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Show HELPING KiS NEIGHBOR LITTLE GIRL FOUND After an all-night search in desolate, rain, soaked woods, National Guardsmen found a miasm 10-year old girl. KealiKtic training keeps Guardsmen ready and alert for local as well as national emergencies. National Guardsmen Ready For Local Disaster Alarms In the past 12 months members mem-bers of the National Guard of very State have seen some form of civil disaster service. "The tradition of 'Help Thy Neighbor'," says Major General Donald W. McGowan, "is as much a part of the National Guard tradition as is the service serv-ice of the civilian soldier in every war in which our country has been involved." General McGowan Mc-Gowan is the f'liief of the National Na-tional Guard Bureau. To his office in the Pentagon come the "after action" reports which tell the dramatic stories , of how the Guard reacts when the cry for help is heard. The first-rate training, organized or-ganized manpower, ami equipment equip-ment on-hand that makes the National Guard an invaluable, vital part of America's defense de-fense system, also makes the Guard an always-ready-and-availablc force in case of local disaster or emergency. In Tennessee, recer Army National Guardsmen on the ground and in helicopters teamed up to find and rescue a Nebraska man lost 24 hours in the rugged mountains. A member of the lost man's family said, "Thank God the National Guard was around." To this, many another disaster victim micht say, "Amen." Air (iurd pilots have flown through many a dark nifrht and turbulent sky to deliver badly needed serums. When winter blizzards isolated farm communities commu-nities in New Mexico and other western states, and threatened cut tie with death by starvation, the herds were saved by Air National Guard "airlifts" of feed for cattle. Isolated ranch houses received food and medical medi-cal supplies. In New Jersey, the tanks of an mniored division were tisei to open roadways to bring relief re-lief to marooned farmers und even to facilitate the travel of a very worried stork! When New York City was buried under two feet of snow this winter Guardsmen equipped with giant "wreckers" opened the streets. In addition to its Federal mission the National Guard has, in peacetime, an important State mission: to assist State and local authorities in maintaining main-taining peace, order and public safety. With its communications capabilities, cap-abilities, its means of transportation transpor-tation including trucks, airplanes air-planes and even boats! with its know-how in mass-feeding, medical services; with its on-hand on-hand stocks of blankets, tents, emergency rations, and water-purification water-purification equipment, the National Na-tional Guard is uniquely-endowed to serve the community in time of disaster. During the past 12 months Guardsmen have battled great forest fires in California, Nevada, Ne-vada, and Oregon. A prison rebellion re-bellion in Minnesota was quelled. In Huntsville, Alabama, a span across Big Spring Branch on a road linking Huntsville with the vital Redstone Arsenal was put out of action as the re- suit of a traffic accident. To take the place of this important link a military bridge was hurriedly hur-riedly put in place by engineers of the Alabama Army National Guard. The military bridge will remnin in use until Huntsville can construct a new permanent perma-nent span. From Puerto Rico to Hawaii, from Texas to Alaska, the National Na-tional Guard can be counted upon to keep an ear cocked so that no call for help will go nhecdod. |