Recently, the National Guard has taken the news by storm. People are constantly arguing about their use or deployment, the justification of their actions or their true duties and loyalties. I myself had several concerns. I had voiced these concerns to my friends and family, and when I told my dad, he mentioned something that I had never heard of: the State Guard. I looked into it and realized how critical the use of a state guard could be. The issue is that hardly anybody knows about the State Guard. So what is the State Guard? And how does it compare to the National Guard?
To find out, I went to the most direct source I could think to find. I reached out to a friend who had just enlisted in the Colorado National Guard, Pfc. Marianne Jackson, in hopes to learn more about how they work and operate and what she planned to do. “My duty is to protect the state during domestic emergencies and protect the country on federal missions when called,” Jackson said. “I’m in training to be a 68W, a combat medic.”
Considering how the National Guard had been getting deployed recently, I also wondered about the morality of a new enlistee. “There are a lot of moral challenges, especially in basic training. The hardest moral challenge was probably deciding whether or not to speak up in specific situations. Deciding if it was worth it to say something or not. Sometimes it wasn’t,” Jackson said. “The national guard is a good opportunity to serve while also being able to go to school or spend time with family or whatever you want to do.”
Knowing more about the National Guard, I went to the History department of Manitou Springs High School to see if I could learn more about the State Guard. Sam Duff, one of the school’s history teachers was able to shed some light on some of the key differences between the two forces. “They have a little bit of a different purpose. I know the National Guard kind of serves both the state governor as well as the federal government. Whereas the State Guard only answers to our state governor, rather than any federal authority,“ Duff said. “The state guard typically focuses on more local stuff going on within the state, whereas the National Guard can be kind of moved around, including outside borders of the United States.”
To expand on Duff’s statements, Lawrence Housley, another history teacher at MSHS, echoes and expands much of what his colleague’s words. “For example, with the Colorado National Guard, our governor Jared Polis would have control over them if he felt like he needed to use them, but if they get federalized, aka the President calls them up, or Congress calls them up, then the governor essentially loses control over them for that time being,” Housley said. “Let’s say there was a natural disaster in Utah, and our governor decided to activate them to help. Essentially, our National Guard could be federally deployed even though they’re the Colorado National Guard.”
Both teachers shared a desire to see the concept of a State Guard more widely acknowledged and recognize their importance as a defense force intimate with a state and its people. “I think it’s incredibly important to kind of represent the state in addition to the nation and so having more awareness for the state guard, I think really would serve the state of Colorado very well,” Duff said. “Because I think it’s even more pertinent to listen to the civilians of the people that live in that particular area, as far as how they feel best protected.”
It is knowledge that the people may find useful or important, that if properly used, can be of great effect in serving the citizens of a state. “It’s a resource for our states, the fact the National Guard can be kind of canceled out because the federal government can pretty much use them whenever they want to and however they want to, is kind of scary. So yeah, I think it should be talked more about,” Housley said. “I think it should be left up to the governor of that state to handle issues with their own guard. I do think there are times when maybe things can get too out of town, and the federal government should have the power to assist. But, personally, I think the state government should be in control of their own cities and civilians.”
Across all 50 states, there are roughly 40,00 active State Guard members, roughly an eleventh of our active National Guard personnel. I believe the State Guard should be more widely discussed as they are made to be a force true to the state, uncontrollable by executive power, and by that extent, a check to that executive power, preserving the sovereignty of each individual state. The State Guard should be larger than they are, at the cost of National Guard members if need be, because they offer the most comfortable protection in closer alignment with the people, and that starts with knowledge of the State Guards existence.
