The National Guard is such a big joke around the country that when That ‘70s Show wanted to make sure we all knew the Formans’ neighbor Bob Pinciotti was a loser, they just announced he used to be in the NG. Unlike Kurtwood Smith’s Red, a Navy man who killed America’s enemies by clubbing them to death with his gigantic penis (and it was still flaccid at the time.) Here’s the thing about that: I talked to Sergeant Christian who served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard and also patrolled the streets of Boston during the hunt for the Tsarnaev brothers, and I’ve learned a few things. Short version: we vastly underestimate the work that National Guardsmen do. Long version: Continue reading
