Therer isnt any question!! The answer is simple: Family First!!

 

Always family first...

Never any doubt about that.
I work in a prison and will leave all 80 offenders in my dorm alone to get home to my wife and kids.

Just the way it is.

 

My allegiances to my God and my wife trump all others.

 

If you look at the old Ethics cards that the Guard used to give us when I got in, back in 97. You will find that they listed allegiance in order: God, Family, Country!

So obviously the first 2 supersede the 3rd! :thumb:

 

I believe that if a total breakdown occurs in a short time period, the states will mobilize first and then hold the formations in their local areas. I don't know though, maybe this is just such a common-sense thing to me that I don't see how they could do otherwise.

If it's a long, slow descent into chaos then there would be time for full-scale mobilization and deployment to locations outside their states. In that event yes, I can see a more complete breakdown would occur as a result of government putting itself above the people.

 

Well...that is a deep subject.

Most active duty have their families on base with them so the issue never comes up.

As for the Reserves some would show up if ordered to active duty, a significant portion would not show up at all. For example everybody who joins the military joins for 8 years, say 4 years active and 4 IRR (Individual Ready Reserves).

So several years into the Iraq War they were hurting for manpower and called up the IRR just to see what was out there and only about half showed up when called up for a single day. Of those 50% who showed up at all, most had some reason that they couldn't go play Army. Do not count on huge numbers beyond the Active National Guard and Active Duty military.

 

Most active duty have their families on base with them so the issue never comes up.

As for the Reserves some would show up if ordered to active duty, a significant portion would not show up at all. For example everybody who joins the military joins for 8 years, say 4 years active and 4 IRR (Individual Ready Reserves).

So several years into the Iraq War they were hurting for manpower and called up the IRR just to see what was out there and only about half showed up when called up for a single day. Of those 50% who showed up at all, most had some reason that they couldn't go play Army. Do not count on huge numbers beyond the Active National Guard and Active Duty military.

I'm sure the reserve components are different but the Army Reserve is 6 years active and 2 IRR (inactive ready reserve).

 

I've thought about this a lot and I don't know exactly what I will do. I guess the situation and exact time will dictate my action upon SHTF. Luckily I only have 2 more years until retirement. If SHTF will hold off 2 more years things will be fine for me and my family.

 

Depends, if it was a full on EOTW then family, anything else I would have to do as I was told. When I was in it was hard to leave my family, but I SWORE to do my duty. So unless the biblical end times were happening I would go to help people as best I can, and trust that all the time and training I spent getting my family prepared will pay off.

 

Any SHTF scenario where the entire US Military will be mobilized, will either take long enough to develop that you'll have time to make family preparations, OR it will happen so fast that the activation of the military will likely be moot.

 

First of all, we must realize that most of the manpower and equipment that the Guard and Reserve has is deployed to the sandboxes or is back here awaiting funding for repair and refit prior to planned future deployments.

Secondly, because of the above there is little money at the state level for fuel, food and other expendables for rapid call up and deployment of the units for valid local emergency operations.

A long drawn out scenario, possibly with an attempt to recall the troops and gear (it takes months of preparation and lots of money for repairs, restocking, etc. to get the units ready to deploy and they can't just pack up and catch a plane back), is only going to make the overall cash flow situation worse for state units. You folks in the local PD/EMT orgs--how much money for training do you have now? How much money is available for bullets, protective gear and band aids now? Think it can get better quickly if you need it? If your department had the money, what is the order/lead time?

I'm afraid this is going to be a mostly come as you are affair.

 

The question that bothers me most is...if the President becomes an enemy of the Constitution, will military officers and enlisted soldiers uphold their oaths to defend the Constitution or will they follow the President's orders?

 

You all forget who we are and what we have done before. We went from a largely rural economy to a full bore war footing in less than two years. We can do it again if we have to.

 

They would do what they always have done. Make sure everyone's alright and go to work.

