Survey Looks at the Experiences of the National Guard in the War on Terror

Tufts University's Feinstein International Center has released the results of a study that focused on the effects of the War on Terror on the National Guard. In the last six years, there have been in excess of 1.5 million U.S. troops who have been deployed to the countries of Afghanistan and Iraq. About 250,000 of them have been members of the National Guard.

The Guard has been deployed in other military actions before this, but never to this extent. And their duties on the front lines are unprecedented.

The Nation Guard is made up of citizen soldiers, not regular military. They all have jobs in the private sector and come from communities across the nation. The Guard members who took part in this study came from a total of more than 12 states, with a lot from New Hampshire, due to the fact the guard officials there have done so much to focus on re entry strategies for the returning troops, Another state that is featured is Vermont because it has a larger than average amount of its citizens who are involved in the war, and a larger number of fatalities, based on an average.

The report was compiled using the words of the soldiers themselves and looks at their experiences from enlistment and training all the way up to their deployment, combat and re-entry.

In addition to the members interviews, they used materials from the Veterans History Project in the Library of Congress, e-mails and other communications by soldiers themselves, news accounts and documentaries, and conversations with family members, mental health professionals, and members of the media and data from the Department of Defense.

These are some of the facts they uncovered.

A great deal of the 250,000 had signed up way in advance of 9/11 and their reasons for signing up were mostly economic and educational. They did not think of the possibility of international deployment. Even though most of them are prepared to defend their country, they don't feel a personal connection to the War on Terror. Some of them who were unsure about the U.S. involvement have changed their opinion after having a first hand experience.