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DeSantis Unveils The Florida State Guard, Announces Director
June 16, 2022
Wednesday, Florida Gov. unveiled the Florida State Guard and introduced the new director of this emergency-focused civilian volunteer force, retired Marine Corps. Lieutenant Colonel Chris Graham.
By bringing back the Florida State Guard, Florida now joins 22 other states and territories with state-level defense forces, and many other states have laws on the books allowing for the activation of these organizations. Florida will add 400 members of the Florida State Guard to respond to a projected active hurricane season, and more than 1,200 individuals have already expressed interest in joining.
“The U.S. military has been kicking out great service members over the Biden administration’s unacceptable COVID vaccine mandate, and they are even targeting members of the National Guard,” said DeSantis. “The bureaucrats in D.C. who control our National Guard have also refused to increase the number of guardsmen despite our increasing population, leaving Florida with the second worst National Guardsman to resident ratio. By reestablishing the Florida State Guard under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Graham, we have a great opportunity to expand our capability to help people in times of need or disaster.”
“Two months ago I retired from the Marine Corps. as a Lieutenant Colonel after two decades plus of service, and once I saw the opening to become the Director of the State Guard, I decided that two months of retirement was all I needed,” said Graham. “This is an unbelievable privilege to reestablish and build from the ground up a modern state defense force. Florida will be joining 22 other states and territories with state guards, but we have an opportunity to break new ground and deliver a 10-fold investment for Floridians.”
Comments
15 Responses to “DeSantis Unveils The Florida State Guard, Announces Director”
@Judy
I am genuinely curious as to what freedoms have been taken away from you and what freedoms governor DeSantis has restored. Please be specific.
I am sooo very proud of Governor DeSantis and all he has done to make this state a free and fair place to live and work! He has done all that he can to ensure that we are NOT controlled by the Feds, and to give each individual a choice in all things…even politically. He has used common sense and given the freedoms back to individuals, as our Constitution intended, and has severed the unfair bonds “Uncle Sam” has tried to put on us! Only a Socialist, or an idiot, would find what he has done objectionable! Since so many are leaving Blue states and moving here, I suggest those who cannot stand the thought of freedom and choice move to one of the blue states others leave! Sure won’t bother me!
@MtnDewey
I am the one that made the boot leather remark, so I’ll respond.
It does not matter what “regime” we are under. It has been a police state since the mid-60s. Left/Right it’s all the same. Your rights and mine are being removed at a ridiculous pace.
Neo-fascists like DeSantis wage a culture war to distract us from starting a class war. Make it about everything BUT the problems at hand so that we don’t pay attention to them stripping us of our freedoms, happiness, and livelihoods.
Sounds good. but of course reading the ideology of the left on here voicing their concerns of a paramilitary guard controlled by the governor; ridiculous. listening to fried or Crist is your first mistake. people like that are communists and so are their followers. it is laughable that people condemn this, but are quite fine with the ridiculous communist dictatorship going on around the country. it is also hilarious the haters of the former POTUS on here still spouting their opinions which are based on nothing more than proven lies and mistruths. some of you need to break out the Constitution and study it. Also some good reading is the Federalist papers and a good old history book. sad that there are people say i hope you like the smell of boot leather, yet condone the police state we are in now under this regime.
If you don’t like what’s happening in the state of Florida then I say this “bye Felicia” I’m sure Mexico would love to have ya
My favorite Governor of all time. Desantis has enough foresight to see the chaos that’s coming. Or, shall I say is already here. He understands the country is already divided.
And….”A house divided cannot stand”. The word protest has become synonymous with rioting in this country..
@Josh Jones all your quotes are from liberals, which is meaningless. Dems wont be in power again for years after this failed administration. Worst than Carter and worst we’ve had in modern history. At least under Trump our gas wasn’t almost 3x the price, our 401k was good and we were energy independent, border secure and I can go on… I guess you like this inflation, gas prices etc… I’m starting to think more and more it’s not republican authoritarianism it is liberal Marxist socialism ruining this country and people like you supporting it, but they including you want to make us think it’s the “other party” we need to fear. It’s like a killer telling you “shhh” while they slowly put a knife in you. THAT is the current administration running this country.
Interesting that some individuals are highly opinionated as to the State Guard but obviously have no idea as to it’s function. TWENTY TWO states and Puerto Rico have a States Guard (perhaps titled differently). They answer to the Governor not the federal government. They are recognized by the federal government but may not be called into active duty by it, unlike the national guard. Putting it bluntly, it helps to maintain the sovereignty of individual states. Answering another post, if you don’t like military personnel maintains order – don’t disrupt, behaving like animals. I would question which party was traitorous coming into the 2020 elections given the new information on exactly who colluded with the Russians.
It’s amazing how many people love the taste of boot leather.
He has the same authority over the Florida National Guard for the reasons stated above. The only other reason he gave was for using them to monitor voting. Just what we want, armed soldiers around us while we try to vote.
Yet people thank him for this show of authoritarianism and use of our tax money.
Thanks for nothing, DeSantis. The governor continues to show that he is working primarily for himself. This Florida State Guard is under the governor’s purview – it is his own private army to do his will. Just wait until he calls out his Florida State Guard to quash a protest march that he doesn’t like.
“No Governor should have his own handpicked secret police,” wrote Rep. Charlie Crist.
“Florida doesn’t need a paramilitary force,” wrote Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Millions of Floridians know what it’s like to live under regimes like this — and came to our state to escape them.”
“Wannabe dictator trying to make his move for his own vigilante militia like we’ve seen in Cuba,” wrote state Sen. Annette Taddeo.
@EMD “Many of our own Federal so-called-leaders are traitors…”
EMD, Americans got rid of that Federal traitor in 2020.
Not so fast “mnon” Rick Scott started the recovery of Florida and moving towards being fiscally responsible.
Thank you Governor DeSantis, you have taken this state to a higher level by not taking orders from the DC idiots.
Thank you Governor DeSantis. Thank you for protecting us on a state level. More and more, our enemies are domestic. Many of our own Federal so-called-leaders are traitors (in my understanding of that word). Thank you so much for not cowering before these reprobates.
TY DeSantis for continually making Florida great again. Was sick of Rick Scott and his establishment conservative archaic thinking. Now we actually have a conservative Governor that thinks about Florida and thinks outside the establishment norms.