The Pour Over Today - BONUS: TPO Explains The National Guard | 10.25.25

Episode Date: October 25, 2025

Readers of The Pour Over pick a topic to have explained, and Jason and Kathleen have to get Joe to understand it in less than 20 minutes… This week, they’re explaining The National Guard. Join over 1.5 million readers with our free newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Looking to support us? You can choose to pay ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out our sponsors! We actually use and enjoy every single one. ⁠⁠⁠Cru⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Surfshark⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Holy Post⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠CCCU⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Upside⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠HelloFresh⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Mosh⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠LMNT⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Theology in the Raw⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Safe House Project⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠A Place For You⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Practicing Life Together⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Not Just Sunday Podcast⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Quince⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Courage for Life Study Bible⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠She Reads Truth

Today's episode is brought to you by our lead sponsor, Safe House Project. I do have a topic that I want to brush on real quick. So in the news recently, we talked about in the pourover, the significant decrease in peanut allergies. Yeah. And Jason, I want to hear your story about one of your kiddos in peanut allergies. Yes. So she, Bryn, our oldest, had a peanut allergy and like a month, two months ago maybe. like did the challenge and so they did they do a blood test and that was how they originally

diagnosed her well she she had what was called f pies where she just like vomited her little six month old body weight out when she had peanuts it was horrible and then so we avoided peanuts for a while then did a blood test it showed she may be anaphylactic and that was true for two years and then they did this test and the test is so funny it's like you go to the hospital and then they just give her Reese's and are like, well, see what happens, you know? So she's sitting there and it's like, there's a nurse in the room at first and they're like cutting it into like eights and stuff. And you're just locked in this room for like five hours.

So she got her first Barbie and it was like a grand old day for her because she wasn't allergic. So she just got to eat Reese's and play with Barbie with mom all day. So it was great. And so she tested out and is peanut? friendly friendly yeah I mean she has peanuts every day yeah she's no longer peanut free wow that celebration must have been yeah it's great I mean and we were so lucky she never had like a short of the the throwing up on the first few times she had it there was never any like reaction but it just it just weighs on you all the time and it's like every time you go to church the kids

and other stuff, and it's like she's carrying epi pens around all the time. And so it's just, it's great. Wow. Yeah, we wrote in the newsletter that early and often exposure to peanuts was like recommended. And somebody was like, you should be very clear that it's not peanuts. It's peanut products because you should never give a baby peanuts. And I'm like, that's fair. Yeah.

Please don't give your child a peanut. A whole peanut. Yeah. Peanut butter. Peanut products. Yeah. That is an important clarification. Yeah.

Yeah. Saving lives. Hello and welcome to another episode of TPO Explains. I'm Joe, podcast producer here at The Porover, and I'm here with Jason, our founder and editor-in-chief, and Kathleen, our managing editor. So here's the idea behind the show. Our readers share which topics they want us to explore,

and we bring that to the podcast. Today's winner, The National Guard. You were saying before we started that you just, you have no idea what's going on. I seriously have no grounding or footing or foundational knowledge whatsoever on this topic. Okay. But so try your best because this would be fun for the audience. What is the National Guard? What comes to mind?

Okay. I would say that the National Guard is probably like a, the Major League Baseball, playoffs are going on, and they have ballpins of pitchers. just at the ready when they're called upon they got to show up and do their job so in my mind the National Guard might be in this analogy like the bullpen of armed forces armed troops that can be deployed to help out with certain situations that could escalate and so you need some trained professionals to mitigate that I think probably I've probably seen like in natural disasters if they need to deploy some more hands on deck to help out there.

So that's in my mind what the National Guard is. Much better than I, when you started, I didn't know where the baseball analogy was going. And but hey, that was honestly not too bad. Yeah. As soon as you said bullpen, I was like, oh, he's got it. Yeah. So the, the National Guard, well, there are three components to the, to the military. So there are the branches.

There's six branches, the U.S. military. Six? That feels high. We'll see. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, Coast Guard. Yeah. Six. Hey.

Okay. So there are six branches, and then I'm going to say three components to at least some of those branches. Some of them. You have active duty, which is what we generally think of. These are people who are always doing military things. They're full-time. They're on the federal payroll, all that. Then you have, well, you have the reserves.

