The Vermont State Guard (VSG) is the all-volunteer

state defense force In the United States, state defense forces are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government. State defense forces are authorized by state and federal law and are under the command of the governor of each state. ...

of the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. The Vermont State Guard serves parallel to the

Vermont National Guard The Vermont National Guard is composed of the Vermont Army National Guard and the Vermont Air National Guard. Together, they are collectively known as the Green Mountain Boys. Both units use the original Revolutionary War-era Flag of the Green ...

, acting as a reserve force for the State of Vermont Military Department. The Vermont State Guard is a reserve force composed of individuals living as civilians when not activated, but the force can be activated in the event of an attack or natural disaster to serve as a force multiplier for the National Guard, and is assigned to fulfill the state mission of the National Guard when the National Guard is deployed. Unlike the National Guard, the State Guard cannot be federalized or deployed outside the country. Rather, the VSG can only be called up by the governor, and cannot be deployed outside the state without the governor’s permission. The Vermont State Guard is authorized under Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code and Title 20, Part 3, Chapter 61, of the Vermont State Statutes and was activated via Executive Order Number 67.

History

The Vermont State Guard traces its roots in the American colonial times with local Vermont militias such as the Green Mountain Boys. During the American Revolution, the Green Mountain Boys took part in the campaign against British forces under General

John Burgoyne General John Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British general, dramatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1761 to 1792. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several bat ...

, and assisted in the capture of

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French milit ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, the Vermont Militia was expanded to include

multiple units A multiple-unit train or simply multiple unit (MU) is a self-propelled train composed of one or more carriages joined together, which when coupled to another multiple unit can be controlled by a single driver, with multiple-unit train contro ...

which served against the Confederates. Vermont regiments served in multiple battles, including the Battle of Antietam, the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

, the Second Battle of Bull Run. and the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Vermont's first modern state defense force, set aside as a state organization immune from federal service, was established. During World War II, the Vermont State Guard raised a force of 1,278 men and 131 officers to stand in for the National Guard, and, as summarized by Vermont Governor William H. Wills, "have guarded, at the request of the Federal government, vital structures such as bridges, electric plants and dams, under the worst of conditions, sub zero weather and inadequate clothing and equipment. They have been on call for many local emergencies such as forest fires, the finding of lost persons, searching for airplane crashes" during their service during World War II. The modern incarnation of the Vermont State Guard was signed into law by Governor

Richard A. Snelling Richard Arkwright Snelling (February 18, 1927August 13, 1991) was an American businessman and politician. He was most notable for his service as the List of Governors of Vermont, 76th and 78th governor of Vermont from 1977 to 1985 and from Janu ...

on April 26, 1982.

Membership

Membership in the Vermont State Guard is open to all citizens of Vermont aged 17 to 80. Prospective members must pass a background check conducted by the Vermont Criminal Investigation Center (VCIC), and pay the accompanying $30 processing fee, as well as cover the cost of their own uniforms. Membership is open to civilians with no prior military service. The Vermont State Guard (VSG) is continually recruiting new members, as the VSG role has increased and become more critical as natural disasters and global conflicts have increased in scale and prevalence.

Training and duties

The Vermont State Guard can be called up by the Governor for any peacetime mission of the National Guard, such as acting as first responders to a natural or man-made disaster, quelling riots, or assisting in military funerals. The Vermont State Guard identifies the chief areas of focus of training and service as: * Safe traffic and pedestrian control on non-public property. * Military Emergency Management Specialists * Emergency Shelter Management (Operations and Security) * Emergency Medical Services (Doctors, Nurses, Mental Health and Paramedics) * Assists local civil authorities * Volunteer coordination * Legal support (attorneys and paralegals) * Support of the military community including their families. * Emergency response training to VSG members and other individuals in the community. * Information management and

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

* Chaplain services * Ground Search and Rescue * Operational support to Vermont Army and Air National Guard Although training may take place one weekend per month for most members, members are only required to meet for training once per year if not called into active duty, and members may leave the organization at any time. The Vermont State Guard has also helped staff National Guard armories that would otherwise be closed while the National Guard has been deployed.

Units

References

External links