Back at Base

Rida Sihab Mansour, a staff sergeant in the National Guard, stands with the uniform he wears when he serves on the honor guard at military funerals. He says he's positive that his guard commitments are making it more difficult to build a career.

National Guard Members Struggle To Keep Civilian Careers

Alison St. John

National Guard soldiers live in two worlds: They can be deployed in a crisis, but must support themselves and their families with civilian jobs. That's made harder by the guard's unpredictable needs.

A view inside the Washington National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in February. As Congress cuts $500 billion from the Defense Department budget, the National Guard and active Army are competing for the same dollars.

Politics and Government

Looming Budget Cuts Pit National Guard Against The Army

Patricia Murphy

In Washington state, a friendly family rivalry is taking place at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord as the National Guard and active Army lobby to protect their interests against deep budget cuts.

The Army spent $300 million to upgrade Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center — seen here in this aerial photo from 2012 — for Indiana's National Guard to use to prepare for the wars and Iraq and Afghanistan. But now that troops are coming home, the Guard is looking for new ways to keep the base relevant.

Politics and Government

National Guard Seeks New Mission After War

Steve Walsh

Indiana's National Guard is fighting to stay relevant after the base has quieted dramatically now that troops have come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.