Operation Jump Start: The National Guard on the Southwest Border, 2006-2008 by Michael D. Doubler
Operation Jump Start:

The National Guard on the 

Southwest Border, 2006-2008

by Michael D. Doubler

October 24, 2008

National Guard Bureau 

Office of Public Affairs

Historical Services Division

Prepared for National Guard Bureau by Doubler Enterprises and Issues Management Solutions, LLC IAW 

National Guard contract #W9133L-08-F-0085 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border i
Table of 

Contents
FOREWORD................................................................................................v

CHAPTER ONE...........................................................................................1

CHAPTER TWO ........................................................................................15

CHAPTER THREE.....................................................................................35

CHAPTER FOUR.......................................................................................65

Glossary....................................................................................................74

Notes ........................................................................................................76

Appendix- State Participation in Operation Jump Start.......................79

Appendix- Map ........................................................................................80

About the Author......................................................................................81

The National Guard on the Southwest Border iii

FOREWORD

Since 1636, the National Guard has preserved the lives and protected the property of 

the American people. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the National Guard has 

become an even more essential part of the nation’s homeland security efforts. As the events 

of the global war on terrorism continue to unfold, the defense of the American homeland 

remains the National Guard’s top priority. 

Operation Jump Start: The National Guard on the Southwest Border, 2006-2008 recounts 

a unique chapter in the Guard’s continuing efforts to keep America’s borders secure. Starting 

in June 2006, and lasting for over two years, as many as 6,000 National Guard men and 

women at any one time participated in the Operation in Arizona, California, New Mexico 

and Texas, not to close the nation’s border with Mexico but to make it more secure for legal 

immigration and commerce. Guard members did not serve in a direct law enforcement role, 

but rather provided vital reinforcement to the U.S. Border Patrol. Their missions included 

engineering, aviation, entry identification teams and a wide range of technical, logistical 

and administrative support. A total of over 30,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen from across 

the nation served in the Southwest. By the time Operation Jump Start ended in July 2008, 

criminal activities of all types had declined along the border, and physical improvements 

by Guard engineers along the international boundary line seemed certain to reduce illegal 

activities for the foreseeable future. 

Operation Jump Start exhibited unprecedented cooperation and teamwork among federal 

agencies engaged in protecting the homeland. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the 

U.S. Border Patrol and the National Guard created a cooperative, operational environment 

that will endure as an example to other agencies of how to do things right. The spirit of 

selfless service and professionalism was especially evident on the border itself where citizensoldiers and airmen worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Border Patrol agents. Within the 

National Guard, jointness was evident in the creation of Joint Task Forces in each of the four 

border states that served as command and control headquarters, and in the increased levels 

of integration and cooperation undertaken by the Air National Guard in ground based domestic 

missions. 

Operation Jump Start: The National Guard on the Southwest Border, 2006-2008 is an 

informative and educational account of the National Guard’s role in protecting the nation’s 

Southwest border. May it inspire all of us in the National Guard to continue to stand watch 

over our nation, as we have for nearly 400 years. 

H STEVEN BLUM

Lieutenant General, U.S. Army

Chief, National Guard Bureau
Guardsmen patrol a sand dune in southern Arizona looking 

for cross-border raiders from Mexico, 1916. National Guard 

Educational Foundation 

The 

National 

Guard and 

Homeland 

Security
CHAPTER ONE

The National Guard and 

Homeland Security

On a dark night in April 2006, over one hundred 

individuals massed along the 

south side of the border fence 

separating San Luis, Mexico, 

from Yuma, Arizona. Erected 

decades earlier from aircraft 

runway matting that was surplus 

materiel from the Vietnam War, 

the fence was gapped and 

dilapidated in many places 

and in need of repairs. As if 

on command, the large group 

suddenly surged across the border, clambering over 

the fence and scrambling through gaps and holes. 

On the American side, a small contingent of U.S. 

Border Patrol agents in vehicles stood ready. The 

Yuma site was infamous for surprise, mass crossings 

at night, but try as it might, the Border Patrol found it 

difficult to apprehend everyone attempting to cross 

the border in such a manner. A wild, confused 

melee soon ensued in the dark with most illegal 

immigrants successfully evading their captors. A 

night-vision camera recorded the entire episode 

as reinforcements arrived to help detain as many 

illegals as possible. Border Patrol agents called 

the human wave crossings “banzai attacks,” an 

effective tactic they were simply unable to counter 

or stop completely. By early 2006, similar crossings 

and even more violent and illegal activities were 

occurring frequently at other 

places all along the Southwest 

border. A growing chorus 

across America had arisen 

demanding that something be 

done about illegal immigration 

and the chaotic situation along 

the border. 

Operation Jump Start (OJS) 

is a name that will always 

bring to mind a time when 

the National Guard was once again called upon 

to preserve the lives and protect the property of 

the American people. Beginning in May 2006, the 

Guard was committed along the Southwest border to 

help improve security and staunch the flow of illegal 

immigration. In the following two years, citizensoldiers and airmen from across the nation worked 

Whenever the 

nation has been 

threatened by 

external dangers or 

suddenly plunged 

into war, the 

National Guard has 

helped to restore 

security and safety 

by defending the 

homeland.

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 1
in support of the U.S. Border Patrol to restore order 

and improve security.

OJS was not the first time the National 

Guard has been called upon to bolster homeland 

security. In fact, from its earliest origins in 1636, 

the National Guard has always acted to defend 

local communities, whether by supporting law 

enforcement or responding to natural disasters. 

Whenever the nation has been threatened by 

external dangers or suddenly plunged into war, the 

National Guard has helped to restore security and 

safety by defending the homeland. In most cases, 

the Guard has acted as a bridging mechanism, 

providing a temporary but effective expedient until 

authorities can provide a more permanent solution.

While the National Guard’s performance in OJS 

was fully consistent with past homeland security 

missions, much was new and different. Selected 

Guardsmen went to the border while others fought 

in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the global war 

on terrorism. Guard personnel deployed and 

served under new, joint command arrangements 

that the states had implemented as part of defense 

transformation. On the border, an array of new 

technologies helped with observation, surveillance 

and physical security. The Air National Guard 

(ANG) participated in Jump Start to a far greater 

degree than it had in most previous homeland 

security missions with most efforts performed on the 

ground. But, for all that was new and different, OJS 

proved once again that the National Guard was the 

very best military force available when it came to 

defending the nation. 

The Mexican Border 

Crisis of 1916

Throughout the twentieth century, the National 

Guard has frequently acted to defend the nation at 

home. At the very start of the century, the role of 

the National Guard changed dramatically as citizensoldiers sought increased responsibilities for both 

federal and state missions. The United States was 

becoming an international power, and senior Guard 

leaders believed that citizen-soldiers should become 

more recognized as a federal reserve rather than 

clinging exclusively to their traditional domestic 

missions of law enforcement and disaster response. 

To add weight to the argument, they pointed to the 

recent Spanish-American War in which citizensoldiers had distinguished themselves in battle in 

Puerto Rico and the Philippines. However, real 

change came with the Militia Act of 1903. The 

Guard received federal monies for pay, uniforms and 

2 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
equipment, and in turn, the states were subject to 

inspections and administrative controls from the 

War Department. 

Only four years later, the National Guard found 

itself participating in a major homeland defense 

program. As a new international power, the ports 

and shores of the United States faced increasing 

threats from the battleship navies of Europe and 

Asia. Confronted with a manpower shortage, the 

Army called upon the Guard to man half of the 

nation’s coastal fortifications. By 1912, the Guard 

had created 126 coast artillery companies in fifteen 

states with a total strength of more than 8,000.1

 

The National Defense Act of 1916 further 

solidified the Guard’s emerging responsibilities 

by declaring that the Army would consist of three 

components: Regulars, Guardsmen and Reservists. 

As early as 1916, it was widely recognized that the 

country could neither defend itself completely nor go 

to war successfully without the National Guard. 

