I worked with the State Defense Force yesterday

[flyguy06]

FlyGuy.

I was working the gate last week and had a few of the SDF guys come through seeking guidance as to where they need to go.

Based solely on their appearance, courtesies and professional demeanor, I rendered appropriate salutes and showed them where to go.  The one guy, a 1 star general type, could have come off as a butt-munch.  Instead, he drove up in his PT Cruiser with a smile, asked where to go and showed a special State Defense Force ID card.  I pointed him in the right direction as I held onto his ID card only to find a Retired Colonel ID card underneath.  Yep, he's not just an SDF brigadier general, he's a retired Colonel from the Army.

Another guy, a Sergeant, same story.  Looked sharp, was polite, and professional.  Their conduct and actions purely showed professionalism and respect.

You're spot on, FlyGuy!

When I was in the Virginia Army Guard, we had the VDF, Virginia Defense Force.  I can assure you, they couldn't touch the SDF you speak of.  Moreso a bunch of wanna-be's with a lot of bling and wanting attention.

That was Gen McQuinn. and yes he is a retired COL. he is also a WWII vet. He was cool to work with. They all were. I probably saw you too. Which gate were you working?

[RiverAux]

By the way, this is a good source for information on SDFs: http://www.sdfpc.org/sdfpc2.htm.  Some of the articles are reprints from other sources and some info is a bit out of date, but overall you can get a good idea of what SDFs are capable of. 

[FlyingTerp]

When I was in the Virginia Army Guard, we had the VDF, Virginia Defense Force.  I can assure you, they couldn't touch the SDF you speak of.  Moreso a bunch of wanna-be's with a lot of bling and wanting attention.

I was a member of the VADF and Stonewall is correct in describing some of the membership.  Lack of professionalism was one of the reasons I left.  The relationship with the Virginia Army Guard was strained at best.  There were several embarrassing incidents including some members attempting to acquire a tank http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=15520  (about 2/3 down the page).  Since the tank incident, they have been reorganized.

By the way, this is a good source for information on SDFs: http://www.sdfpc.org/sdfpc2.htm.  Some of the articles are reprints from other sources and some info is a bit out of date, but overall you can get a good idea of what SDFs are capable of. 

The State Guard of South Carolina that hosts that site is one of the best SDFs.  I believe they have a commissioning program with The Citadel and the make up much of the leadership in the State Guard Association of the US (http://www.sgaus.org/).  Off hand, I also remember CA, TN, and PR having excellent organizations.

In many states (VA included) the SDFs perform vital emergency services, but they differ in quality from state to state.  For me, CAP is a better choice.  The US in "dare I say - USCAP" does have its advantages (easy on the flames - its my 2nd post  ).

[RiverAux]

Puerto Rico has one of the largest SDFs and from what I can tell probably has a great relationship with the National Guard.  However, at least from what I hear over the net Tennessee isn't doing all that well.  I remember a few years ago the TN State Guard commander had an end of year report that more or less admitted that they had a terrible relationship with the National Guard.  They have also had problems with people leaving the SDF and trying to start up their own independent militia organization (not the anti-government kind, but the sort that sort of pretends they are an official SDF when they aren't -- generally called "rump militias"). 

[mikeylikey]

SO in everyones opinion what state has the best SDF?  I know PA is lacking, I have met some Ohio members who were pretty high-speed.

[RiverAux]

The California Military Reserve without a doubt is the best and most relevant SDF of any in the nation.  Its members serve right alongside CA NG members most of the time and members regularly serve on paid state active duty and even have the opportunity to compete (though rarely get) full time paid status positions. 

The Texas State Guard is probably second.  Though it primarily still tries to operatate as an independent unit, it is used on a regular basis for disaster relief missions.  Its medical units regularly are called on for duty in south Texas. 

The Maryland Defense Force's medical component is probably third.  Parts of it have been deployed to Katrina, Bosnia, and lately an Indiana Reservation.  I'm not so sure that the rest of the force is so high-speed though. 

Parts of the New York Guard have been assigned for some high profile chemical response duties and have been training up pretty well. 

The Alaska State Defense Force had some limited numbers called up for law enforcement duty this year and seems to regularly participate in military exercises up there. 

The Ohio Naval Militia has a regular patrol mission that it conducts, but frankly what it is doing could be done just as well by the CG Aux.  OH NM isn't armed.

The other SDFs do get occassional service but generally make the mistake of trying to go it alone and have varying degrees of disfunctional relationships with the National Guard and Adj. Gen.