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Thread: Does your state have a Militia.......????

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    Default Does your state have a Militia.......????

    Alaska Statute 26.05.010. Alaska Militia Established

    (a) The militia of the state consists of all able-bodied citizens of the United States and all other able-bodied persons who have declared their intention to become citizens of the United States, who reside in the state, who are at least 17 years of age, and who are eligible for military service under the laws of the United States or this state.

    (b) The militia is divided into two classes:

    (1) the organized militia, consisting of the Alaska National Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia, and the Alaska State Militia, and

    (2) the unorganized militia, consisting of all qualified persons available for service but not serving in the organized militia.

    (c) The adjutant general may, by regulation, prescribe the maximum age for eligibility in the militia.


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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Interesting question.....gonna have to look it up...
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    A little digging around seems to turn up various organizations in the state, but that aren't necessarily State ....but more of the fringe groups?
    Couple are under legal attack by the ATF........per this site.
    http://constitution.org/mil/wi/mil_uswi.htm
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    Default This is something I never quite understood

    Quote Originally Posted by Sourdough View Post
    (2) the unorganized militia, consisting of all qualified persons available for service but not serving in the organized militia.
    What/who determines their qualification?
    If they are unorganized, does it mean that any able bodied person with a firearm is eligible to serve?
    Who gets to organize them, and what would make that person credible and qualified for such a command?

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BENESSE View Post
    What/who determines their qualification?
    If they are unorganized, does it mean that any able bodied person with a firearm is eligible to serve?
    Who gets to organize them, and what would make that person credible and qualified for such a command?
    The AG, usually refered to as the head of the NG, would detirmine eligability, as in every other state.
    He would also be the commanding officer and most of the AG at state level are well qualified. Out NG troops have been serving alongside regular Army units for over 10 years now.
    NG officers and NCOs would be dispatched to each area to organize troop units.

    Oddly enough, this is the actual mission of the U.S. Army Special Forces train for; Go into an area and create an army from the manpower available.

    The militia tradition goes back to ancient Britian and has a long history. Our revolutionaly war was started by Colonials trained under the British militia system and the system remained in general use until the NG, answering directly to standards set by the federal government, took its place in the late 1800s, at the end of the "Indian Wars" (No offense intended Daniel, you may refer to it as "the great Anglo invasion"). At that point the militia became a government agency rather than a civilian protection force.

    Before the NG any local militia commander could call out the unit for defense or law enforcement without state emergency declaration. Just like forming a possie to chase the bad guy or make the James/Colter gang wish they had not chosen robbing banks in Minnisota as a profession.

    Normally these laws are intended to allow the state to impress every citizen into emergency service. A draft system for the state/local unit. The law simply authorizes the Governor to call them up at his discression.

    Now a real slick trick is that the state can call up the militia and then the Federal government Federalize the state militia making every eligable man in the state a U.S. soldier instantly. Immidiately, every citizen would fall under UCMJ and not civil law. Anyone not following Federal orders would be subject to charges of mutney, punishable by death.

    That is what Kennedy threated to do to the Alabama and Mississippi NG back in the 1960s when the state governors were using the NG to enforce segregation, so there is a precident in place.
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 08-24-2012 at 03:35 PM.
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    According to what I recall of my studies of frontier history, the Milita is what is defined in (a) of Sourdoughs' post. Every man was expected/required to have gun, powder, ball, flints, plus other gear such as knife, tomahawk, bedroll, ect. The Milita was the basic frontier security force.

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    Senior Member Daniel Nighteyes's Avatar
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    I know of a couple of "informal" state militias -- meaning that they're not on anyone's books. One of 'em tried to recruit me back in the 1980s. That was a buncha crazy danged people, in my opinion.

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    Yeah, ,there has been a similar "Milita" movement here in Michigan over the years that I have lived here. Bunch of anti-government radicals. They Feds arrested and tried a bunch of them last year.

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    the michigan militia members that were arrested and tried were found innocent of the charges. The main problem with the Michigan Militia is that half of them are wound up tighter than a eight day clock and the other half are good old boys. I base this on my experience with them due to living in close proximity to some of them. Norm Olson the commander lived a few miles from me years ago, he since moved to alaska.

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    KYRATSHOOTER - " That is what Kennedy threated to do to the Alabama and Mississippi NG back in the 1960s when the state governors were using the NG to enforce segregation, so there is a precident in place."
    Before Kennedy became President, in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, L.R. Central High School refused to admit black kids to the high school. U. S. Marshals arrived to force L.R. Central H.S. to admit the kids according to federal law. Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the Arkansas Nat'l. Guard to keep the U.S. Marshals from integrating the High School.

