophical aspects of arming the citizenry. This book clearly defines the Militias in other countries. It touches on China and the Soviet Union and their philosophy as well. The book is extremely readable and would be advised reading for anyone from high school to grad school. Those interested in history political science or current events will find this book a must for their personal library.