And every branch has reserves. Except Space Force. Yeah. Right now, like, I think the Air Force and Coast Guard maybe help. Yeah. Okay. So you have the active duty and then you have the reserves, which I think is like fully fits your bullpen analogy. These are people who they have day jobs.

They do regular training so that they are like ready, if called upon, but it is not, it's not what they're doing day today. And then for the Army and Air Force, you have this other category, which is the National Guard. Yep. And so what does the National Guard do? So the National Guard also have people in the National Guard. have day jobs so they will go to work and if they are in the National Guard sometimes they'll have to spend a weekend or three or four days a month doing training once a year they'll do a longer training for two three weeks go to schools throughout the year but they have their day job

and then they do their training and whenever they need to they go and they're activated to fulfill submissions. And these weekend trainings is just to keep up with skills or are they like constantly iterating on new things that they have to like it's not just keeping maintaining their status. Are they actually growing in the latest and greatest? Yeah. I mean the same way that like active duty military would maintain like weapons qualifications and um whatever the training standards are for that year that like the powers that be have put forth is going to be the same training standards for National Guard as well. So, you know, active duty military might spend X amount of time learning a weapon and getting qualified on it and the National Guard is going to do the same thing,

but they're going to do it over the weekend. Yeah. So the frequency, the frequency of training is less, but the standards are the same. Yes. Okay. So who Joe controls the National Guard who does yeah who controls the National Guard my first thought was Pete Hexeth

the Department of is it war now is that his title it goes back and forth it has a primary and a secondary name yeah yeah that was my first guess

not a horrible guess I think generally wrong but but a good guess okay so the National Guard here's my gripe my gripe with the National Guard

it's not the National Guard But it's a bunch of state guards. Like the National Guard in Illinois is its own entity. Its own thing compared to the National Guard in Iowa. So each state has and all the territories and D.C. So there's 54. There are 54 national guards. And they, by default in everyday life, report to the governor of that territory.

or state. But they can be federalized by the president. So not Secretary Heggseth. I think if they were federalized... They would go under DOD, yeah. Yeah. So then it would fall under his chain of command. But it has to be like it has to be an act by the governor or an act by the president to

activate the guard. Yeah. And I think with funding, there's something there of like, There is a national entity, like the National Guard Bureau, still oversees all the National Guards. And I think there's some funding there that probably does come from Department of Defense. So, like, it all works together. But when you're looking at, like, how is the Illinois National Guard hiring? Well, they're hiring from Illinois National Guard people.

There's not, like, one National Guard that then allocates people state to state. Yeah. Gotcha. So when do you think, and you've already mentioned a couple, when do you think, the governor or president would activate. Yeah, so we've seen it lately in the news with President Trump activating it in big urban cities like Chicago and Portland to help de-escalate, you know, some tense situations there. Am I correct with natural disasters? Can they be deployed in those situations?

Absolutely. Both before and after. So, like, in preparing for a natural disaster, like, hey, we see this hurricane coming. so we're going to call in the National Guard to lay sandbags. Pass out water. Yep. And after to do things pass out water again or direct traffic or remove debris. When we had hurricanes, the National Guard would always pass out MREs in the, is that an MRE?

It's like a meal ready to eat. So it's like this. I don't know. We could do an episode on MREs, but it's like you tear open this bag and it's like, food that you can eat in the field so you have to like mix it up and it's like chili mac and like I don't know random stuff lots of sodium lasts for like 10 years but anyway um so yeah the national guard always come to the library parking lot and pass out MREs after big hurricanes got it and and also uh remove debris all all sorts of stuff so they are really additional manpower for they come alongside

local authorities so let's say there's a snowstorm or a hurricane something like that where the sheriff's office the police department they're going to be maxed out with helping citizens they can call in the National Guard to provide extra manpower for whatever that sheriff's department needs to respond to their community okay Joe so you've said protests you've said natural disasters what else do you think the National Guard might be called up for. Well, you mentioned how it's kind of a confusing label, and it's actually more under the state auspices primarily.

And so I'm one- Oh, auspices kind of like under the umbrella of the state. Very smart, very smart. And so, yeah. My fact check. Okay. So my third thought is, what if there was something going on within your state, like, a hostile criminal was on the loose or something and they just needed, because this idea of all

hands on deck that the National Guard serves that purpose, could your governor call the National Guard to help, like, find a criminal at large? I'm going to say no. I think they could. Okay. So here, all we can, we'll duke it out. So the issue at play is there's an old law where active duty military, are not allowed to do policing.

