GUARD'S NEA IMPACT

Digesting some governmental publications can become a real chore for
journalists. However, frequently the dry documents provide insights that
directly impact Northeast Arkansas communities.

The annual publication of the Arkansas National Guard for fiscal 2002 is
one of those documents that paints a much broader picture.

The organization -- Army National Guard and Air National Guard -- is big
business for our state. The budget for the year ending Sept. 30, slightly
more than $195 million, comes primarily from federal dollars.

The economic impact on many communities in Northeast Arkansas is real. In
some towns and counties the Guard is one of the biggest employers after
school districts and local government.

The Guard's operational budget for 10 Northeast Arkansas counties totaled
$12.3 million. The breakdown:

* Clay, $1,073,506;

* Craighead, $3,441,625;

* Crittenden, $2,131,531;

* Cross, $553,652;

* Greene, $1,085,633;

* Jackson, $1,025,666;

* Lawrence, $496,525;

* Mississippi, $637,970;

* Poinsett, $1,598,220; and

* Woodruff, $344,565.

The Guard's operating budget, including monies paid to Guard personnel, is
especially appreciated in some area counties with high unemployment rates.
Poinsett, Clay and Jackson counties, for example, have unemployment rates
that top 7 percent.

In many cities and counties the Guard's annual operating budget exceeds
that of most local industries. The Guard is, in effect, a major employer.

The Guard's impact also goes beyond weekend drills and two weeks of summer
camp.

The 525 members of the 2nd Battalion, 153rd Infantry, Army National Guard,
returned in June from deployment to Sinai, Egypt, following a 9-month
peacekeeping mission with the Operation Multinational Force and Observers.
The battalion, which is based at Searcy, has companies and detachments in
Wynne, Walnut Ridge, Harrisburg, Augusta and Newport.

Other units provided security for one state airport, the Nuclear One power
plant at Russellville and an industrial park at East Camden following the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The $12.3 million allocated for Guard operations in Northeast Arkansas does
not truly measure the impact of the organization on our area's economy. A
large number of area residents belong to Guard units based in other areas
of the state.

In addition to the monetary impact, the Guard plays several other community
services roles.

The Guard continues to perform a variety of missions to find illegal drugs.
Reconnaissance missions utilizing three helicopters and thermal imaging
equipment provide law enforcement platforms for detection, surveillance and
communication.

The unit flew 1,000 hours in support of local law enforcement during the
last year.

Engineer units like the 875th Engineer Battalion headquartered in
Jonesboro, with companies and detachments in Jonesboro, Rector, Piggott and
Paragould, performed more than two dozen construction projects around the
state.

The battalion has been active in community service projects, helping to
build and enhance local parks and playgrounds, improvements at Jonesboro
Municipal Airport and the citywide Clean Sweep campaign. Guard members also
provided logistic assistance and other services when St. Bernard's, as a
part of its centennial observance, sponsored a weekend-long field hospital
to provide medical services for residents of Northeast Arkansas who
ordinarily do not have access to medical care.

The Guard's regional impact can be measured in many ways.