I came across this article today. It is a good example as to why rank should be earned in an SDF.

For This Troop, No Battles but Plenty of Brass

It is no wonder with press like this that the DoD is shy about granting any further recognition of SDFs.

Agree 100%, too many recruiters give rank out like candy. Even for the prior service.

How can doctors volunteer for bosnia iof they are in the SDF?

Egads! In the New York Times, for Gawd's sake! Hopefully, some of the more prosaic among us can write a "Letter to the Editor" and clean up some of this crap. Obviously, it should not be written by a NYSG soldier as that would be inappropriate, but the context of this article is beyond the pale and just confirms the stereotypes surrounding SDFs.

OHMR doesn't play this game. We have a state senator who is either a captain or major and he was a regular army JAG captain in prior service. We also have several judges who went through the ranks and earned what brass they have now.

Actually, I found it pretty on the money. There were two issues: One was the amount of High ranking individuals and how they got there, and the other was about the volunteering of time to do the things SDFs do. They pointed out the security details, will prep, attendance at training, etc.

Fairly bal

Dave Konig, a comedian, radio host and Sergeant in the New York Guard, wrote a great rebuttal to the Times' article on the National Review web site. Read the article, "On Your Guard," for a great look at the great work the New York Guard is doing.

Thanks for the heads up SGT "Grahmbo". SGT Konig did a great job responding to the Times.

quote:

Originally posted by Grahmbo:
Dave Konig, a comedian, radio host and Sergeant in the New York Guard, wrote a great rebuttal to the Times' article on the National Review web site. Read the article, "On Your Guard," for a great look at the great work the New York Guard is doing.

Excellent response to the NY Times.

Bart

Thanks for posting the rebuttal. I see both sides actually. I have seen both sides with my time in the Guard. I fully belive you should earn your rank though. I started as an e-1 with no prior service and am proud to know that I earned e-3, it wasn't just given to me because I know someone. There is not one day that gose by that I don't read something or do something to learn as much as I can to do my job properly. Im proud to work with alot of people that do the same thing.

I get upset at the people in the USV who try to join the CSMR and expect to receive a commission just because the USV hands it out like candy.

I'm glad that we have an OCS and WOC program. It's not as intensive as the federal program, but atleast there is a standard.

At our Christmas Ball the Deputy Adjutant General of the California Army National Guard related a story about how he was serving as the TF commander for AEROSAFE '06 and after a month learned that some of his staff on the TF were SMR troops. Soldiers he was working side-by-side with for over a month and did not realize it. That speaks to professionalism.

Thank you for the link to the rebuttal in the National Review, Grahmbo. The NYT article seemed to focus more on the granting of senior officer ranks to unqualified politicians than the NY Guard as a total force. However, I am no big fan of the NYT either and was not pleased with some of the things insinuated about the NYG. It is certain that Mr. Vitello could have done a better job in throwing less of a shadow over the NYG by focusing on the more positive contributions by the vast majority of its members.

However, my point is that it should NEVER happen. Any political assistance gained by such cronyism is far outweighed by decreased morale in those troops that have earned their rank (they may even leave), and it enhances the poor reputation that the SDFs are already battling as paper tigers.

I've always had a problem with rank being given away. I've seen political gifts, back door commisions, and commanders giving rank to enlisted and NCOs who still know nothing of their duties or even how to tie their boots. It's like they're throwing a dog a bone.

However, We do a lot of good, assist civil authorities in ways that fall well within our specialties as SDF troops (who better to assist in disaster relief than a civil affairs unit with training and certification specifically in that field?). We augment our state's total force (i.e. force multiplier) and, in many cases, work alongside our corresponding NG units while on SAD.

All things considered, I like the article by the New York Guardsman much better.

As an MA National Guardsman on active duty in Iraq I find the entire article to be , well quite honestly,
Slghtly humorous. As an amatuer historian I actually find it refreshing that the old school militia concept of AMerica still exists in a form smluar to that of the American Civil War.

Good on em. It's not lke they're out there advocatng the overthrow of the govt. They're providng volunteer service.

WHen my Company went through pre-deployment SRP last April ( My god has it been 14 months already) thee were over a dozen MA State Guard personel there helping us rotate through the SRP stations.

If turning some State congressman into a Miltia colonel helps them pay for uniforms and dsaster response training, then I;m all for it.

Hell politicians have been militia Colonels for 250 years. It's as American as Apple Pie, Cornflakes, and Chili Dogs at the ball park.

I wonder if I could be a Seargent Major when I get out next year

The problem is that in most cases the state politician ISN'T providing any monetary support worth talking about for the SDF. Many SDFs have NO state budget at all and in almost all cases the SDF budget is less (often WAY less) than 100,000.

California SMR has definately gotten control of rank inflation. Prior service officers and NCOs keep their rank, in all other cases start at the bottom. They could get advanced starting ranks pretty much the same as the Army does it. Ie. E3 for college or JROTC, CPT if a qualified medical, legal or chaplain professional, etc. Prior services WOs and NCOs and non-prior must go to OCS if they want to become a commisisoned officer or WOC for warrant (in the case of NCOs and non-prior service) They would get a direct commission only if they would otherwise get it in the Army for their professional qualification.

Amgenguy-I agree there is some tradition there, but in the modern military, you cant just make them a "Kentucky colonel" In the early days, I recall you could even "buy" your rank. I once met a Congrssman who was a Major in the US Army Reserve while a Congressman (I dont know what rank he had when he first got elected; it may even have been CPT); he is now a Colonel, but he worked his way up at the same pace as any other reservist.

quote:

I once met a Congrssman who was a Major in the US Army Reserve while a Congressman

Congress of the early fifties was chock full of senior reserve officers of all of the branches. I don't want to assume anything but it is hard to imagine Ladybird letting Lyndon (Rep. or Sen. ?)go away to play Navy once a month.

I have no problem with soldiers serving in the Congress or even holding other offices. But they should not get credit or pay. Federal law exempts them from deployment--so they are getting paid to sit on their rear-ends even if they are "drilling." They are raking up retirement and pay to do nothing. That is what gets on my nerves about the issue. Here is a list f people federal law exempts from military service:

• The Vice President.
• The judicial and executive officers of the United States, the several States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
• Customhouse clerks.
• Persons employed by the United States in the transmission of mail.
• Workmen employed in armories, arsenals, and naval shipyards of the United States.
• Pilots on navigable waters.
• Mariners in the sea service of a citizen of, or a merchant in, the United States.

Perfect example: Rumsfeld was in the Navy when he was first secretary of Defense--talk about conflict of interest. He stayed in only to retire. Military personnel who enter positions that make them nondeployable should be required to resign.

I disagree. So a one term Congressman/Senator/etc. who doesn't get re-elected should throw away a military career?

Are there people who will always abuse the system? Yes, but there are historical cases of Government official resigning from their post to join their units in time of war.

Don't judge all by somes' actions.