Reforms that improved the Guard’s status and 

capabilities came just in time. Things were not 

going well south of the border. By early 1916, a 

civil war raged within Mexico, and tensions between 

Washington and Mexico City had increased steadily. 

Hoping to solidify his position as a dominant Mexican 

Cavalrymen of Rhode Island’s 1st Squadron load their 

horses on the train that will move them to Brownsville, 

Texas, in 1916. National Guard Educational 

Foundation. 
warlord, Francisco “Pancho” Villa conducted a 

cross-border raid against Columbus, New Mexico, 

on the night of March 9, 1916, killing seventeen 

Americans. In response, President Woodrow Wilson 

ordered a large punitive expedition into northern 

Mexico to track down the bandits so as to buttress 

American allies in Mexico City and alleviate security 

concerns along the Southwest border. The Army 

assembled a strike column of 10,000 Regulars under 

the command of Brig. Gen. John J. “Black Jack” 

Pershing that soon splashed across the Rio Grande 

into Mexico.

With the bulk of Army forces operating in 

Mexico, Southwest border towns felt defenseless 

and exposed to additional bandit raids. The 

governors of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona 

expressed grave concerns over the security of 

their citizens. On May 9, the president ordered 

those governors to deploy Guardsmen for border 

protection, and two days later, 5,260 state soldiers 

headed for the border. Meanwhile, with hostile 

terrain and an elusive enemy frustrating its efforts, 

Pershing’s expedition pushed farther into Mexico. 

On June 16, the Mexican government warned 

Pershing to advance no farther. Fearing a growing 

crisis, President Wilson ordered a partial callup of 

the National Guard on June 18, its first call to active, 

federal service in the twentieth century.2

 

The National Guard’s response was swift. On 

the evening of June 30, the 1st Illinois Infantry 

became the first unit to reach the border after 

a grueling 48-hour train ride from Springfield to 

San Antonio. The hauling capacity of America’s 

mature railroad network allowed for a rapid buildup. 

On July 4, nearly 25,000 Guardsmen observed 

Independence Day at camps in Texas. By August 

31, a total of 111,954 Guard troops had arrived. The 

mobilization included one important milestone; New 

York’s 1st Aero Company was the first Guard flying 

unit to be called to active duty though it did not serve 

on the border.3

Troops with the 1st Ohio Field Artillery prepare to deploy their observation 

balloon while serving on the border in Texas in 1916. National Archives and 

Records Administration 

The crisis prompted the War Department to send 

Guardsmen directly to the border. Preparations 

that should have occurred at mobilization camps 

were postponed until units arrived in the Southwest, 

where next to nothing had been done to prepare 

for their arrival. In many cases, Guardsmen built 

their own cantonments from scratch. Poor facilities, 

4 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
belts, each with a specific mission. Those forwarddeployed performed continuous patrols along the 

border. Guardsmen from the border states proved 

especially valuable because of their detailed 

knowledge of the local terrain and native population, 

and they were already acclimated to the weather. 

Units farther removed from the international 

boundary were concentrated at various strategic 

points as far back as San Antonio and Phoenix, 

forming a ready strategic reserve against possible 

cross-boarder encroachments. At the time, legal 

restrictions placed limits on Guard service beyond 

the borders of the United States, so no orders were 

issued to advance state soldiers into Mexico. For 

the time being, Pershing’s invasion column acted as 

intense heat and dusty winds added to soldiers’ 

frustrations. In all, 158,664 Guardsmen—almost 

the entire Guard—saw duty. Regular Army reports 

on the Guard’s performance were mixed. Guard 

commanders certainly made mistakes regarding 

personnel matters, but many deficiencies were 

due to poor planning by the War Department. At 

least one observer took a broader view of the 

Guard’s efforts. “When one considers the number 

of men moved and distances they were moved,” 

wrote a young Maj. Douglas MacArthur, “the recent 

mobilization...was the best job of its kind done by 

any country.”4

On the border, senior Army commanders 

organized Guard units into a series of defensive 

Guardsmen of a Massachusetts infantry 

regiment march from their camp near El Paso, 

Texas, to take part in a field exercise in 1916. 

Massachusetts Military Museum

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 5
While most Guardsmen fought in France during World War I, four 

regiments of Texas cavalry were assigned to patrol the border 

watching for possible enemy agents or saboteurs, 1918. National 

Archives and Records Administration

America’s offensive sword while the National Guard 

was its defensive shield.5

Overall, the mobilization was a notable success. 

No Guard unit saw combat, but citizen-soldiers 

provided valuable protection to U.S. borders by 

constituting an operational reserve, a function that 

was consistent with the National Guard’s more 

broadly defined role as the Army’s primary combat 

reserve. The states became familiar with the 

complexities of moving great numbers of troops, 

and the adjutants general (TAG) learned the value 

of recruiting soldiers who met fitness standards 

and understood the obligations of their enlistment. 

Senior commanders received experience in handling 

large troop formations, while soldiers benefited from 

training and physical conditioning. 

By the early spring of 1917, the crisis 

had passed, and the Guard started to return 

home. Across the country, local communities 

enthusiastically welcomed the troops. But 

the Guardsmen had little time to bask in their 

accomplishments; on April 17, 1917, the United 

States entered World War I by declaring war 

on Germany.

Homeland Defense, 

1917-2001 

The National Guard has always participated in 

the defense of the homeland whenever an enemy 

has possessed the ability to use force directly 
coastlines. Eventually, Guard organizations returned 

to their preparations for war and were deployed to 

Europe and the Pacific where they saw 

extensive combat.6 

At the dawn of the nuclear age, the most 

serious and direct danger to the American homeland 

was Soviet heavy bombers laden with nuclear 

weapons. To counteract the threat, the U. S. Air 

Force developed a runway alert program that called 

for interceptor aircraft stationed at key locations 

throughout the country to remain at a high state of 

readiness and to respond instantly against hostile 

incursions of the nation’s airspace. Following the 

Korean War, the Air Guard volunteered to become 

an active participant in the program. Within three 

years the ANG had twenty fighter interceptor 

squadrons on runway alert duty. Each squadron 

provided two jet fighter aircraft and five aircrews 

to man them fourteen hours each day on a yearround basis. Air Guard pilots stood at five-minute 

runway readiness alert during daylight hours and 

were prepared to take to the skies upon an order to 

challenge unidentified aircraft or intercept-known, 

hostile aggressors.7

 

The runway alert program greatly increased 

cooperation between the Air Force and the Air 

Guard and was the first significant attempt to include 

Guard airmen in the routine, peacetime functions 

against the continental United States (CONUS). 

From the nation’s earliest beginnings citizen-soldiers 

have concerned themselves with homeland defense. 

In some cases, the Guard’s role has been short and 

limited; at other times, it has been prolonged 

and extensive. 

The Guard performed important homeland 

defense missions at the outbreak of both World 

Wars. When the United States declared war on 

Germany in 1917, over 80,000 Guardsmen were 

still on active duty from the Mexican Border Crisis of 

1916. Within days of the declaration of war, the War 

Department dispersed these Guard units across the 

country to protect key transportation hubs, industrial 

facilities, and utilities against German saboteurs 

and sympathizers. As the massive mobilization for 

World War I began, many Guard regiments entering 

active duty were assigned to homeland defense 

missions before starting their post-mobilization 

training and subsequent deployment to France. In 

the earliest days of World War II, armed Guardsmen 

posted on rail platforms at the nation’s major railway 

stations calmed the fears of Americans still shaken 

by the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Guard 

ground units were dispersed once again to provide 

security at transportation hubs and points of critical 

infrastructure across the country while aviation 

units flew antisubmarine patrols along the nation’s 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 7
of defending American airspace. It allowed Guard flying units to augment 

the active duty Air Force with additional personnel and aircraft and increased 

the ANG’s readiness by providing valuable training to both air and ground 

personnel. Guard aviators continued to participate in the runway alert program 

until the end of the Cold War. Afterwards, the Air Guard assumed command 

of 1st Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in 1994, and with it, overall 

responsibility for the air defense of CONUS. 

