They Are Soldiers — Harold Coyle

We see them everyday. They deliver our mail, teach our children, and build our homes. They are called on to defend our country in times of war and to prepare for action in times of peace. Throughout our nation's history they have been called many things: the militia, the home guard, the National Guard. But regardless of their title they have always been unique, something more than ordinary citizens. They are civilians, they are soldiers.

None know this better than the residents of Bedlow, Virginia, the home of Company A, 3rd Battalion of the 176th Infantry of the National Guard. From the beaches of Normandy in World War II to our own shores during the war on terror, Company A has always stood at the ready. Now they are summoned again: this time to man the hairy front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.