THE MEN AND THE MINUTE

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this is Vietnam that tropical river infested jungle down there is the treacherous Mekong Delta to the Tennessee Air National Guard crew which has just fought its way through the fringes of a rampaging tropical storm and too many other Air National Guardsmen the Mekong has become a familiar sight so has Saigon its time soon at airport dead ahead on those flooded rice paddies hiding the elusive Viet Cong over the Mekong it's not unusual for a crew to find itself the target of a VC barrage of small arms fire fortunately the boys from Tennessee were not hidden tanzanite it's a strange name in a faraway place too many of our nation's men and women of the Army Navy Air Force Marines and Coast Guard tonsure Nutt serves as an introduction to the war being fought in this corner of Southeast Asia it's an impressive sight all this activity reactions to it vary with the individual let's listen to this air Guardsmen explain how he felt it's hard to explain you get the feeling you're a part of all this back in the Philippines when you leave there you get a real good briefing on the situation in Vietnam except when you skirt the edges of a typhoon like we did today the five-hour flight into Saigon is fairly routine we're usually pretty tired because we've flown halfway around the world to deliver this cargo no matter how tired you are though when you get over the Delta everyone comes alive it's just like someone pushed a button I don't suppose there's more aerial activity anywhere in the world than there is in a combat zone and brother they sure got activity here they say this is the busiest airport in the world and boy I believe it you see almost everything here all kinds of aircraft some waiting their call to combat and others returning from their combat missions the equipment is all over the place as a matter of fact parking space is so critical that we unload and get right out of here to make room for others we're parked by the tower this trip that's only about 50 yards from the fuel storage area that was hit by a thief mortar attack the other night we saw some of the planes that had been hit as we tax it in to the security is pretty heavy around here they've got men they've got radar and they've got missiles I know I wouldn't want to try to infiltrate this place the Vietnamese help load and unload our aircraft here there are real friendly people and they do a fine job we hope of course that all these workers are our friends but I guess you never really know look at that that's pretty unusual I guess that chopper is bringing it back for repairs boy she really got banged up for us National Guardsmen these missions to Vietnam are rewarding experiences in my books every guy over here is a patriot in the finest American tradition these missions to Vietnam are only part of the National Guard story we can't tell you all about the guard in a few minutes however this film is intended to show you a few activities the 400,000 army guardsmen and 80,000 air guardsmen performed take this aeroplane for instance it looks like any other sea 97 you might describe this one or something round and zel ver with a voice that can be heard around the world this is the Oklahoma Air National Guard's talking bird now they call it that because it has radio and communications equipment for worldwide operations this plane remains on four-hour alert at all times comes a crisis anywhere in the world and these boys might be on their way that was the case during the 1965 crisis in the dominican republic talking bird was one of the first planes ordered into santo domingo it has a wide range of versatility this bird these capable Guardsmen can land in a remote area anywhere in the world and relay conversation from a walkie-talkie and a foxhole directly to the Pentagon this is Guantanamo Bay Cuba along with Vietnam and the Dominican Republic another trouble area were the air guard flies into this outpost in the Caribbean regularly as a matter of fact in the past year the Air National Guard has taken over a significant part of the aeromedical evacuation flights for the Air Force Cuba is one of the many offshore locations served by the guard guarding against infiltration is a 24-hour a day job it's an unheralded job but it's one that these Marines take as seriously as duty in Vietnam all of this only 90 miles from Florida minefields barbed wire fences a no-man's land outpost to remind one of Korea that's what it's like here on one side we have our outposts on the other they have theirs we watch them they watch us the seas are not an unfamiliar element to the Army National Guard the boats you see here in these log filled waters around Tacoma belong to the Washington Army National Guard these guardsmen where the army green but in their hearts harris salta is a sailor whether it's on the bridge or on the deck of these floating machine shops tugs utility and landing craft these Guardsmen are experts seaman and although their mission is primarily one of combat support their importance and natural disasters makes this outfit a valuable asset to the entire West Coast their flotilla is unique the only one in the National Guard these sailors in green are shoving off on a landing exercise with other Guard troops time and tide make little difference to these seagoing soldiers plowing through the frigid and choppy waters of Puget Sound they observe strict radio silence the fact that Guardsmen serve their community and state as well as their nation makes the guard unusual in itself in other words these men swear allegiance to both state and nation and thus the National Guard is the only military force and let me emphasize that the National Guard is the only military force immediately available to a governor or a community in the event of a raging tornado a rampaging flood of fierce forest fire or any other civil emergency that's quite an asset for Americans to have sort of bonus they get with the National Guard that they don't enjoy with any other Reserve Program [Music] [Applause] [Music] although