The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) [Hardcover]

Barry M. Stentiford (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“The best account ever of State and local forces mobilized in times of crisis to maintain domestic order. Analyzes an important aspect of national security that has been all but overlooked.”--Michael D. Doubler, author of I Am the Guard: A History of the Army National Guard, 1636-2000

(Michael D. Doubler, author of I Am the Guard: A History of the Army National Gua )

About the Author

Barry M. Stentiford, an assistant professor at Grambling State University, holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama. He spent nine years as an armor officer in the Army National Guard before moving into the U.S. Army Reserve, where he holds the rank of captain.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: TAMU Press; 1 edition (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585441813
• ISBN-13: 978-1585441815
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,409,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overcoming Kentucky Colonels & Martini Majors?, August 30, 2002

By 

B. J Wilson (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Hardcover)

O.K. It is difficult to be in any manner critical of this book, because there isn't much else out there. This book reads like a revision of the good professor's dissertation. He also does an awful lot of fence straddling. still, I couldn't help but get the sense that he sees the state defense forces, the current incarnation of the home guard, as an interesting footnote, but still an anachronism.

He is forced by the events to emphasis on the misery suffered by the state militias because of "rump" militias and the aftermath of the Feds and NG's overreaction to the infamous "Soldier of Fortune" magazine article that painted the SDF's with the mark of idiocy and subversion that is still not forgotten by NGB and the Adjutants General. Sigh.

Had to wonder if Prof. Stentiford's perspective is any different post-September 11. This book is a supplement to my library of militaria. His ambivalence is a standard response of many military professionals to the SDF. State Guards are much better in some states than they were 10 years ago. But, it will take a lot to erase the image of Kentucky Colonels and Martini Majors. I guess I wanted Stentiford to be an advocate, and he is not.

If you are a SDF person or a serious military historian, go for it. I gave this book a four because in spite of the slim volume, less than 250 pages, there isn't much else out there on the topic, and I am grateful for its publication.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A studied and informative historical survey, September 6, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Hardcover)

The American Home Guard: The State In The Twentieth Century by Barry M. Stentiford (Assistant Professor, Grambling State University) is a studied and informative historical survey on the contemporary usages and perceived future roles of the National Guard. The Guard's changing and evolving role through the past century of wars and an uncertain future as we enter new and increasingly complex decades of international conflicts, national debates on the federal-state relationship, and more, come under close scrutiny in this scholarly and instructive account. The American Home Guard is a very highly recommended contribution to Political Science and Military History academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

5.0 out of 5 stars Barry M Stentiford has done it again!, August 30, 2009

By 

Musashirox "Musashirox" (KC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Home Guard: The State Militia in the Twentieth Century (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Hardcover)

The American Home Guard is a facinating book written by an even more facinating author. The subject matter is very important and needs more discourse. The historical surveys are very relevant and the perceived future roles of the National Guard that this professor has predicted and recommended have already come to fruition. His role as a professor to the military leaders that will deal with Guard's changing and evolving role put him in a great position to write a sequel! Barry's insights into decades of international conflicts, national debates on the federal-state relationship, are brilliant! This should be on every leaders bookshelf! The American Home Guard is a masterpiece!