While the Air Force defended American airspace, the Army protected 

ground targets from enemy air attacks. The Army was assigned the task of 

the air defense of population and industrial centers in the Northeast, the upper 

Midwest, and southern California. To fulfill this critical homeland defense 

mission, the Army initiated the Nike Missile Program. Lacking enough air 

defense units to create the required number and density of air defense zones, 

the Army again turned to the Guard. By 1961, eighty-two Army National Guard 

During the 1950s-1970s the Guard played an 

important role in national defense by manning 

Nike missile sites protecting major cities across 

the nation. Virginia National Guard Historical 

Collection
(ARNG) Nike missile batteries were operational in 

fifteen states. At the program’s peak in 1962, 17,000 

Guardsmen manned missile sites. Eventually, Army 

Guardsmen manned 48 of 112 missile sites on the 

mainland and six in Hawaii.8 

By the early 1970s, the nuclear, intercontinental 

ballistic missile had become the Cold War weapon 

of choice between the United States and the 

Soviet Union, and the Nike Missile Program 

became outdated. On September 14, 1974, the 

ARNG inactivated the last of its Nike missile units. 

The air defense of CONUS was a significant 

accomplishment for the ARNG. Not since the 

colonial minutemen had Guardsmen been called 

upon to make such a sudden transition from peace 

to war.9

With the end of the Cold War, the National 

Guard’s involvement in homeland defense missions 

changed with the times. As early as 1977, the 

ARNG had assisted law enforcement in counterdrug activities. Heightened concerns with the flow 

of drugs from organized cartels in South America 

and a declared “war on drugs” greatly increased 

the Guard’s involvement. By 1988, thirty-two 

states had organized counter-drug programs. The 

states astride the major drug routes leading from 

Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America into the 

country were at the forefront of the effort. Guard 

participation in counter-drug efforts peaked in 1993 

and remained near constant for the rest of 

the decade.10

The unrelenting flow of illegal drugs heightened 

the need for a more coordinated and robust 

border defense. Joint Task Force-6 (JTF-6) was 

established in 1989 to integrate Department of 

Defense (DOD) support for local, state and federal 

law enforcement agencies involved in counter-drug 

operations. Headquartered at Fort Bliss, Texas, 

JTF-6 provided operational, training, intelligence and 

engineering support. Guardsmen were often a part

A section of the U.S.-Mexican border fence near San Diego, California, built 

well before Operation Jump Start began in June 2006. California National 

Guard 

of these activities. In California, the Guard helped in 

the construction of physical barriers to prevent illegal 

immigration flows, and Guard engineers constructed 

and improved roads to enhance Border Patrol 

mobility in both California and Texas.11 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 9
The War on Terrorism, 

2001-2006

The nation’s first military responders on the 

morning of September 11, 2001 were the men and 

women of the National Guard. On that fateful day, 

modern citizen-soldiers and airmen responded to an 

unexpected threat in a manner reminiscent of the 

minutemen of Lexington and Concord who too had 

rallied on short notice to defend their communities. 

On the ground, Guard members in New York 

City and Washington, D.C., moved immediately 

to provide security at the World Trade Center 

and the Pentagon while assisting in rescue and 

recovery efforts. In the air, ANG interceptors on air 

sovereignty alert attempted to prevent further attacks 

while other Air Guard units established combat air 

patrols over America’s largest cities. 

In the months following the 9/11 attacks, the 

National Guard dispersed across the country to 

enhance security. The Air Guard implemented a 

more extensive network of air sovereignty alert sites 

while maintaining combat air patrols over major cities 

and key national security events. The Army Guard 

dispersed immediately to bolster security at military 

installations, dams, bridges, nuclear power facilities 

and selected border crossing sites with Canada and 

Mexico. The Guard’s most visible mission was in 

the nation’s commercial airports, where detachments 

of Army and Air Guard personnel strengthened 

security measures until a more permanent solution 

was enacted. Homeland security was an enduring 

mission, and in following years the National Guard 

was a visible precautionary asset at such public 

venues as the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the 

2004 Sea Island G8 Summit, the 2004 Democratic 

and Republican national conventions and annual 

major sporting events like the World Series and the 

Super Bowl. 

While the Guard defended the homeland, 

it simultaneously engaged in overseas combat 

operations. In both Afghanistan and Iraq, National 

Guard personnel assisted in the buildup of coalition 

forces and took part in the initial invasion. ARNG 

combat brigades in Afghanistan became principally 

responsible for the training of a new Afghan National 

Army while other Guard units battled determined 

Taliban and al Qaeda fighters and helped to rebuild 

the country. The ARNG played a central role in 

Operation Iraqi Freedom by deploying over a dozen 

combat brigades and innumerable support units 

to Iraq during 2004-2006. The combination of 

homeland security and overseas combat missions 

presented the states with a bewildering array of 

competing priorities. At no other period in its history 

10 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
had the Guard faced such demanding state and 

federal missions simultaneously. 

This initiated a significant commitment of 

National Guard assets for border protection through 

the effort called Operation Winter Freeze. During 

November 2004-January 2005, law enforcement 

and the U.S. Border Patrol believed that there 

was an increased possibility 

of terrorist operatives entering 

the country from Canada. The 

Guard’s primary assignment 

was to detect, deter and monitor 

suspicious activities along 

a wide swath of the border 

between New England and 

Canada. During the three-month 

operation, nearly 250 Guard 

personnel from Vermont and twenty other states 

participated. Winter Freeze best demonstrated 

that the National Guard was the most uniquely 

suited organization within DOD to provide the right 

combination of manpower, skills, equipment and 

experience to law enforcement agencies across 

the country on short notice in support of homeland 

security missions.12

America’s greatest natural disaster to date 

further solidified the National Guard’s reputation as 

an essential domestic response force. Hurricane 

Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in the early morning 

hours of August 29, 2005, with howling winds, 

torrential rains and an overwhelming tidal surge. 

The following morning, the storm’s tidal surge 

breeched the levee system protecting New Orleans, 

and floodwaters inundated the city with as much 

as fourteen feet of water in places. The storm left 

nearly 1,800 dead and hundreds 

of thousands stranded or 

homeless. 

Even before Katrina made 

landfall, as many as 2,500 

Guard personnel were on 

duty in the Gulf Coast states, 

speeding evacuation efforts 

and anticipating rescue and 

recovery missions. Within four 

hours of the hurricane’s passage, Guard forces 

were in the water and on the streets rescuing 

people in the most devastated communities. ARNG 

helicopter crews went to work plucking survivors 

from the roofs of swamped homes while other state 

soldiers in small boats and heavy vehicles rescued 

stranded residents. By the end of the first week, 

the National Guard mounted an unprecedented 

rescue and recovery effort. All fifty states, the three 

territories, and the District of Columbia promptly 

mobilized and deployed over 50,000 Army and Air 

America’s greatest 

natural disaster 

to date further 

solidified the 

National Guard’s 

reputation as an 

essential domestic 

response force.

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 11
Guard personnel along with a vast array of aircraft, 

vehicles, equipment and supplies. Fully 80 percent 

of the nation’s entire military response came from 

the Guard. The Guard’s actions in early September 

comprised the fastest and largest response to 

a natural disaster in U.S. history. While not a 

homeland security mission per se, the response to 

Hurricane Katrina dramatically illustrated that the 

National Guard was an indispensable domestic 

response asset, even as other citizen-soldiers and 

airmen were overseas helping to defeat America’s 

sworn enemies.13

The Challenge on the 

Southwest Border

Improving security along the Southwest border 

presented formidable challenges. The U.S.-Mexican 

border itself is long, bisecting major urban centers 

and traversing some of the most inhospitable and 

desolate terrain in the country. It stretches nearly 

2,000 miles from near Brownsville, Texas, in the 

east to just below San Diego, California, in the west. 

Among the four border states—California, Arizona, 

New Mexico and Texas—California has the shortest 

boundary and Texas the longest. The region along 

the boundary is characterized by deserts, rugged 

mountains, and the lines of several major rivers. 

