WASHINGTON – As the U.S. girds for war in the Middle East, the government has prepared National Guardsmen here for the worst by reminding the mostly part-time soldiers to get their wills, life insurance and other affairs in order, WorldNetDaily has learned.
The notice, which was e-mailed Friday in the form of an internal memo, also recommended guardsmen start wearing their dog tags now, in case they are called to respond to more terrorist attacks in the U.S. Some 11,000 members from 29 states have already been deployed to disaster zones at the Pentagon and in Manhattan.
Dog tags, or “ID tags,” as they’re now officially called, also contain vital health information such as blood type.
National Guard headquarters in Arlington, Va., last week e-mailed workers and members to urge them to update their wills, emergency data cards, and forms naming dependents and beneficiaries. It also suggested they fill out power-of-attorney forms and family-care plan papers, if needed.
The memo, written by Air National Guard First Sgt. Joan Peters, was sent to all National Guard Bureau and Andrews Air Force Base workers, says Bonnie Bell, warrant officer in the National Guard Bureau’s family-programs office. The leadership of the Army National Guard also received a copy to distribute.
“It’s a very good reminder,” Bell told WorldNetDaily. “You know, I’ve looked at my will in the last few days, and I’ve made sure I knew where my power-of-attorney was for my children in case I’m killed.”
“This is real-world stuff now,” she said. “One of the people who is actually missing at the Pentagon is a single person who has a family-care plan at the Pentagon. Her child is going to rely on what her mother put in that plan.”
The planning document also applies to a couple who are both in the military and have children, or even a military service member who has a parent who is a dependent, Bell adds.
“The family-care plan provides for who takes care of that dependent when you’re activated – all their medical things, power-of-attorney, contacts,” she said.
Bell, who served during the Gulf War, says she doesn’t recall such a reminder being sent out before the guard was called up in 1990.
About 25 percent of Air guardsmen are full-time soldiers. About 10 percent to 13 percent of Army guardsmen work full time.
All told, there are 469,782 members of the Army and Air National Guard. It’s not clear how many of them President Bush plans to activate for overseas duty. About 7,500 Army and about 3,500 Air guardsmen have already been called to duty by states like New York.
“Their primary function is working security and assisting in the recovery” of victims of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, said National Guard Bureau spokesman Lt. Philip Nizoloski.
He says the Pentagon guard contingent is being drawn down as the recovery and security efforts subside.
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