the National Guard
noun/ðə ˌnæʃnəl ˈɡɑːd/
/ðə ˌnæʃnəl ˈɡɑːrd/
[singular]- a small army, often used to protect a political leader
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- the army in each state of the US that can be used by the national government if neededCultureNational Guardsmen can be called to service by the nation or by a state, often after damage caused by violent weather. They were used by the southern states to oppose the civil rights movement and by the US government to support it. The Ohio National Guard killed four Kent State University students during the protests against the Vietnam War there in 1970. Some National Guard groups took part in the Gulf War and served in Iraq from 2003. In 2005 National Guard groups played an important part in helping to rescue victims of Hurricane Katrina.
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the National Guard