Like you're not just deeply rooted in the U.S. You don't have soldiers marching down the street, knocking on doors and arresting people. But when they are not federalized, the National Guard acts as a state militia and is up to, it's a word I heard, you know. They weren't going to see my face. She gave a big questioning look,

and so I was defending myself there. So they act as a state militia and report to the governor. And I think the governor has just really broad discretion as to, hey, where can we use extra manpower to help out? And so I don't think they would because optically it looks bad. But I think they could. You don't think they could? I think I don't think they would. I think like legally, I don't know, feels like a gray area.

there's that, I don't know how to say it, Pasi Komitata's Act of the 1800s where they say, like, military can't be used for law enforcement, like can't be used for policing. And so that includes arresting, searches, seizures, evidence gathering. But that doesn't include when they're under state control. So maybe, but, I mean, it's not like you're going to have a Humvee rolling around, throwing some eye in the back. Like the National Guard, whenever they are called up to help, they are called up to go alongside local authorities. So they're not just coming in and taking over, setting up a command post and being like, we got it from here. They're going to say, like, where do you need us? But I also don't know if it would work because you can't just be like, oh, we need the National Guard and then guys get off their couch and, like, throw on their camo and head out the door.

like bureaucratically it takes time to like see who is able to be put on orders like does this guy did this guy pass his physical like is he deployable and you have to go through a list and see like who's ready to be who's in the bullpen ready and you have to do some paperwork and then you have to give them I mean you have to make sure that they have the training that they need if they're going somewhere and I mean for any of these like mobilizations the national Guard's going to want to send the people that make the most sense. So for example, like State Guard units helped with during COVID administering vaccines, like didn't have enough personnel to go into prisons and here and there to administer vaccines or testing. And so

they deploy the National Guard. But they're not going to send like the gunners to go and give shots. Like that's too ironic. They're going to send like the medics, you know. And then for like these protests, they're not going to send the medics. they're going to send the military police unit. So they're going to try and send the units that make the most sense. And should they need any training, like, they're going to have to get that first. So in that example of, like, looking for this bad guy, I don't know that, like, hopefully they'd want to catch the bad guy before they could push the paperwork through to get the National Guard there.

You know what I mean? Yeah. I do have a question about your explanation, Kathleen, made me think about when the bullpen gets called up and what that process is like. But it seemed like you guys wanted to tell me another situation in which the national. Guard's would be enacted. Wait, have we done three? There's one more. Yeah.

Well, I think there's, I think honestly the COVID vaccine shows that there's lots of. Three broad categories so far. And a broad category we have not covered is just being, they also serve as reserve troops, like you mentioned, and can be deployed in an overseas war. Yeah. And so that's. They are. They typically are.

It's not even just like if they need them, the National Guard has like a five-year cycle of they'll go on one deployment every five years overseas, so. Really? So every, like every person, I mean, as long as you're deployable, you'll go on a deployment at least while you're, and so, and it's interesting, like the Army, obviously, like, active duty army does a lot of deployments, but sometimes like a unit has to have a break in between their like six months or nine month, whatever deployment cycles. And so a National Guard unit will come in and like take over that, you know,

whatever area they were deployed to for six to nine months, give that army that's been kind of cycling in a break so that they can see. Yeah. Just a random thought on that. I wonder if those active army that have just been doing their deployments over and over finally get a break and the National Guards are deployed as substitutes to that same spot. I wonder if they ever meet and the families can interact because I would imagine like the spouses and children of the.

active duty, finally get a break, here are the people that filled in. No, I don't think they'll ever meet. It would be like, you would have. Pure coincidence. It would be pure coincidence. And, I mean, they would probably never know that that's who is backfilling them. Yeah, just a fun thought. Yeah.

So when in that case, if I'm in the National Guard and I am able to be deployed and I fit the criteria, so I'm then called from the ballpen, what in the world? world is that process like? So I think the answer is it depends. Kathleen outlined, and it depends on the mission. If you're being deployed overseas, it's you will likely get months notice and you, you know, you know when it's happening. If there's a fire that picks up really quickly overnight and they just need more

people to help contain this fire, I did. Yeah, there are firefighters in the army. Do you know that? I hadn't thought about it specifically. It makes sense. But I don't know what paperwork gets done before. I think that is, and some of the things I saw was like, it can be ours. Like you're just like, hey, we need you.

