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Show j features of 'Gusird Week' , , i Kicking off National Guard Week in f rernal Tuesday was the visit of Major j' General Maurice L. Watts, Adjutant teneral of the Utah National Guard. General Watts spoke at the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce Directors' teeting and reported that the Vernal Hit has an annual payroll of $100,000 nd the unit is only 55 percent of tagth. If the unit was to full strength he area would receive almost twice the (resent payroll. General Watts said the Utah Guard tontributes over $23 million to Utah's tonomy in its payroll alone. The Guard is financed 98 percent by the i federal government and 2 percent by the state. The Guard comprises about 45 percent of the U.S. Army force in the U.S. and only costs one-sixth the cost of supporting a full-time army, the General explained. The Guard appreciates employers of its members letting them off for special training and summer camps. Guard training makes better employees by giving them leadership and dependability depen-dability training, Watts said. General Watts was presented a momento ceramic dinosaur as a gift for his visit to Vernal by Chamber President Presi-dent Gayle McKeachnie. Events scheduled Friday and Saturday Satur-day for Guard Week include the visit by the 23rd Army Band that will give a clinic to the schools Friday and lead a parade Saturday. The National Guard parade will start Saturday morning at 11 at the Vernal Junior High School and march down Main Street to 5th East and south to the Armory. Every rolling piece of Guard , equipment will be included in the parade. Two Army helicopters will follow the parade and then land at the Armory for display, according to 1st Lt. (Continued on Page 16) Guard Week (Continued from Page 1) Kenneth Fisher, commanding officer of the Vernal unit. At noon Saturday an open house will be held at the Armory with refreshments refresh-ments and equipment displays until 3 p.m. Other activities that afternoon will include a Bantam basketball game and "Operation Clean Ud". The clean up operation will involve the removal of old car bodies from the city and county areas to help beautify the area. Heavy equipment will start picking up car bodies at 12:30 p.m., those desiring removals should call the Guard Armory. |