Trouble for the National Guard?

By Gerd Schroeder

I bet most haven't seen this good news for the war effort reported in the major media; but it seems that someone forgot to tell the National Guard that we have lost the War. Better get on the Harry. It could be contagious.

Army Guard reaches 350,000-member goal ahead of schedule

ARLINGTON, Va. (4/23/2007) - The Army National Guard reached its congressionally authorized end strength of 350,000 Citizen-Soldiers on March 30, six months earlier than originally projected, Army Guard officials have reported.

Here are the main facts from Lt. Col. Diana Craun, the Army Guard's deputy chief for strength maintenance.

1. "Retention is highest among units that have returned from deployments, and retention is an essential element in end strength,"
2. It is the first time that the Army Guard has been at full strength since 1999
3. As long as someone doesn't turn off the machine, as long as we have the resources available to recruit like we do now, I fully expect us to be around 356,000 at the end of this year," Lt. Gen. Clyde Vaughn, director of the Army Guard, said in Congressional testimony on April 11.
4. The achievement follows one of the Army Guard's most successful recruiting and retention years in its history
5. The force experienced a net growth of 13,111 Soldiers during fiscal year 2006, Guard officials said, and it surpassed its retention goal of 34,875 by reenlisting 41,083 Soldiers.
6. unprecedented for the all-volunteer force since the end of the military draft 34 years ago.
7. More than 70 percent of the new readiness and retention NCOs have served in Iraq or Afghanistan or elsewhere during the Global War on Terrorism and can speak firsthand about the challenges and the benefits of serving in the Guard
8. Two years ago, recruiters contacted an average of 49 prospects for every one who signed a contract. Now, the contact to contract ratio is 22 to 1.

If this news gets out, the media and the democrats will go into major damage control mode. But it is not likely that it will. The report was reliased on the 23^rd of April (almost two weeks ago). The military public affairs has some responsibility in letting the media get away with not reporting this key inticator of support for the war among the troops.

For years we have heard how the National Guard is on the verge of collaps. But each year the liberal prophets are proven wrong. The American Military is far more resiliant than the media has portrayed.