    At that point, President Dwight Eisenhower, with the stroke of his pen, Federalized the Ark. Nat'l. Guard, thereby automatically making them U.S. troops. He also sent in a battalion of paratroopers from the 101st Div. (Abn.), the famous "Screaming Eagles," to make very sure that the newly Federalized "good ol' boys" in the Ark. Nat'l. Guard did as they were ordered.

    Things were very tense there in Little Rock at that time. I lived there then and know whereof I speak (or would that be, "type?" ).


    States' National Guard troops are ultimately Federal troops-in-waiting.

    S.M.

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    Massachusetts has one
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massach..._Defense_Force
    Don't ask me who they are or how you get in. In a state where the Governor doesn't want civilians to own firearms, it seems more than a little ironic.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Seniorman View Post
    Before Kennedy became President, in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, L.R. Central High School refused to admit black kids to the high school. U. S. Marshals arrived to force L.R. Central H.S. to admit the kids according to federal law. Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the Arkansas Nat'l. Guard to keep the U.S. Marshals from integrating the High School.

    At that point, President Dwight Eisenhower, with the stroke of his pen, Federalized the Ark. Nat'l. Guard, thereby automatically making them U.S. troops. He also sent in a battalion of paratroopers from the 101st Div. (Abn.), the famous "Screaming Eagles," to make very sure that the newly Federalized "good ol' boys" in the Ark. Nat'l. Guard did as they were ordered.

    Things were very tense there in Little Rock at that time. I lived there then and know whereof I speak (or would that be, "type?" ).


    States' National Guard troops are ultimately Federal troops-in-waiting.

    S.M.
    I was working from memory and while I could remember the threats of the '60s I was still a little kid in 1957!

    I always get a kick out of people screaming that federal troops can not be used against civilians! I remember well the 101 going into Detroit with duce and a halfs with quad 50s mounted on them to take control during the riots.

    During the 70s and 80s they started letting the cities burn to the ground before they called in help. New age urban renewal.

    Folks scream about the terrors of today; they don't know what social unrest is!

    Our hazzards of economic collapse, political collapse, grid shutdown does not hold a candle to the chaos of the '60s and '70s, and knowing there were Nukes aimed up your butt 24/7 for the first 40 years of my life. 10/1 odds against the Warsaw pac in men and machinery and no "technology advantage" to claim.

    It finally dawned on me in the 1970s, that the Soviets did not want to invade us! If they had wanted too they could have walked across our forces at any time from 1975-1982, they simply did not want too.

    Back in the 1990s Tennessee organized the TN Defense Force. It was a state sanctioned militia. The entire NG had been deployed to Kuait. They suddenly realized there was no one to run the parking for the HS football games! It was a bunch of middle aged Viet vetran NCO types running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to ride heard on their 15-17 year old "vollunteers". I was already teaching High School and needed no additional crap on my off time.

    Every tinme i hear about someone organizing their "group of like minded individuals" I remember the line from Last of the Mohigans; "I ain't in nobodies' damn militia!"
    Last edited by kyratshooter; 08-26-2012 at 09:30 PM.
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    Indiana has the Guard Reserve, which is the State Defense force. Way back in the mid-50's Congress enacted the State Defense Force. I think it gave the states the right to create a state militia but didn't require it...I think that's right. About half the states actually have a state defense force. Interesting thing about the state defense force, unless the law has changed, it can only be used by the Governor and is exempted from nationalization. So members can not "drafted" into service. Congress was pretty smart in the 50's and probably didn't want a bunch of guys going from directing traffic at a football game to handling automatic weapons. There is no funding for uniforms or weapons for the state defense force from the federal level. If your state doesn't fund it then you get to purchase your own gear. Sweet deal.

    A couple of more interesting asides....In the early days of the militia if you were wealthy enough you could just hire someone to be in the militia for you. No need to mess up your expensive white blouse and wig by running through the woods and getting shot at.

    Prior to the civil war every state had a militia. After the civil war many disbanded. My guess is the men had seen enough that they never wanted to be part of it again. But that's just a guess.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowKey View Post
    Massachusetts has one
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massach..._Defense_Force
    Don't ask me who they are or how you get in. In a state where the Governor doesn't want civilians to own firearms, it seems more than a little ironic.
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    The French Foreign legion is nothing but an international militia of sorts without being patriotically motivated. An interesting "outfit".

