Before I catch y’all up with my first couple weeks here in Arizona, I have some things to address. I’ve posted my feelings all over Facebook about the tornados that nearly ripped my home state off the map. Aside from being INCREDIBLY blessed that my family and friends were all safe, and that the property damage was significant yet not even close to as bad as it could have been, I still desperately want to come home. My desire to come home is strictly to be with my unit, not because there has been any emergency with my loved ones. To make matters more challenging, my unit made a mistake and activated me to come help. The problem has since been fixed and I no longer need to be in Athens today, yet I can't help but feel like that was an opportunity to come home...oh well
Here at Huachuca I work with lieutenants from a wide range of backgrounds. I am currently a squad leader, with 3 out of the 8 active duty lieutenants from my class in my squad. You could say that I am acutely aware of the prejudice that has been placed against National Guard and Reserve officers by the Active Army. The Active soldiers I have met, that have any experience overseas usually treat my decision to serve the Army at the state level instead of the federal level with respect, however, that is not so much the case with my freshly commissioned counterparts here at school. Unfortunately, the first few days here in my leadership position were extremely rough due in the most part to the stereotype that National Guard soldiers are less than squared away. This angers me. I have spent more time “active duty” through Auburn Army ROTC than they have since they got to basic last year. Aside from that, I actually have on-the-job training on how to be an S-2; also, they live the Army-a National Guard soldier must balance an obligation to a civilian employer as well as the Army. How many people do you know can rock at a job they only do one weekend a month? And yet we do. We deploy overseas with the active and reserve armies, and then again at home when disaster strikes. When those active duty soldiers are working at their respective posts and overseas, and disaster strikes the area their family lives, the National Guard is there to help pull their family and friends from the rubble and rebuild the community. We provide security against looting after storms like the tornados and Katrina, then provide security for cities like Bagdad and Fallujah. I know first hand that it’s a challenge to move back and forth between a civilian and a soldier, and the soldiers I work with at my unit back at home are extraordinarily skilled at that. While saying that, I would like to end with the bold statement- Anyone who will disrespect National Guard Officers as a whole, because of a few that have issues, is ignorant. The National Guard is an asset to the states, to the country, and to the Active Army. Without us they’d deploy more than twice as often as they already do, without us they’d need to help at the domestic level as well, without us their families would be lost in disaster. If you do not respect what the Guard does for the country and all it entails, then you can kiss my AL ARNG ass.
I’ve never been prouder to be in the Alabama National Guard, and I hope and pray that they can help the communities that mean so much to me get back on their feet as soon as possible. I pray that they pull more survivors from the rubble than dead. That they find items for people who thought they’d never see their favorite picture, stuffed animal, blanket, necklace, again.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
HOOAH,
2LT Natalie Weil
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