 

It depends on the scale. If it is TEOTWAWKI, I guess I am AWOL. If it is just an isolated emergency, I am with the military if I get called up.

 

YOU have to protect your loved ones first every thing else comes after.

 

That depends on the circumstances. I don't have a wife or kids. Not even a girlfriend, sadface. I have a little over a year left in my Reserve contract, with nothing after that. If the SHTF before that, it will depend on what the government does. For example, if they try to suspend the Constitution, I will not report because the Constitution doesn't have a mechanism for suspending it.

 

I'm sure this is a very difficult decision for everyone. From your posts, am I correct in my conclusion that everyone thinks Posse Comitatus is no longer valid?

 

I'm a LEO of 21 years. Given a SHTF scenario, I believe that would trigger the Federal Government to try and nationalize local law enforcement. That is when I am out. It is sad to say that I do not trust the feds to ever give back a power that they assume and or take. You are correct. It would be a difficult decision to make. I believe that there are enough examples of poor decisions on the part of the feds in times of stress to justify not being a part of it. I believe that taking part in it would be more of the betrayal of the oath I took to enforce the law and support the Constitution of both the country and my state. At that point, I look after my own.

 

It would have been a tough call when I was working. But there were several times I knew the Dept was calling to see if I wanted OT for the day and I just didn't answer the phone.

Now that I'm retired, I don't have that worry anymore

 

im british and an ex soldier as well as an ex police officer ... and there is a reason that i haven't join our version of the national guard ... because shtf i dont care about whether some building in london is defended ... my family come first ... whats the point of defending somewhere i have no connection to that someone thinks is more improtant than my family ...

if shtf i would look to organise a defense group (their are a few of use that our houses back onto each other ... so would create a safe zone inside these gardens ... take down fences etc ... leaving a defendable area ...

 

The protection of my family is the only thing that matters.

I fear that the military and/or police will deploy to locations and not fully understand their mission there. If you tell a solider to hold this ground, he will complain about the weather, complain about the food, complain about the weight of his gear, complain about the idiots in charge of him. But he will hold that ground.

 

Most don't realize that even those of us retired, or on disability can still be recalled for "critical technical skill shortage" and be brought back into active duty! Its in their just read!

 

Thread necromancy! Once I EAS good luck on the USMC recalling me!

 

Get to read some great threads on here sometimes, and this just happens to be one.

As an old soldier no longer on active duty I have often pondered this question, especially with the differences in today's younger soldiers and the old soldiers.

IMO it will come down to the scenario. Is the enemy now within or without. If it comes down to a foreign enemy hitting us on our soil, I think it will come down to full support. Most soldiers understand that protecting their family can include protecting the boarder or lands of America even separated from their families. If the enemy is within then it will come down to individuals morals and belief systems. Do they believe in the validity of the orders, do they disagree with them, and will they stand up for their beliefs?

 

I believe that taking part in it would be more of the betrayal of the oath I took to enforce the law and support the Constitution of both the country and my state. At that point, I look after my own.[/QUOTE]

I wonder how many will not see it that way and fire on their own country men? Looking at places like Egypt its easy to see if the military refuses to follow orders from the President then its pretty much over and the president resigns etc. I hope if it ever gets that bad the military and the local police just say we will keep the peace as best as we can but were not going to go around kicking doors in and beating up old ladies to take away her 22 pistol away. Like what happened in Katrina.

I guess each LEO will have to decide what side he will take !

 

All I can say is that from my own personal observations and eavesdropping, it seems to be pretty mixed. At least around here. Some cops/soldiers say that they'd basically be our best friend while others say that they'd basically be our worst enemy. I'm personally for the "three percenter" concept when push comes to shove.

 

Several good points here, but I thought I would stir the pot.

If there was say large scale citizen uprising. I know impossible to believe with Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria. In America would it be more beneficial to report and possibly sway opinion, and or sabotage.

I'm in the navy so I have often thought that if things got too bad I could not drag my family with me and this thread has given me a lot to think about.