Some stand by. Others stand up. That’s the National Guard. Unlike the other branches of our military—who are often deployed overseas—the Guard is first and foremost about protecting our own. When disaster strikes at home, when floods rise, when fires burn, when communities are in crisis—the Guard is there. These are citizen-soldiers. They live here. They work here. They wear the uniform on the weekend and return to their jobs and families on Monday. That’s what makes the Guard different: it’s no