The National Guard recruits new troops with the motto: “Serve Your State. Defend Your Nation.”

In Georgia, Guardsmen routinely help civilians during natural disasters. They tested patients for COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic and assisted overwhelmed hospitals. They have deployed overseas to war, including in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Nicknamed “citizen soldiers” for their part-time roles, Georgia’s Guardsmen are seeing their responsibilities expand substantially under President Donald Trump’s administration.

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order designating Guardsmen from all 50 states who could rapidly mobilize for “quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order” nationwide. The same day, the Georgia Guard confirmed it would deploy 75 of its soldiers and

See Full Page