the guard has its responsibilities to the state and community it trains primarily to meet its wartime mission and in any war there's always a high priority for linguists folks who can speak foreign languages they're needed to read enemy documents to interrogate prisoners for many other duties well the National Guard isn't sitting by the roadside and watching things pass by on this score either here's a group of Utah Army Guardsmen in their foreign language laboratory they're involved with some Mandarin Chinese and that's one of the toughest dialects in that language let's listen woman chants a dark I'm sure Jetta t2 this guard linguist company has capabilities in 18 different languages now it's interesting to note that 94% of the men in this unit have served missions overseas for the Mormon Church in doing that they lived in the countries they were serving they learned the language fluently they became very familiar with the people with their customs with the geography of the country with the climate that's on-the-job-training of the highest order believe you me and the high caliber of men in this outfit is typical of the individual dedication and determination that is found throughout the National Guard these linguists don't spend all their time in the laboratory by any means there are no chair bound oh boy these fellows on a weekend they might be out working closely with an army guard special forces unit the crowd Green Berets the guard has done - you know here's some of the Utah Special Forces outfit getting ready for a night parachute drop for an exercise the next day our rugged looking lunch the tough - a special breed that demands a pocket full of courage and a heaping dose of physical stamina [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the guard has something else special to those waves hipping across the coral reefs of Puerto Rico or washing directly toward an aggregation known as the Buccaneers they're special because they make music from 55-gallon oil drums you know you take a few of those drums you cut them down you beat them up a little bit and you temper them and you have a steel drum band and when you have a steel drum band you have well give a listen [Music] Puerto Rico Air Guard fighter pilots make a different kind of music that music is the thunder and roar of an f-86 jet fighter like all the air guards 22 air defense units they maintain the watch every day in the year standing alert just like their compatriots in the active air force in standing alert these Guardsmen are ready to get into the air in just a few minutes if an unidentified plane approaches they go up to check it out so far they've all been friendly for an enemy to show up however these planes are armed pathetic these guards will know the first line of defense [Music] [Music] an air guard radar station maintains a 24-hour year-round vigil of the skies surrounding the island it's a dreary lonely job but it requires professional competence of the highest order life is more exciting for these pilots their jobs are just as important all Guardsmen whether they're in Puerto Rico New York Nebraska Arkansas California of ie or any other state our professionally trained citizen soldiers and citizen Airmen these Puerto Rican Army National Guardsmen trace their heritage back to the famous explorer who search for the Fountain of Youth Ponce de Leon actually he established military forces here long before he started his search for the Fountain and a whole century before the first settlers set foot in Virginia just as the air Guardsmen are the first line of defense in the air these army Guardsmen are the only ones immediately available for the ground defenses of that island for their responsibilities like that intensive training is a must [Music] and so it is - with the fame 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard the 28th is part of the selected Army National Guard Reserve Force or srf as it's called the srf was formed as a result of the mounting tension in southeast asia and is composed of a hundred and fifty thousand army Guardsmen and reservists 119 thousand of Wichard guards all the combat elements of that select force as a matter of fact the three infantry divisions the six infantry brigades an Armored Cavalry Regiment and other combat support units are National Guard outfits through increased Manning more equipment and accelerated training these srf units have given the nation are ready force unequaled in our history these helicopters are part of the guard to both the Army and Air National Guard have programs under which qualified young men can train to be pilots these Hawaiian army Guardsmen for example are flying a routine patrol along the beautiful shores of water in Hawaii the Army and Air Guard team together provide the primary defenses for the island [Music] army guard nike hercules batteries such as this Hawaiian unity regularly establish new records for missile firing accuracy and professionalism these guardsmen carry out their practice firings right from their island stations in hawaii that built an advantage to living in a paradise like this guardsmen protecting the key industrial complexes in continental United States and we go to Mexico for their practice fires all these 19 units of the guard are on round-the-clock alert at all times missiles are among the most complex sophisticated weapons in our nation's defense inventory the guards teamwork and precision timing blend that necessary assurance so comforting to the people who once suffered the indignities of a sneak attack [Music] supporting the hawaii nike hercules defenses as the Hawaii Air National Guard and its f-102 jet interceptors [Music] these guys scrambled into the wild blue like a surfer takes to Waikiki [Music] the heavy responsibilities given the guard and the obvious confidence the nation's strategist on guard to the guards readiness and capability that's the story of the National Guard really it's a trained professional course that can and does do almost anything these f-105s for example belong to the New