You're not going to sell paper this today. You're instead going to help with this crisis. Yeah. Wow. And so if that's me, I'm like, I got to just tell my boss, hey, I've been. Not coming in tomorrow. Yes. And totally loud, as you can imagine, the federal law trumps the. Yes, and greatly protects National Guardsmen. So your job is protected. And there are even there are even things like you're you're not allowed to be like penalized for it is as if you did not work for like seniority. Well, seniority. I'm trying to say like if there's like a hey you need. to work here for 10 years before you get this whatever if you were deployed for a year that

by law needs to count towards your tenure at that company like you were employed the fact that you were serving the country in one way or another does not right it's just like a leap of absence it's not like a gap in yeah yeah um human trafficking isn't just an over their problem it's happening right here in the u.s an estimated 300,000 people are being trafficked in America right now, and most were first sold as children. Even when they get a chance to run, sometimes there's no safe way out, and they get pulled right back in.

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and your gift makes sure they don't. Give a child the way out. Go to safehouseproject.org slash TPO or check the link in the show notes to give now. all right it's becoming a segment Kathleen you have some fun facts for us you see my fax machine

for my facts I'm glad you have yourself to laugh at your own jokes yeah and for those that have not viewed the video I've started to add a timer in the corner to make sure Kathleen stays within the boundaries you know there's a time limit here

okay all right 90 seconds go um okay the army National Guard is the oldest component of the U.S. military in 1636, the Massachusetts Army National Guard essentially was started with one of their local militia. So that's pretty cool. And there's still units in the Massachusetts Army National Guard that are derived from those original militias. So that's cool. Yeah, real old. Real, real old.

So the Army National Guard is actually older than the Army itself. And then you also have the Air National Guard. So the National Guard is 75% Army and 25% Air National Guard, so the Air Force, but the Air Force is older than its National Guard. So now you know, I really don't have many fun facts for the segment. I was just trying to fill it up. The fun fact was it's the oldest component of the U.S. I love it. We don't need to use all 90 seconds.

No, we do not. I was going to try. All right. This was a fascinating topic. I learned a lot. What Christian perspectives do you guys have for me? do you want to go sure i think the maybe misconception of the national guard is that there's always like they're always responding to a crisis and um maybe it's not as much of a misconception

like they're always helping in big events so i don't know when i was thinking through the national guard and just like the fact that they exist to come alongside when like extra help is needed it's just kind of it's an indication that like there's always going to be things going on where extra help is needed and, you know, makes me grateful for them and also just reminds me that like Jesus did say in this world there'll be trouble. So keeping that in mind and being, you know, having the gratitude of having systems in place and then just like that God tells us to have courage and to come to him. That's my takeaway. Yeah. And longing for when we won't need the National Guard because there won't be trouble. Yeah.

The one that came to mind for me was specifically right now just feels like this is controversial, you know, and it's contentious and the National Guard. And it's like it made me feel, I've thought a few times. I was like, I wonder what the specific people who are getting these conflicting orders and like they're told to show up and then they're told to leave and they're whatever. And just saying, approaching it with more humility and saying, hey, I don't need to, I don't need to reflect the anger. and add to the strife, I can, I can just try to be humble that I don't understand everything that's going on, absorb some of the anger, and also be, you know, pray and feel bad for the people who are caught in the middle. Yeah, that's, I didn't think about that.

I mean, they are caught in the middle because if you're been put on orders, you can't go back to your day job, but you also can't go in and do the mission. So you're just kind of stuck away from your family, way from your job. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. Well, thanks everyone for tuning in to another episode of TPO Explains. As a reminder, you can watch this episode on YouTube and Spotify. Make sure to like, comment, and subscribe.

We'd love to hear your feedback and your thoughts. Thanks for tuning in. Until next time. Bye. poured citrus element powder in my water bottle. My wife looked at me and asked when the last time was that I drank water without element. I looked at her and couldn't even remember. No sugar, no crashes, just the science-backed ratio of electrolytes we need to stay sharp.

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