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American Morning

Target: Terrorism - National Guard And Reservists Called Upon

Aired October 01, 2001 - 11:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk more about the country's airports. The National Guard troops now assembling at a number of airports this. This process will continue in the next couple days.

Donna Kelly in Atlanta is watching that. Donna, good morning to you.

DONNA KELLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Bill, and good morning to you as well. We have been told certainly to allow more time at the airport for security checks. Now you are likely to see National Guard troops at the airports. Some are already in place, as the president has asked states it call up the Guard to help with security at airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration is planning to help train the troops, and wants to work with the Defense Department as about 5,000 troops work at 422 airports for probably the next four to six months.

The Guard and Reserve have been pressed into service for a lot of missions over their history, like when there's a flood, or a tornado, or maybe you'll remember the wild fires that we have seen the last couple of summers. From sorting and delivering mail during a postal strike, to security and of course, military missions.

We thought we would tell you a little bit more about the Reserve and the Guard. The Reserves have one mission, and that's to be the Reserve force for the Army, Navy and Air Force. The National Guard, though, has three missions.

Just like the Reserves. They are a Reserve force to the military that's on active duty. But added to that, they are to put down insurrection and enforce the laws of the nation and the state. And they provide militia that's under state control. So, they work outside of the federal military, and in fact, the Reserve units report to the president as Commander in Chief, and the National Guard reports to the governor of the state, unless the federal government calls them up.

Usually, Guard units have combat related jobs, and the Reserves do back area jobs and administrative duties.

You might have heard National Guard troops walled weekend warriors. They have to drill one weekend a month. And then once a year they have their two week training time. There are 450,000 people who make up the Guard. They're in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands. They have 4,350 units in about 3,100 cities and towns. Army National Guard numbers, 350,000, Air National Guard, 105,000.

Nation Guard web site reports that in World War I, 40 percent of the U.S. combat divisions in France were National Guard troops. Then In World War II, guard units were some of the first to go, and among the first to fight.

The numbers that we found, also, to compare: In Vietnam, 102 Air National Guard Units, and 34 Army units were pressed into service, totally 23,000 members. In the Gulf war back in 1990 and '91, you might remember, 265,000 Army and Air Guardsmen and Reservists were called up. And in Bosnia, National Guard and Reservist numbered 19,000. More than 50,000 Guard and Reservists may be called up for this latest war on terrorism.

Bill?

HEMMER: Donna, thank you.

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