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    My take on the 2nd amendment is that FREE as written was usually regarding freedom from oppression. The oppression was usually from the government.

    So having the federal government control the militias doesn't make much sense from that stand point.

    A limited central government and strong state and individual rights is how it was meant to be.

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    I am a soldier in the California State Military Reserve. We are the official "militia" of the State of California. About half the states and Puerto Rico have official state guards or military reserves. Requirements for joining vary from state to state. Some states only accept those with prior Federal military service. We tend to avoid the term "militia" because of the negative connotations it has with the public. State Defense Force, State Guard, and State Military Reserve are all terms that are more common but what we are is the organized militia of the state.

    During the days and months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, members of the California State Guard were posted at bridges, reservoirs, and other key pieces of infrastructure under arms to guard them. They have served in many natural dissasters throughout the state, in the LA riots, and some even went to Hurrican Katrina and served there.

    Our members both train and provide support for the National Guard here in California. Most of the doctors and lawyers that work with the Guard are actually in the State Miltiary Reserve. The JAG corps can be considered the largest law firm in California. The doctors, nurses, and medics do the medical checks on the National Guard before they deploy and provide medical support when they are training. We have state military reserve MPs guarding the gates of military installations in this state. The small arms training team gets the National Guard ready before they deploy overseas on all the small arms they will be using. We record and preserve the state's military history and artifacts. Our communications experts operate the specialized radio equipment trailers the state uses in emergencies because the Guard does not have soldiers trained to use it. We also man the states emergency services command center 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's a big deal here and saves the state millions of dollars each year.

    All State Military Reserve Members are sworn troops. They answer to the governor of the state through the adjutant general. They are only state sworn, not federal. They receive no pay unless called up to involuntary state active duty other than a $125 uniform allowance each year if they have 100% drill attendance. There is no pay for drill or annual training. There is no health benefits or retirement. If we are lucky we get a bunk at annual training but we pay for our own food and training/education opportunities. After a few years we can qualify for a state tuition assitance for college education if there is funding available. If we are hurt while on duty we get workmans compensation coverage. We also enjoy job and discrimination protections similar to those in Federal service.

    We are true citizen soldiers who do it to serve. It is no easy ride. The standards are tough, particularly in the units working directly with the Guard. Height and weight standards, ongoing background checks, and military bearing must be maintained. We have earned the respect of the state and the National Guard for the work we put in. Some are amazed at what we do for no pay. We wear military uniforms identical to the Guard except where it says U.S. Army on their uniforms, ours have California. We can earn National Guard awards, our own awards, and wear any Federal awards that are earned. We have a few soldiers who wear the GWOT on their class As. A few earned army commendation medals for their service with the guard.

    It is a pleasure and a privilege to serve the State of California. The soldiers are professional. We look, talk, and act the part of soldiers while we serve. Aside from the different name tape we blend in seamlessly with the National Guard. Our officers are either prior service or have gone through an extended OCS program approved by the California National Guard. Every soldier attends a basic orientation course at their own cost where they are trained to be a soldier. Our NCOs attend basic and advanced NCO courses in the state. On state active duty California National Guard may serve under State Military Reserve officers and NCOs or our soldiers may serve under Cal. National Guard officers and NCOs.

    Currently there are around 2000 of us in California but the state wants to add at least another 1000. Except under very narrow circumstances we cannot be placed in Federal service. The benefit to the state is that if the National Guard is away on Federal service they still have a trained, organized force here to get the job done should an emergency happen.

    Each state is different. Texas also has a very robust state defense force. In addition to army and air components, they also have a Naval component with Marine Forces. California has army and air components and provisions for a navy but currently there is no navy. Prior to WWI though the State of California had surplus ships and some members of the Naval Militia from California served in WWI on Federal ships. New York has a Naval Militia that did a lot of patroling of the harbor in New York after 9-11.

    For information on your own state you should check with your state's military department. Each state is different. Some have a handful of folks running an office and other states have large robust forces of state soldiers.
    Last edited by karatediver; 08-27-2012 at 11:42 AM.
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    Well this is why Michigan is referred to as Militiagan I see nothing wrong with. Most are probably more in tune than our goverment, http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-michigan.html
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    That was a two year old article. All charges were dropped against them earlier this year. There were a couple of guilty pleas on ATF violations.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...82S1EX20120329
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    We are still talking about two very different things.....Right?
    State Militia sanctioned and run by the state......And groups calling them selves militia that are located in that state.
    Appears Wisconsin doesn't have one of the former, unless you count the National Guard
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