Montana National Guard commanding officer visits Libby

By BRENT SHRUM Western News Editor

Montana National Guard commanding officer Maj. Gen. Randall Mosley was in Libby Wednesday as part of a mission to renew connections between the Guard and communities around the state.

Mosley has been crisscrossing Montana in recent months, visiting communities with National Guard armories and sharing information on the current state of the Guard. Mosley said his goals are to inform people about what's going on with the Guard, to thank communities for their support, and to "re-connect" with communities that have lost their connection to local Guard armories and units in the wake of security crackdowns and deployments.

"People need to understand that the National Guard has changed, especially within their community," Mosley said.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Guard has been increasingly focused on its federal mission. Within hours of the 9/11 attacks, Montana Air National Guard units were patrolling the western United States, Mosley said, and Guard units have since been deployed both overseas and for domestic security. More than 80 percent of the Montana National Guard has been deployed since 2001, he said.

Libby's unit, a detachment of the 639th Quartermaster Company, was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005. Guard units are to be available for deployment for one year out of six, meaning the 639th is not due for another deployment until 2010.

President Bush's recent decision to increase the number of troops in Iraq, however, may mean that some Guard units are redeployed ahead of schedule. About half of the Army's combat forces are National Guard, Mosley said.

"Whether that would affect the 639th I can't say," Mosley said. "Mainly what they are looking for is combat brigades, and the 639th isn't one of those types of units."

Right now, Mosley isn't aware of any Montana units that will be affected by the troop buildup in Iraq, but he said efforts are under way across the country to identify units that could be deployed.

The 639th was formerly based in Kalispell but is now headquartered in Havre.

The importance of community support for Guard units was brought home by post-9/11 deployments, Mosley said. While active duty units have a built-in support structure at military bases, none of that exists for the Guard. That support ended up coming from the communities themselves, including veterans' organizations and local governments.

"Them stepping forward and supporting those families was just critical," Mosley said. "If it wasn't for Montanans helping Montanans, we would have had all kinds of problems."

Mosley visited Libby along with Montana's senior non-commissioned officer, State Command Sgt. Major Robert Bennett, and other Guard officers. The visit included a public meeting Wednesday night at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.