Our country’s interests are protected by active service personnel, but also by Army National Guard reservists. The nation’s military could not protect our interests, both at home and abroad, without the partnership it enjoys with the National Guard. It’s not a second string military – it is a first rate defense.

The War on Terrorism

Prior to the devastating effect of 9/11 on our country units of the Army National Guard were required to serve only one year cumulative active duty with no more than half of that time served overseas. This worked well to meet peacetime military needs. The effect of the horrible September day changed the world forever, and immediately and dramatically increased our demands on our Armed Forces. Active duty personnel were stretched thin following these attacks however and it became necessary to increase mobilization time for those in the Reserves.

Today Army National Guard units may serve up to two years (twenty four months) of active duty during a six year enlistment period. One weekend a month, two weeks a year used to be the standard for Guards. That’s no longer true, however. In 2008 more than one quarter of our deployed forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are Guardsmen. These troops are now an essential part of our national safety.

Presence on the Home Front

When crises strike at home the National Guard is there. In the event of a hostile invasion our safety will depend on these highly skilled soldiers to protect our interests and repel enemy forces. But the threats to our safety don’t always come from outside our borders. Natural disasters require a quickly deployable, highly dependable, and capable force to protect our citizens. The Army National Guard is just right for the job.

The military offers training in teamwork, problem solving, and crisis intervention unsurpassed by anything offered in the private sector. Army careers have changed exponentially in the last few decades. Military careers were once thought to consist mostly of hand to hand combat skills but reserve and active service positions today include highly skilled, technical and professional career choices always on the cutting edge of technology.

Military boot camps are camps where adolescents are trained by military personnel to endure the rigors and discipline of military life. Parents of teens who are out of hand send them to boot camps after exhausting all other methods of making them behave better. The structured discipline imparted to teens to take on the challenges of a life serving in the military prepares them to become more responsible and well adjusted adults.

Military boot camps are beneficial to troubled teens. It teaches them the qualities of discipline, leadership and training for a systematic and sensible lifestyle. All the beneficial qualities that are attributed to the military system are imparted to adolescents. They learn to cope with themselves, their problems and with others. They learn to face the hardship of the real world with courage and rectitude.

Military boot camps have their disadvantages in helping troubled teens. The discipline taught at the camps is too harsh and may have an adverse effect on a troubled teen. Parents should consult with a qualified counsellor before taking the step of sending children to structured camps. Insubordination is not tolerated at the camps even if the insubordination is reasonable. Some programs are expensive and unruly behavior will result in expulsion before completion and the teen will not be re admitted once expelled. Experts believe that teaching blind obedience will not help to develop a rational attitude or spirit of enquiry in adolescents.

The significance of military camps is that they teach teens to act responsibly and in a disciplined manner with their peers and with their parents. They help to make the teen emotionally and physically tough. Their mental balance improves when they follow a regimented routine. The lessons taught at military boot camps are lessons that will keep adolescents in good stead all their lives.

The effects of teen behavioral improvement at a military boot camp are that teens get rid of their negative attitudes and learn to face life positively and with confidence. A range of problems from addiction to psychological disorders can be treated at military boot camps. The routine demands hard work and discipline and leaves no room for negative thoughts or behavior.

Military boot camps can help discipline troubled teens. However, experts believe that sending teens to the harsh disciplining atmosphere of a military boot camp must be a last resort option for parents.