America's National Guard was once considered a ragtag gaggle of pretend soldiers. Beginning in the 1980s the National Guard gradually transformed into today's highly flexible operational force that answers our nation's call for overseas combat deployments as well as domestic emergencies that run the gamut from lifesaving disaster responses to staffing Covid clinics. Brigadier General Paul "Greg" Smith describes his personal journey during these years, from a callow cadet to a committed commander leading military forces in response to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Smith gives a humorous, gritty, and sometimes touching glimpse into the inner workings of this unique military organization while offering portraits of the men and women who serve as the minutemen of our age. His reflections on service, duty, and the complexities of command will enlighten anyone who seeks to better understand the challenges of leadership. “In the post post-Vietnam restructuring of the service, the Chief of Staff, General Creighton Abrams, insured the U.S. Army would never deploy forces to a combat area without the National Guard again. Brigadier General Greg Smith provides an inside look at how National Guard soldiers have laid to rest the stereotype image of the ‘Weekend Warrior’ and replaced it with that of a capable professional who has become an equal member of the operational force.”—Major Glenn F. Williams, USA (Ret)., Ph.D., former Senior Historian, U.S. Army Center of Military History, author of Dunmore’s War: The Last Conflict of America’s Colonial Era and Year of the Hangman: George Washington’s Campaign Against the Iroquois