Evacuees from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans are loaded 

onto a CH-47 Chinook helicopter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in September 

2005. The unit is from the 449th Aviation Support Battalion, an element of the 36th

Combat Aviation Brigade of the Texas National Guard. National Guard Bureau

12 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
In summer, extreme temperatures rise to lifethreatening levels. Despite the harsh environment, 

the border towns and major cities sprinkled along 

its length make the Southwest border the most 

frequently crossed international boundary in the 

world, with almost 250 million legal crossings 

each year.14

Since its establishment in 1924, the Border 

Patrol had been active along the Southwest border 

to prevent the crossing of illegal immigrants and the 

smuggling of illegal substances, including alcohol 

and drugs. During World War II, fears increased that 

foreign agents could undermine national security 

by slipping across the border undetected and 

performing acts of espionage and sabotage. As a 

result, the Border Patrol was nearly doubled in size 

to over 1,500 officers. Ironically, it was in this same 

time period that Latinos began crossing the border 

in large numbers to supplement the American labor 

market. With so many men in uniform, additional 

laborers from Mexico and Central America were 

needed to keep farms and factories humming at full 

capacity for war production. Following the war, labor 

opportunities continued to attract foreign workers. 

Huge increases in illegal immigration in the 1980s 

and 1990s prompted a further expansion of the 

Border Patrol. In addition, new technologies and 

occasional military assistance were pressed into 

service, producing measurable reductions in illegal 

border crossings at that time. However, America’s 

booming economy and the opportunities the nation 

provided proved impossibly alluring to many south 

of the border, and illegal border crossings became 

more of a problem with each passing year. By 

2006, the Border Patrol numbered just under 12,400 

agents, with over 11,000 of those deployed along the 

Southwest border alone.15

Five years after the attacks of 9/11, it was 

evident that the Border Patrol’s manpower and 

resource levels were still inadequate to impose 

order on a disorderly and often dangerous situation 

along the Southwest border. Given the National 

Guard’s long history of defending the homeland, it 

was logical for the nation to once again turn to its 

professional citizen-soldier force for assistance and 

results in a time of war. 

Much of the southwestern United States is desolate and 

rugged scrub land, with little water or vegetation. National 

Guard Bureau
CALL 

OUT THE 

GUARD!

A section of the runway mat fence dividing Nogales, Arizona, 

from Mexico on June 21, 2006. Among the first tasks arriving 

Guard members accomplished was to weld closed the holes 

cut by smugglers that allowed illegals to crawl under the fence. 

Staff Sgt. James Greenhill
inherent flexibility and prowess as an operational 

force by deploying quickly to the border and acting 

as a ready homeland security asset. 

Calls for Military Support 

Along the Border

By 2006, a surging tide of illegal immigration 

from Mexico and other Central American countries 

across the Southwest border was causing increased 

domestic anxiety. While most immigrants were only 

seeking job opportunities and a better way of life for 

themselves and their families, there were increasing 

concerns with crime and the sheer, overwhelming 

size of the human migration. The war on terrorism 

raised security worries as well. If hundreds of 

thousands of Latinos could make it into the country 

unimpeded, might not terrorists make it over the 

border just as easily? A group of private citizens 

dubbed “The Minutemen” based on America’s 

rich heritage as a citizen-soldier nation voluntarily 

posted themselves on the Southwest border to aid 

authorities in staunching the flow of illegals. On 

radio and television, talk show hosts such as Lou 

Dobbs on CNN and Bill O’Reilly on FoxNews used 

their forums to expose the chaos on the border and 

to lead the charge for beefing up border security, 

including the use of troops. 2006 was a mid-term 

CHAPTER TWO

CALL OUT THE GUARD!

Even before the onset of the war on terrorism, 

the National Guard had a well-established reputation 

for assisting law enforcement in protecting the 

nation’s borders. Five years after the attacks of 

9/11, calls for action for increased border security 

finally prompted the commander in chief to once 

again deploy the National Guard to the 

Southwest border.

Fortunately, the National Guard was well 

prepared for the callup. Its national and state 

headquarters were already organized for joint 

operations and had taken steps to ease the 

difficulties of deploying troops across state lines. 

Still, the movement of thousands of state soldiers 

to the Southwest in a relatively short period of time 

and their integration with security operations along 

the nearly 2,000-mile border presented considerable 

operational, administrative and logistical challenges. 

During the late spring and into the summer of 2006, 

the National Guard once again demonstrated its 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 15
election year, and illegal immigration had become a 

hot button issue. The American people let members 

of Congress running for re-election know that they 

wanted something done about the chaotic situation 

on the border.

Perhaps no one knew the situation in the 

Southwest better than the four border state 

governors who were consistent and strident in their 

calls for increased security and order. The four chief 

executives—Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of 

California, Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona, 

Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico and 

Governor Rick Perry of Texas—firmly believed that 

the border states faced a crisis not of their making. 

The federal government’s lax and ineffective border 

enforcement and its failure to enforce immigration 

laws had resulted in an explosion of the illegal 

immigrant population. As a result, the border states 

were flooded with illegals, taxpayers were angry and 

citizens and non-citizens alike were losing respect 

for the rule of law. The four governors often had 

to mobilize state and local authorities to enforce 

laws that were the responsibility of the federal 

government. The governors challenged Congress 

“to get back to work” and pass comprehensive 

immigration reform.1

 

Each governor bombarded Washington, D.C., 

with requests for aid while taking their own measures 

to shore up security. In July 2005, Governor 

Schwarzenegger sent the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) a formal memorandum asking 

that additional Border Patrol agents be deployed 

to ensure “safe, effective and responsible” border 

security in southern California. Over time, Arizona 

had become a prime avenue for illegal crossings. 

In 2005, Governor Napolitano declared a state of 

emergency for all of Arizona’s border counties and 

released $1.5 million in state funds to help with 

law enforcement. At the start of 2006, Arizona 

committed another $100 million of state monies for 

improved border security. On March 7, 2006, she 

wrote both DHS and DOD a formal appeal to request 

the full commitment of the Arizona National Guard 

to the border with the federal government providing 

full reimbursement for all costs. In Texas, Governor 

Rick Perry sought to increase border security with 

“Operation Rio Grande” starting in February 2006. 

The plan was a comprehensive strategy that gave 

Texas a leading role in coordinating intelligence and 

law enforcement assets along the border.2

The Nation Turns to the 

National Guard

The concerns of the border state governors and 

their earnest appeals for federal assistance finally 

16 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
already in the country to once again calling for 

comprehensive immigration reform legislation 

from Congress.3 

President Bush declared border security a 

“basic responsibility” of a sovereign nation and 

an “urgent requirement” for national security. 

The objective of increased security was to keep 

the border open to trade and lawful immigration 

while shutting it to illegal immigrants, as well as 

“criminals, drug dealers, and terrorists.” To enhance 

security, the president called for an expansion of 

the Border Patrol from 12,000 to 18,000 agents by 

the end of 2008. Additional funding would allow 

made it all the way to the White House. In the face 

of widespread discontent with the lack of immigration 

reform and the deteriorating situation along the 

border, President George W. Bush decided to take 

action. During a televised address to the nation from 

the Oval Office on the evening of May 15, 2006, 

the president articulated an agenda for immigration 

reform. While America desired to retain its 

reputation as welcoming to immigrants, it also had to 

remain a law abiding society. To meet both of these 

goals, President Bush laid out a comprehensive 

reform agenda that ranged from increasing security 

along the border and dealing with illegal immigrants 

The Border Patrol entry point 

between Yuma, Arizona, and 

San Luis, Mexico, is typical 

of those found along the 

border. The cars on the right 

are awaiting clearance into 

Mexico while the longer line 

to the left are coming into 

the United States. Michael 

Doubler

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 17
the construction of improved border barriers at key 

locations and the construction and improvement of 

supporting roads. At the same time, high technology 

would enjoy increased use, including motion 

sensors, infrared cameras and unmanned aerial 

vehicles (UAV).4 

Implementing law enforcement measures aimed 

at enhancing security would take time, yet the need 

for increased security along the border was urgent. 

