"I worry about the contraction of the budget in the world we're living in right now."

-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, "Mullen: U.S. Military Needs Larger Slice of GNP to Modernize," Defense News, Nov. 28, 2007

DUTY CALLS

"We all volunteered. Nobody made us go. None of us are trying to get out of it. I think this is what the Indiana National Guard is all about: sacrificing for the greater good."

-Sgt. Josh Stoppenhagen, one of three brothers mobilizing with the 76th Brigade Combat Team, "An Uncommon Family Affair: 3 Brothers In Arms," Indianapolis Star, Dec. 18, 2007

GLOBAL EMPOWERMENT

"Arguably the most important military component in the war on terror is not the fighting we do ourselves, but how well we enable and empower our partners to defend and govern themselves. The standing up and mentoring of indigenous army and police-once the province of Special Forces-is now a key mission for the military as a whole."

-Defense secretary Robert U. Gates, speech to Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., Nov. 28, 2007

UNTAPPED RESOURCE

"[World Vvar II] shows what industry can do when we mobilize for war. We haven't mobilized industry for this war."

-U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, speech to the 10th annual NGAUS Industry Day, Washington, D.C, Dec. S, 2007

NEW FAN

"I'd be so proud to be an American, if I was one."

-CSS golf reporter David Feherty, an Irishman, after returning from a USO tour In Iraq, "Feherty, Troops Link Up," USA Today, Dec. 7, 2007

HAILING CHANGE

"Right now the Guard has to beg and scrape and rely on the tender mercies of others for every piece of equipment they need to do the jobs they are asked to do. These reforms will begin changing that."

-Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-VL, co-chairman of the Senate National Guard caucus, prepared statement after Congress sent the president the 2008 defense authorization bill, Dec. 14, 2007

HEART OF AMERICA

"As members of the National Guard, you represent your community, state and nation. Our center of gravity in America is the will of the people. You represent the will of the people."

-Brig. Gen. Robert E. Livingston Jr., CJTF Phoenix W commander, speech to the Guard birthday celebration, Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan, Dec. 14, 2007

F-35: A TOUGH SALE?

"Lockheed's most potent competitor in the fighter business is Lockheed. Its older planes are competing with its newer planes for market share. This is the downside of their tremendous success."

-Loren E. Thompson, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute, "Downside of Dominance?" Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2007

THE REAL LOSER IN IRAQ

"It may have been a mistake for the United States to go to war in Iraq. But it's pretty clear now it was a blunder for al-Qaida to have done so."

-Jack Kelly, a columnist, "It's True: Iraq Is a Quagmire," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Nov. 18., 2007

CHALLENGES AHEAD

"It was easy to wrap the flag around the first deployment and feel good about where you've been and what you've done. I think the second deployments, given the tenor of the political discussion [of me war] and the strain on families and employers, are going to be more difficult."

-MaJ. Gen. John Llbby, Maine adjutant general, "The Guard's Turn to Surge," National Journal, Dec. 14, 2007

NEGLECTING THE TROOPS

"For the past four years, die Department of Veterans Affairs [VA] has been insisting that it's doing everything it needs to for the nation's veterans. That's simply not true, particularly when it comes to the VAs treatment of mental health issues."

-Joseph L. Galloway, a columnist, "Politicians Are Scrooges in Way They Treat Troops,"Arizona Daily Star, Dec. 17, 2007

© 2008 National Guard Association of the United States Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.