Jersey Air National Guard there's some sort of whistle buggies they can carry more bombs than many of what we called our big bombers in World War two one of the pilots in this flight was Captain Jim Butler he flew missions over North Vietnam and an active Air Force f-105 out to the short time back when he got out of the service he signed up with the airlines but he keeps his weekends for these supersonic stallions he's typical of the combat-tested men in the guard and he provides an additional element and up-to-date combat experience which he can share with his fellow Guardsmen how's this for a voice of authority those guns spit out 6,000 rounds a minute list [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] with the help of aerial tankers these fighters can be dispatched to any point in the world in a matter of hours these Jets are active Air Force f-105s exemplifying once again the teamwork that exists between the National Guard of the active military forces these aerial tankers are a relatively recent addition to the garden inventory they prove their importance time and time again however in an exercise in 1964 these guard tankers teamed up with guard jets and moved to Europe and a mere nine hours [Music] as a rule Guardsmen aren't found short of ingenuity and it has to be ingenuity when there's something like this these Assam Illinois army garden contributed 33rd division teamed up with a tank element of the Wisconsin Army Guard in a recent field exercise these ground units are requesting assistance from their brother Guardsmen in the air it has an unusual ring this request because well the army tanks are running low on fuel and there's not a drop within miles of this area remote from everything except an abandoned airstrip are they problem not with their Skyborn gas station around perimeter defenses are established while the Flyboys rate the refueling nozzles and in a matter of seconds the aircraft is supplying the tanks with vital fuel in addition to these tankers other Tactical Air Command elements of the Guard include 23 fighter 12 reconnaissance and 4 Air Commando groups plus many other non flying units which play an important role in providing support in radar communications electronics and weather 9 f100 tactical fighters for rf-84f tactical reconnaissance units plus a tactical control group have been placed in an accelerated training status similar to the program being carried out by the army guard s RF units this bond in the guard between the army in the air and between one state and another is indicative of the determination that is so prevalent in guard ranks from the bottom to the top it's a great system and as a system that works too hey you guys you forgot your green stamps talking about Tigers in your tank listen to the growl of these Colorado Air National Guard f100 they're setting out on a mission to support the Army's fifth division of Port Carson this will be a simulated combat exercise but it sounds like real the conversations you'll hear now are the communications that were established between the forward air controller on the ground an observation plane in the air and the pilots of the air guard Super Sabres [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] right now they are right on target now take it for the finest that's a pretty nice compliment it's a friendly confirmation of a job well done and talking about good jobs let's take a look at the Army and Air National Guard in Alaska here again they work closely together particularly with the guards Eskimo Scouts who proudly Arctic the year-round reporting anything unusual they see in this exercise they've spotted something after reporting they move by see what is the army term for dogsled other units of the Alaska arming guard are in the field too and they move into action [Music] looks like fun doesn't it now that is until you try it and snow about three feet deep in the shadow places yeah but these men are from the hearty stock and this jaunt is about the same as a Sunday stroll to them only with a much graver purpose having reached the scene it's a short jog to their point of link up with the other troops then it becomes a lonely vigil of sweating it out trying to become an inanimate part of the surrounding countryside just waiting for the next move whatever it might be if the situation dictates a call for reinforcements they're available also and they travel by Alaska Air Guard ski equipped c-123 J aircraft right now the reinforcements have only one purpose to get where they're needed fast as this bird invented there it's a rugged aircraft just made to order for the challenge of Alaska's lusty terrain [Music] the fact that citizen Airmen and citizens soldiers of the National Guard can perform duties that you have seen in this film should serve as evidence of the guards important and growing role in national defense the scenes here have depicted some of the unusual aspects of the National Guard about which most folks are unaware they should not cloud the fact that there are many other Guardsmen in many other units in many other locations with equally important missions and who as the men you have seen in this film do stand ready to defend their country they've been that way now for more than 300 years it took that long to write a Creed like this I've let it Bunker Hill and Rose at Valley Forge I wrote with Washington across the icy Delaware I saw the making of a nation for I am the guard and I was there I swam the flood to take a child in my arms and watched her tears melt away I thought to snow and I felt the twister blow I know what it means to pray so raise the flag I love and this to you I swear that I will follow though the road may lead me anywhere I am defender of our nation now and forever I am the guard I bought it Normandy ending Korean skies I heard the battle to meet peace around the world so freedom ring this will raise the flag I'll open this to you I swear I will follow go to roll believe me anywhere I am tender of our nation now and forever I am the guard [Music] Oh National Guard [Music]