President Bush informed the nation that the National 

Guard would head to the Southwest immediately 

to boost the Border Patrol in the short term. In 

coordination with the southwestern governors, 

up to 6,000 Guard members would deploy. The 

Border Patrol would remain the lead federal agency, 

and no Guardsman would be involved in direct 

law enforcement activities. Instead, the National 

Guard would assist and support the Border Patrol 

by operating surveillance systems, analyzing 

intelligence, installing fences and vehicle barriers, 

building patrol roads and providing training. An 

initial, large contingent of citizen-soldiers and airmen 

would serve for one year, and after that, the number 

of Guard forces would decline as more border 

agents and new technologies became available. 

President Bush assured listeners in two key areas 

An Arizona Guardsman 

from Company A, 1st

Battalion, 158th Infantry 

watches the border. The 1st

Marine Division shoulder 

patch indicates he is one of 

the many combat veterans 

who volunteered for 

Operation Jump Start. OJS 

Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ
security, Guard forces would remain in combat in 

Afghanistan and Iraq while others had to stand 

ready to respond to natural disasters and possible 

terrorist attacks at home. To provide the maximum 

extent of administrative and 

command flexibility, Guard 

members would serve in a 

Title 32 status. The federal 

government would fund the 

entire operation, but citizensoldiers and airmen would 

remain under the control of 

the governors of the four 

border states.6

At the highest levels, DHS, 

DOD and NGB had begun to 

work out other policy issues 

even before the president’s 

speech on May 15. DHS 

identified five major mission 

categories that would most 

help the Border Patrol while at the same time 

keep military personnel separate from direct law 

enforcement activities. These five missions, in order 

of priority, were:

1) Relief of Border Patrol agents performing duties 

that are not law enforcement in nature, such 

related to the Guard deployment; the nation would 

not militarize its southwestern border and enough 

state soldiers remained available to “win the war on 

terror, to respond to natural disasters, and to help 

secure the border.”5

In the days following 

President Bush’s national 

address, Pentagon officials 

provided additional details 

on Operation Jump Start, 

the designated name for the 

deployment of Guard forces 

to the Southwest border. Lt. 

Gen. H Steven Blum, the 

Chief, National Guard Bureau 

(NGB), further explained 

the intent and extent of the 

Guard’s mission. General 

Blum outlined the Guard’s 

long history of involvement 

along the border and that 

present day citizen-soldiers and airmen were 

“trained, ready, and able” for the mission. Still, OJS 

was to be carried out in a much more focused and 

comprehensive manner and on a much grander 

scale than previous border support operations. 

Jump Start would also impose a delicate balancing 

act upon the Guard. While shoring up border 

President Bush 

informed the nation 

that the National 

Guard would head 

to the Southwest 

immediately to boost 

the Border Patrol 

in the short term... 

The Border Patrol 

would remain the lead 

federal agency, and 

no Guardsman would 

be involved in direct 

law enforcement 

activities.

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 19
as general, vehicle and facilities maintenance, 

control room operations, administrative support, 

training and information technology support.

2) Enhancing surveillance and reconnaissance 

capabilities to provide increased detection and 

tracking capabilities. These operations include 

operation of mobile, fixed and airborne sensor 

systems. 

3) Enhanced intelligence, command and control, 

and communications capability to increase the 

effectiveness of the border enforcement forces.

4) Providing transportation services, including 

ground and air, to provide efficient processing and 

removal of apprehended aliens.

5) Construction support for tactical infrastructure 

(barriers, fences, roads, light/sensor towers) and 

facilities (detention facilities, temporary remote 

base camps, and engineering missions).7

The National Guard was to organize a joint 

task force (JTF) in each of the four border states to 

provide the “duration force” necessary for command, 

control, coordination and support throughout the 

expected 24-month life cycle of the mission. The 

duration force was also to provide continuity of 

coordination and planning with the Border Patrol. 

The remaining Guardsmen actually deployed along 

the international boundary for the most part were to 

come from a “rotational force” drawn from the border 

states themselves and as many of the other states 

and territories as needed.8 

Even as the wheels of logistics, administration 

and transportation began turning to deploy 

Guardsmen, a number of important questions 

remained unanswered. Policy coordination had 

occurred in the nation’s capital, but how much did 

National Guard leaders in the states and Border 

Patrol leaders in the border sectors really know 

about the impending operation? How were the 

states specifically to initiate, organize and sustain 

the mission? How was the Border Patrol to take 

full advantage of the nearly 6,000 citizen-soldiers 

and airmen about to show up on their doorstep? 

The answers to these questions and many other 

unexpected issues would soon emerge.

The National Guard 

Organizes for Action 

Well before the president’s call to action on the 

border, the National Guard had already modernized 

its command structures. Three years earlier, in April 

2003, General Blum had become the Chief, NGB. 

Immediately he had initiated a series of reforms 

aimed at transforming the Guard from a Cold 

War era strategic reserve to an operational force 

20 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Since 9/11, the war on terrorism had presented 

the National Guard with a wide range of homeland 

security missions. Most states had created a 

joint operations center (JOC) to coordinate these 

diverse and near constant undertakings. By spring 

2005, most states had a fully functioning JOC that 

operated around the clock. General Blum desired 

that NGB itself should have the staff structure to 

provide more operational control and coordination 

during domestic operations. In pursuit of that 

goal, he organized an NGB JOC to coordinate and 

facilitate the flow of information for both Army and Air 

Guard missions. 

Within ten days of the announcement of Jump 

Start, NGB organized a current operations group 

(COG) specifically for the purpose of coordinating 

policies and activities for the border mission. 

Located on the Plaza Level of NGB’s main office 

building in Arlington, Virginia, the OJS COG 

consisted of a small core of experienced, full-time 

staff personnel augmented by representatives of 

the NGB Joint and Special staffs, the ARNG and 

ANG Directorates, and a U.S. Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP) liaison officer. The first priority 

for the COG was to send troops to the border in an 

organized fashion that supported DHS and CBP 

mission areas. Over time, the COG became the 

lead agency for coordinating OJS missions with 

postured for the war on terrorism and the twenty-first 

century. One of General Blum’s top priorities was 

to make the National Guard’s headquarters more 

functional and recognizable by converting them to 

joint organizations on a par with America’s other 

major military headquarters worldwide.

Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau.

National Guard Bureau

The first reform initiative was aimed at General 

Blum’s own headquarters. The conversion of NGB 

to a joint staff organization began in July 2003 

and was completed by the following October. The 

adoption of a joint staff structure made NGB’s inner 

workings more instantly recognizable to other major 

staffs throughout the military. The full reorganization 

of NGB was completed with the National Guard 

Empowerment Act of 2008 that designated NGB as 

joint activity of DOD instead of a joint bureau of the 

Army and the Air Force.

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 21
the states, all groups within DOD and other federal 

departments. The ARNG and ANG Directorates 

created their own OJS staff action groups that 

coordinated service specific issues through the COG 

to the states, especially in the areas of personnel 

and resources. The ARNG and ANG identified the 

types of units required for the OJS rotational force 

and assisted the states in making specific 

unit selections.9

 

General Blum had also championed a parallel 

series of reforms that affected the states. With 

the advice and consent of the TAGs, the state 

headquarters in October 2003 began to convert 

to a joint configuration known as the Joint Force 

Headquarters (JFHQ). The conversion was mostly 

completed nationwide by November 2005. Like 

the NGB reorganization, the creation of the JFHQs 

was to make the state headquarters more closely 

resemble other major military headquarters. In 

addition, the JFHQs were intended to provide 

commonality of command and control structures 

among the states.

Steel plates used 

in the construction 

of the border fence 

were among the 

materials moved to 

construction sites 

so that Guardsmen 

could get to work. 

