West Virginia National Guard Volunteer Process Explained After DC Deployment Tragedy

National Guard Deployment Process

• 🎯 The call for volunteers for National Guard missions is typically put out by the joint operations team.
• 💡 For missions like flood duty or extended deployments, the Guard first reaches out to see who is willing to volunteer at the unit level.

DC Deployment and Volunteer Survey

• ⚡ Soldiers and airmen were deployed in Washington, D.C. for approximately 45 days, with rotations occurring.
• 📌 When the mission extension in D.C. was announced by the Secretary of the Army, the West Virginia National Guard inquired about potential troop numbers.
• 🤝 Following discussions with the governor, the commander in D.C. surveyed the troops to determine how many volunteers were willing to remain on mission.
• 📝 While the exact method wasn't specified, it's understood that troops signed up, likely on paper, to indicate their willingness to stay.

Future Operations and Rotational Schedules

• 🗓️ The National Guard has future planned operations that follow a normal rotational schedule.
• ⚠️ This standard rotational schedule is a common practice for missions that are expected to last longer than 30 days.