A Call to Service - Some Answer More Often

Ok, there seems to be a Southern thread through today's posts. But I am very sensitive to this particular post having served in the Alabama Guard and Reserves for 11 years. These guys/ladies are true heroes who have been placed in harm's way more than they probably can ever understand. God Bless them and their families.

Going back to the previous post, I hope members of their families are not having to deal with the unemployment insurance situation in their absence.


Alabama sixth in nation for Army National Guard soldiers who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
By Tom Gordon of the Birmingham News (3/12/09)
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/123684580073100.xml&coll=2

The number of Army National Guard soldiers from Alabama who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars is the sixth highest in the nation, according to the latest Pentagon figures.
At the end of January, 7,250 Army National Guard soldiers from Alabama had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom, which is the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan. The states with higher numbers than Alabama were Texas, with 12,288; Pennsylvania, 10,181; California, 10,155; Indiana, 7,736; and Illinois, 7,410. Most of the Alabama Guard soldiers who deployed were members of Alabama National Guard units, but some were in units from other states.

Pentagon figures also show that nationally, the number of Alabamians in Guard and Reserve units who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars - 13,609 - is the 11th highest.
California, with 36,116, is first, followed by Texas, with 30,982. Four other Southern states are ahead of Alabama: Florida, with 20,383; Virginia, 18,929; Georgia, 16,650; and North Carolina, 15,245.

All of the states with higher totals have larger populations than Alabama. Also according to the Pentagon, 1,601 Alabamians who are Air National Guard members have served in Iraq or Afghanistan. That total is the nation's 13th highest. This year, about 1,600 Alabama Army Guard soldiers are expected to deploy to the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.