OJS Public Affairs 

Office, JTF-NM

22 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Perhaps the most critical and enduring of 

General Blum’s reforms was the introduction of JTFs 

at the state level. The JFHQs were not intended 

to command state or federal assets deployed for 

a domestic emergency, rather this mission was to 

fall to a JTF organized for that specific purpose. In 

2004, Congress amended Title 32 USC to allow a 

Guard general in command of a state JTF to serve 

in both a federal and state status while commanding 

active duty and Guard personnel alike. The intent 

was for the JTF to function in a similar fashion as the 

joint staffs of the overseas combatant commands, 

but rather than engage in combat, National Guard 

JTFs were to handle domestic emergencies 

at home. 

The first opportunity for a JTF to demonstrate 

its new flexibility and capabilities came in June 

2004 during the annual G8 Summit at Sea Island, 

Georgia. For the first time, a National Guard JTF 

commanded state and federal troops concurrently, 

and by so doing, provided adequate protection, unity 

of effort and unity of command for a major homeland 

security mission. Employing the same JTF 

arrangement, Guard commanders in Massachusetts 

and New York were responsible for all military 

personnel supporting the 2004 Democratic 

and Republican national conventions. The first 

employment of a National Guard JTF for the specific 

purpose of defending the nation’s borders occurred 

with the aforementioned Operation Winter Freeze 

during November 2004-January 2005. The biggest 

challenge for the new JFHQs and JTFs came with 

Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In the four states that 

Katrina struck—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and 

Louisiana—the JFHQs each organized a JTF to 

coordinate emergency response and the mass inflow of other Guard assets to the region. When 

Hurricane Rita struck Texas only three weeks later, 

the Lone Star State too organized and deployed a 

hurricane response JTF. By 2006, the use of state 

JTFs for domestic contingency operations was 

well established, and they were to play a large, 

significant role in OJS. 

Operation Jump Start 

Commences

President Bush had announced that “up to” 

6,000 Guardsmen would deploy to the border as 

an “initial commitment” for one year. Afterwards, 

the number of Guard forces would be reduced 

as additional Border Patrol agents and new 

technologies were in place. Additional coordination 

between DHS and CBP further clarified the Guard’s 

OJS commitment. A goal was established to have 

6,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen on the border by 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 23
August 1, 2006. That level of manning was to be 

maintained until May 2007 when Guard forces would 

be cut to 3,000. By May 2008, it was expected that 

OJS would terminate with all support operations 

returning to Border Patrol control.10

OJS manning levels for the border states were 

soon determined based on a manpower ceiling of 

6,000. Allocations were apportioned according to 

the numbers and percentages of illegal crossings 

that had occurred historically in each state. The final 

manpower allocations were as follows:

Operation Jump Start Manpower

State % of 

Illegal 

Border 

Crossings 

Year One 

2006-

2007

Year Two 

2007-2008

Arizona 40 2,400 1,196

California 20 1,200 584

New Mexico 13 900 300

Texas 27 1,500 920

Totals 100% 6,000 3,000

(Source: JTF-Arizona, “Operation Jump Start-Arizona,” information briefing, 

January 2008, 5.) 

The manning levels reflected limits on the number of 

Guardsmen deployed on OJS at any one time and 

not for the duration of the mission. OJS manpower 

was to be sustained by units and individuals rotating 

periodically to the border in a Title 32 status, and the 

aggregate number of personnel required to sustain 

the operation over the ensuing two years remained 

unknown at the time of mission start.

The CBP identified the most critical types of 

specific mission support needed from the Guard. 

The top priorities included: “Badges Back to the 

Border” (administrative and logistical support); entry 

identification teams (EIT); tactical infrastructure 

(engineering); and aviation. Badges Back to the 

Border called for Guard support personnel to relieve 

Border Patrol agents of administrative and logistical 

duties so they could return to the most vital mission 

of all, border enforcement. EITs were manned 

Staff Sgt. Dominic Flores, a member of Arizona’s 162nd Fighter Wing, 

performs criminal background checks of illegal aliens being held in custody 

at the Nogales Border Patrol Station as part of the “Badges Back to the 

Border” program. Staff Sgt. James Greenhill

observation posts placed at key tactical locations 

that offered direct surveillance of known and 

likely illegal immigrant border crossing points. 

Guard engineers were to improve existing border 

roads and construct others from scratch, thereby 

increasing law enforcement mobility along the 

border fence and reducing response times to 

border encroachments. In addition, engineers were 

needed to improve and repair miles of dilapidated 

24 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
fence and to construct new fencing, barriers, gates 

and lighting at key points. Aviation would use its 

superior mobility, observation 

and communications to observe 

and detect illegal border 

crossings, especially at night 

when infrared sensors and 

special observation scopes 

allowed clear viewing of all 

nocturnal activities. Other 

Guard missions were to include 

training, intelligence and linguist 

activities, as well as assisting 

in the physical dismantling of 

vehicles suspected of carrying illegal drugs.11

Other policy decisions were soon made 

regarding the utilization of forces in the field. 

General Blum reiterated in 

writing to the NGB staff and 

the states that National Guard 

troops would not perform law 

enforcement functions and 

would carry out only “vetted and 

pre-coordinated support” to law 

enforcement. Guard personnel 

and equipment dedicated to 

the counter-drug program were 

prohibited from acting as part of 

OJS. With the exception of an 

immediate response to save life or limb, counterSpc. Godbold from 

Wisconsin’s 32nd

Brigade Combat 

Team operates a 

sky box used for 

observation along 

the border. Michael 

Doubler

Though Guardsmen 

were not to 

partake in direct 

law enforcement 

activities, they 

would still be 

venturing into 

areas where violent 

illegal activities 

frequently 

occurred.

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 25
drug personnel were not to perform OJS support 

missions while on duty under counter-drug-funded 

orders. Though Guardsmen were not to partake in 

direct law enforcement activities, they would still be 

venturing into areas where violent illegal activities 

frequently occurred. In anticipation of operating 

in a possibly deadly and dangerous environment, 

NGB established Guard-wide rules for the use of 

force (RUF) and disseminated them to the states. 

Guardsmen were allowed to use force in selfdefense and in the defense of others. 

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Tim Graves, an Arizona duration force member 

during Operation Jump Start, flies an OH-58 Kiowa helicopter over Growler 

Mountain in southern Arizona. OJS Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

The use of deadly force was authorized but only 

under the most stringent conditions. Citizen-soldiers 

and airmen were reminded that firing a weapon is 

“always considered” deadly force and that warning 

shots were not authorized. Furthermore, deadly 

force was not to be used solely for the purpose of 

defending property or to prevent the escape of a 

fleeing suspect. TAGs in the supported states had 

the authority to determine the level of arming and 

degree of ammunition distribution for those operating 

in their state.12

By May 20, NGB had established a series of 

milestones for the OJS start-up. The supported 

states—California, Arizona, New Mexico and 

Texas—were to establish JTFs by June 1. The 

official start date for OJS was designated as June 

15, 2006. The buildup of forces in the border region 

was to begin on that date and continue through July 

15. Guardsmen were to establish an initial operating 

capability in the zone as soon as possible and 

sustained operations were to begin before July 15. 

The goal for having the first complement of 6,000 

citizen-soldiers and airmen along the border 

was August 1.13

By the first week in June, the border state 

governors had signed a memorandum of agreement 

with DOD accepting National Guard forces from 

other supporting states who agreed to back the 

effort. The TAGs in the four supported states would 

exercise operational control over all assigned, 

attached or detailed forces. The memorandum 

was emphatically clear on one point—forces and 

funds would be used for no other purpose than OJS 

missions. The border states could not be compelled 

to reimburse other states for any cost associated 

with Operation Jump Start. No Guard forces would 

be employed in a direct law enforcement role 

26 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
level for each JTF was set at 200. The total of 800 

command and staff positions of all types represented 

an important and significant slice of personnel 

dedicated to the border mission. A JTF commander 

was authorized in the rank of colonel, but Arizona 

initially placed a general officer in command. NGB 

sent a liaison officer to each of the border states 

to facilitate planning and coordination. 

