THE HOME-TOWN TROOPS

THE Army National Guard, which Defense Secretary McNamara is determined to reform, can rightfully claim that it is older than the nation. It grew out of the "citizen-soldiers" of the colonial militia and gradually evolved into state-organized units that have fought in every war from the Revolution to Korea. In World War II, 18 National Guard divisions went into combat. It took up to two years of training to get them ready--a traditional weakness of the Guard--but they went on to compile a record of gallantry on every front.

Political Pals. In war, the Guard is controlled by the Pentagon; in peacetime, although the Federal Government pays for 97% of its budget, it is primarily a state-organized fighting force under control of the Governor, who is the commander in chief of the units in his state. He appoints his own adjutant general, often a political pal with a sketchy military background.

In turn, the adjutant general can hire hundreds of "technicians." fulltime state employees of the Guard whose salaries are paid by the Federal Government. In addition, a skillful Governor can often add a new armory or two every few years for deserving towns; federal funds meet 75% of the cost, and a local contractor usually gets the job. Georgia has built 65 armories during the past decade under a plan mapped out by Governor Vandiver when he was adjutant general.

The present National Guard is divided into 4.336 units dispersed throughout more than 2,600 U.S. communities. Technically, it has 27 divisions, but 21 are so poorly equipped and manned (50% to 65% of authorized strength) that they have little military value. For the most part, the Guard is composed of a hard core of devoted World War II or Korean veterans, plus recruits ranging in age from 17 to 26 who escape the two-year draft by taking a six-month tour with the Army, then return home to spend from three to 5^ years with their local units. Guardsmen "train" for two hours a week, go off to summer camp for 15 days every year, earn a minimum of $180 a year.

In many states, the Guard is primarily a small-town operation that serves as both social center and employer. Georgia estimates that a 100-man unit brings in $52,379 in federal pay and allowances every year. Says Major General George J. Hearn. Georgia's adjutant general: "The Guard is a kind of livelihood for boys in the country and in small towns." More than that, the Guard armory is often a town's most impressive edifice, and a social mecca of food sales, high school graduations, civic meetings and basketball games.

Powerful Force. For such reasons --plus the fact that it is always ready and available to fight riots, blizzards or floods--the National Guard is a popular and powerful force. Frequent efforts to cut or reform the Guard have been met with outcries of rage from states, communities and guardsmen alike. Says an official of the National Guard Bureau in the Pentagon: "In many communities, the Guard is just like the fire department. Look around and you'll see even the mayor and councilmen in many of these towns are big guns in the Guard. If they aren't, they probably once were. And if you step on the Guard, you're stepping on the home-town folks."

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