Brice Yokem asks:
> Art -
> 
> Isn't it true that most of the Guard Units called up go into support
> roles rather than actual combat?  

It really doesn't matter whether one is in the National. Guard or 
Regular Army, a certain percentage of the force is going to be in 
the support role regardless of the source of manpower.  For example,
the National Guard units ratio to Regular Army units called to WWII 
and Vietnam were relatively few compared to today, (WWII created 
mostly new units) yet the Combat to Support ratio is similar.  The 
below analysis was written 1996:

Ratio of Support Personnel to Combat Personnel in Defense Analyses and Actual Conflicts 
---------------------------------------
Conflict or Analysis Ratio (Support personnel to combat personnel) 
---------------------------------------
World War II 1.7 to 1 
Korean War 1.5 to 1 
Vietnam War 1.8 to 1 
Persian Gulf War* 1.4 to 1 
Mobility Requirements Study Bottom-Up Review Update 1.8 to 1 
Total Army Analysis 2003 2.5 to 1 
* Just before the start of the ground war. 

SOURCE: Congressional Budget Office based on John C.F. Tillson and others, 
Review of the Army Process for Determining Force Structure Requirements 
(Alexandria, Va.: Institute for Defense Analyses, May 1996); and Department 
of Defense, Military Traffic Management Command, Deployment Planning Guide 
(September 1994). 

> Isn't it also true that 
> soldiers that
> are trained for an actual combat role, that is trading shots with the
> enemy, have more extensive training than support role?  Also, is not
> basic training just the first part of the soldiers military 
> experience,
> and after that they get training in whatever job the military assigns
> them?

This would be true in any Army except Costa Rica's.
These are givens.  Since Art's prior post was conveniently
snipped, what argument are you trying to counter?

BT


Tracy Johnson
MSI Schaevitz Sensors 

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