One of the first missions of 

the JTFs was to effect coordination 

with the leadership of the nine 

Border Patrol sectors that extend 

across the Southwest border. Prior 

coordination for OJS had occurred 

in Washington, D.C., at the highest 

levels of policy making, but no 

without the approval of the secretary of defense. 

The governors of the supporting states retained the 

authority to decline OJS missions that might degrade 

their own ability to respond adequately to domestic, 

emergency missions.14

Armed with the commander in chief’s intent 

from May 15 and emerging guidance from NGB, 

the states moved immediately 

to organize their OJS activities. 

The first order of business was 

establishing command and 

control which Texas, New Mexico, 

Arizona and California each did 

by organizing JTFs in Austin, Las 

Cruces, Phoenix and Vista, 

respectively. The manning 

Guard personnel coordinate EIT activities 

with a Border Patrol agent in the Yuma 

Sector. Michael Doubler
information had made its way down to those posted 

along the border. As a rule, the Border Patrol sector 

chiefs first learned of OJS from the president’s 

address on the night of May 15. Fortunately, the 

Border Patrol maintained a standing list of desired 

but unfunded infrastructure improvements with 

associated planning documents which became the 

blueprint for employing Guard engineer units. Once 

DHS and CBP shared their planned mission areas 

for Guard support with the Border Patrol, border 

sector chiefs and Guard commanders began to 

plan for EIT, engineer, aviation, administrative and 

logistical activities. 

The first movement to the border of Guardsmen 

from the four supported states took place on June 6 

with a total of ninety-eight personnel initially serving. 

On June 15, Delaware became the first supporting 

state to deploy troops. By the end of the month, 

2,547 Guardsmen were serving, exceeding NGB’s 

goal of 2,500. As July progressed, deployments 

continued apace toward the goal of having 6,000 

troops deployed by August 1.15 

The reception, staging, onward movement and 

integration (RSOI) of others from the supporting 

An Air Guard C-130 

unloads Florida Air 

Guard personnel at 

the Marine Corps 

Air Station at Yuma, 

Arizona, August 7, 

2006. OJS Public 

Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

28 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
states as part of the rotational force posed major 

logistical and administrative challenges. Guard 

personnel in the border states moved to their new 

assignments by vehicle and helicopter. The first 

and subsequent waves of rotational forces arrived 

by commercial airliner, chartered civilian aircraft and 

ANG airlift. The buildup resulted in an immediate 

need for lodging, meals and transportation. Military 

facilities and equipment were used whenever 

practical, but the preferred method for providing 

goods and services became commercial civilian 

contracts. Lodging shortages were especially acute, 

and hotels in the cities and towns in proximity to 

the border became jammed with Guard personnel, 

especially at those accommodations able to provide 

meals as well. In some cases, tents in remote 

locations provided austere but tolerable living 

conditions. Vehicles were in short supply at first. 

The Guard used its organic tactical wheeled vehicles 

to the maximum extent possible and augmented 

those with General Services Administration (GSA) 

vans. However, ground transportation needs 

remained daunting, and the states increased their 

Guardsmen often 

innovate new 

methods, such 

as adapting a 

photography tripod 

to hold the heavy 

night-vision scopes 

employed by the 

Border Patrol. 

Here, an Air Guard 

member makes final 

adjustments on a 

tripod mount. OJS 

Public Affairs Office, 

JTF-AZ

As part of the training for incoming Operation Jump Start volunteers, each Guardsman 

took a refresher course in the Combat Life Saver course before beginning duty on the 

border. This training, such as how to start intravenous fluids, enabled Guard members 

to save a number of lives, mostly of illegal immigrants suffering from heat distress. 

OJS Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ
hauling capacity by renting utility vehicles and 

passenger vans from commercial rental 

car companies.

Troops arriving in the border states received 

additional training and information briefings over 

the course of the days before beginning their 

specific assignments. Common topics included 

detailed briefings on RUF and actions to take in 

Spc. Mark Young, 

a Guardsman from 

Michigan, assists in 

the emplacement of a 

prefabricated vehicle 

barrier near San Miguel, 

Arizona. OJS Public 

Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

emergency situations, especially those requiring 

medical attention. The border region was harsh, and 

briefings contained information on how to protect 

and sustain oneself in the hot, arid desert. Other 

presentations provided information on administrative 

matters, per diem and pay issues, and the allowed 

uses of government issued credit cards. Citizensoldiers and airmen received remedial medical 

30 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
in the apprehension of 1,251 illegals. In addition, 

Guard personnel had helped the Border Patrol in 

the seizure of 12,385 pounds of marijuana and 189 

pounds of cocaine. “Badges Back to the Border” 

had immediate results as well, with 180 Border 

Patrol agents returning to direct border security 

duties as military personnel relieved agents of nonlaw enforcement responsibilities.16

As the August 1 deadline for troop deployments 

approached, NGB, TAGs and the JTF commanders 

in the states worked diligently to realize the goal of 

6,000 on duty. Staffs and administrative personnel 

burned the midnight oil to ensure that the required 

number of personnel were on duty with proper 

Pvt. 1st Class James Rinkenburg of 

Delaware’s 160th Engineer Company 

maneuvers a forklift to move a beam 

into place as part of a vehicle barrier 

being constructed near Deming, New 

Mexico. Public Affairs Office, Delaware 

ARNG

training on the prevention and treatment of heat 

casualties and minor injuries and emergency 

first aid. Those assigned to EIT teams received 

additional training on the proper operation of Border 

Patrol skywatch towers and sophisticated day and 

night-vision equipment. In addition, this cadre of 

soldiers and airmen had to qualify on their personal 

weapons. Some citizen-airmen were not assigned a 

personal weapon, and as a result, those individuals 

were issued M-16s and provided weapons 

qualification training.

Early deployments to the border produced quick 

results. By the end of July, the CBP reported that 

National Guard EIT teams had already assisted 
Operation Jump Start

6,199 personnel deployed as of July 31, 2006

5,475

ARNG

724

ANG

orders. In reality, the Guard had already met its 

goal. On July 31, a full day early, NGB reported 

to the Pentagon and the White House that 6,199 

personnel were deployed, exceeding the goal of 

6,000 in place by August 1. The ARNG provided 

5,475 citizen-soldiers, or 88 percent of those 

available. The Air Guard contributed the balance, a 

total of 724 citizen-airmen. 

The four supported states provided 3,660 personnel, 

with 2,539 coming from the other supporting states. 

The need to establish command and control, 

administration, and logistics functions was reflected 

in the deployment numbers; 4,256 of those on duty 

constituted the duration force while the other 1,943 

made up the rotational force.17

On August 3, President Bush traveled to the 

Southwest border to view OJS activities for himself. 

Speaking at Mission, Texas, on the banks of the 

Rio Grande, the president thanked National Guard 

personnel for the hard work they were already 

doing along the border. President Bush specifically 

recognized and thanked General Blum “for a job well 

done” in achieving the August 1 deployment goal. 

The president assured listeners that the Guard’s 

presence was not an effort to militarize the border 

but to lend vital support to the Border Patrol that 

remained the lead law enforcement agency. 

President George W. Bush visits with Texas Guard soldiers in Mission, 

Texas, near the banks of the Rio Grande on August 3, 2006. OJS Public 

Affairs Office, JTF-TX

Still, the Guard was lending vital support, a point the 

president highlighted by pointing out that military 

personnel had already assisted in the seizure of 

17,000 pounds of illegal drugs and the apprehension 

of 2,500 illegals. The commander in chief pledged 

that citizen-soldiers and airmen would receive the 

full support of the federal government in order to 

make OJS a certain success.18 

32 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
The first weeks of OJS were critical in 

establishing the mission for a much longer duration. 

Building upon twenty years of previous border 

support experience, the National Guard moved 

quickly and effectively to make OJS a reality. 

Important policy decisions in those first weeks 

included the deployment of citizen-soldiers and 

airmen in a Title 32 status for maximum flexibility, the 

organization of command groups at NGB and in the 

states, and the dissemination of appropriate RUF. 

