Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

As one of few books out there on the state guard/state defense forces movement, this work deserves credit for existing, period. It does offer considerable historical background and detail.
However, this is a flat and colorless book, with minimum readability. There are few direct quotes from anybody, little feel for the "human aspect" of the subject and -- outside of a photo of the author -- no maps, photos or illustrations, even on the cover. The writing and the design are so dull as to yell, "Go ahead, read me! I dare you! You'll be asleep in two minutes."
As a SDF soldier, this work is informative but a big letdown. It is so brief and general that you don't really feel you've learned much of value, and the writer focuses more on the procedural wrangling that surrounded state guards rather than contributions they made, although some space is devoted to that.
The fact that the book was written just before 9-11 tips it into the past; much has changed in the SDF movement since then. Moreover, the writer offers no suggestions, model programs or other ideas other than a conclusion that amounts to a literary shrug.
A great topic, handled in a most pedestrian manner,

Excellent book on the rise (and fall) of state guards from a national perspective. Book is dated as it only goes until before 9/11. However, highly recommend book to all state guardsmen as a must read to understand common history of all state guards accross the nation!