National Guard Alerts

Just saw on an AP story that 39th (Arkansas), 76th (Indiana), 45th (Oklahoma) and 37th (Ohio) National Guard Infantry Brigades have gotten the call to go to Iraq in the next year or so.

Am still wondering if the 30th Brigade (North Carolina) is on the short list still...I'm rather surprised they haven't gotten the call so far. We went to war at the same time as 39th, back in 2004, and have actually been back a smidge longer than 39th.

30th is heading for AT at Camp Shelby, Miss. this week. Why in April, when many Guardsmen are still in college, I'll never understand. Anyway, I bet there are a bunch of anxious Soldiers getting on a bus right now, wondering whether they'll be getting on another bus bound elsewhere later this year.

Because 30th - which, before the 2004 deployment was ranked as the premier Brigade in the National Guard - hasn't gotten the call this time, I'm now curious as to whether 30th has lost prestige.

I'll tell you one thing we did lose because of Iraq, though: Equipment! We lost our Bradleys (they were kept in theater as replacements for other units), much of our heavy weaponry (machine guns, grenade launchers, etc.) and general field equipment (tents and such).

The 30th finally got 'new' Bradleys a few months back, but the crews are likely woefully behind on regular training. Ammo's been an all-around issue, I hear from former colleagues.

So, what's the deal with 30th? Are they out of the loop, or is the Pentagon just waiting for them to come home from AT to spring a new surprise on them?

It's a small piece of the bigger picture known as the decline and fall of the world's greatest Army.