National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses by Mary Corbett

“The first time I attended a National Guard family event, I felt like I had been abducted by aliens!” recalls Mary Corbett, the author of National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses. “I didn’t understand anything! I had never been in an armory before. I didn’t know the difference between an officer and enlisted soldier. I didn’t even know how to address the commander or his wife!”

Mary decided to “wing it,” rationalizing that since her husband was “just” a Guardsman she wasn’t a “real” military wife. After all, military spouses lived on bases, operated within a strict structure of rank, and dealt with long deployments—right? Thank goodness she didn’t have to worry about those things!

On September 11, 2001, everything changed. Since that horrific act of war, virtually every unit of the National Guard—a force the size of the entire active Army—has served on active duty for one or more of the deployments at home or abroad. The last time the entire National Guard had been mobilized was during World War II. And Mary realized that she and others like her had been “real” military spouses all along.

America’s 365,000+ National Guardsmen and their family members live and work as civilians in nearly 3,000 communities across the United States and her territories, and fight abroad in the defense of our country. National Guard 101 is the only military lifestyle book written specifically for this unique audience.

Corbett’s book covers a broad range of topics, from practical knowledge about the history of the National Guard and understanding rank to softer subjects like social life in the Guard and family programs. Corbett also details the benefits and assistance resources available to Guard families and guides readers through the process of setting up a Personal Assistance League (PAL) to provide support during deployment.

Acronym-free and written in a lively and informal style, National Guard 101: A Handbook for Spouses demystifies the Guard’s unique hybrid civilian-military lifestyle. It is a must-read book for every National Guard family member.

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