The designation and organization of duration and 

rotational forces were crucial steps in establishing an 

operational capability. Perhaps more than anything 

else, the fulfillment of the goal to deploy 6,000 troops 

by August 1 proved that the National Guard was 

up to the challenge. The full extent of the Guard’s 

success along the Southwest border would become 

even more evident as OJS kicked into high gear. 
DUTY 

ON THE 

SOUTHWEST 

BORDER
CHAPTER THREE

DUTY ON THE SOUTHWEST 

BORDER

With the initial OJS deployments completed, 

the National Guard at all levels worked to sustain 

the operation over the course of the next two years. 

In August 2006, final command arrangements and 

detailed coordination with the Border Patrol were still 

emerging. The real work of Guardsmen supporting 

the Border Patrol with engineering, aviation, EIT and 

Badges Back to the Border activities had just begun. 

Within weeks, all OJS activities were running 

smoothly in the border states and in the continuous 

deployments of the rotational force. 

Citizen-soldiers and airmen adapted quickly 

to the Southwest, a region of the country with its 

own brand of culture, terrain and weather. The 

deployment was a true learning experience for most, 

especially regarding the extent and nature of illegal 

activities along the border. The National Guard and 

the Border Patrol were organizations with many 

similarities, and they developed close working ties. 

The Guard’s presence influenced the dynamics in 

the border zone with significant declines in illegal 

activities. Through acts of construction and repair, 

ARNG and ANG engineers literally changed the 

face of the border zone. Guard personnel carried 

out important contributions in other mission support 

areas as well, making OJS a remarkable success. 

The Border States 

Take Command

As OJS swung into high gear, the four border 

states completed their command and operational 

structures. More than any other state, Arizona 

implemented distinctive measures to guarantee 

success. From the beginning, the TAG, Maj. Gen. 

David P. Rataczak, decided that OJS would be a 

truly joint venture. Three key factors drove this 

critical decision. First, NGB had desired that OJS 

be conducted as a joint mission, like most other 

Guard operations in the war on terrorism. Second, 

Arizona was the southwestern state with the most 

illegal border crossings by far, and the Border 

Patrol there was in more direct need of military 

assistance than anywhere else. Lastly, compared 

to California and Texas, Arizona had a much smaller 

Guard organization consisting of approximately 

7,400 citizen-soldiers and airmen. To satisfy the 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 35
high demands for support along the border, Arizona 

would have to commit a large percentage of its 

personnel and resources, both ARNG and ANG, and 

receive substantial joint support from the rotational 

force.

From the beginning, JTF-AZ included a 

combination of Army and Air Guard personnel as 

a means of fostering joint teamwork. However, 

establishing a smooth running joint headquarters 

was easier said than done. Despite earnest efforts 

to promote teamwork, the Army and the Air Force 

had their own unique cultures and very different 

administrative systems, especially in regard to 

missioning and fiscal matters. One of the best ways 

to implement jointness and ease interservice rivalry 

was to assign a proportional mix of Army and Air 

Guard senior officers to key command and staff 

assignments. Over time, senior staff personnel 

adapted solutions to vexing problems, and working 

together to overcome specific challenges fostered 

cooperation among all ranks. By October 2006, 

the JTF-AZ primary staff located in Phoenix and 

under the command of 34-year veteran Brig. 

Gen. Ulay Littleton was functioning as a truly joint 

organization.1

Spc. Shawn Dillon of Kansas’ Battery C, 2nd

Battalion, 130th Field Artillery, 35th Infantry 

Division, watches for illegal immigrants 

trying to cross the border from Mexico in 

2007. Kansas Army National Guard

36 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Arizona’s management of OJS missions was, 

at first, organized along specific mission sets, 

including engineering, aviation, EITs and Badges 

to the Border. However, the great distances and 

communications challenges involved in controlling 

operations from a central location in Phoenix, and 

the fact that Arizona’s portion of the border was split 

between two Border Patrol sectors, soon required 

a new approach. JTF-AZ created two subordinate 

commands in southern Arizona, TF Tucson and TF 

Yuma, to coordinate all efforts in the Tucson and 

Yuma sectors. Providing support to the border by 

geographic region proved much more effective than 

trying to control missions for the entire state from a 

distant headquarters in Phoenix. By the spring of 

2007, Arizona’s command and control apparatus 

was functioning smoothly and continued to do so for 

the remainder of OJS.2

The relatively small size of Arizona’s Guard 

organization and the acute need for support in its 

border region meant that most of the OJS rotational 

force would be deployed to the Grand Canyon State. 

In addition to committing over 1,300 of its own men 

and women to OJS, Arizona welcomed over 17,000 

citizen-soldiers and airmen as part of the rotational 

force. On average, 75 percent of the rotational force 

was ARNG and 25 percent ANG. As many as 51 of 

the 54 states and territories sent personnel. True 

Sgt. Sara Dvorak, 

a member of South 

Dakota’s 155th Engineer 

Detachment, works 

on constructing a 

vehicle barrier south of 

Columbus, New Mexico, 

in November 2006. The 

1st Infantry Division patch 

indicates she had served 

a tour of duty in Iraq. 

Staff Sgt. David Strobel

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 37
to its tradition as the Volunteer State, Tennessee 

provided over 2,200 rotational force personnel, more 

than any other state. Kentucky came in second 

with just under 1,400 volunteers. South Carolina, 

New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, 

Washington and Wisconsin provided the bulk of the 

remaining troops by deploying as many as 750 to 

over 1,000 personnel each.3

Texas implemented a vastly different 

management strategy from that used in Arizona. 

With a Guard force of nearly 21,000, Maj. Gen. 

Charles G. Rodriguez, the Texas TAG, decided to 

man OJS mostly from within and rely on limited 

rotational forces. Furthermore, OJS would remain 

primarily an ARNG operation with key support from 

the ANG and even the Texas State Guard. At the 

height of operations, OJS in Texas included 1,700 

personnel. Army and Air Guard members worked 

closely together during the entire deployment, some 

for the first time.4

The Texas-Mexico border stretched for 1,200 

miles, making Texas the state with the longest 

international boundary of all. Overall responsibility 

for OJS fell to Col. Robert I. Canon who commanded 

Joint Force Texas (JFTX) at Camp Mabry in Austin. 

Guard personnel deployed into all five Texas Border 

Patrol sectors—El Paso, Marfa, Del Rio, Laredo 

and the Rio Grande Valley. To facilitate command, 

control and operational support, the Lone Star State 

established subordinate commands within each of 

the five border sectors. Because the Border Patrol’s 

El Paso Sector included both Texas and New Mexico 

territory, the Texas Guard maintained a liaison officer 

with neighboring New Mexico to coordinate 

Guard activities.5

Drawing upon its accrued experience and 

long practice in providing military support to the 

southern border, the California Guard planned to 

predominately man OJS internally as well. At a 

An EIT site manned by an Air Guardsman 

near Nogales, Arizona, 2007. OJS Public 

Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

38 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
press conference in early June 2006, Governor 

Schwarzenegger announced the ground rules for 

his state’s participation. Instead of relying on a 

rotational force, California would draw volunteers 

from its own ranks of approximately 20,500 citizensoldiers and airmen. The 1,200 troops needed 

would serve as a duration force with individual tours 

of duty lasting between six and twelve months. They 

would be volunteers all, with no Guard members 

called involuntarily to serve on the border. The 

governor directed that the California Guard conduct 

OJS in a manner that would not detract from other 

possible contingencies including battling wildfires; 

providing relief during earthquakes and other natural 

disasters; responding to possible terrorist incidents; 

and preparing units for deployment to Afghanistan 

and Iraq.6

California’s TAG, Maj. Gen. William H. 

Wade II, moved quickly to implement Governor 

Schwarzenegger’s guidelines. The Golden State 

organized JTF Vista under the command of Col. 

Kevin Ellsworth and located it south of San Diego. 

California’s border with Mexico included the San 

Diego and El Centro Border Patrol sectors, and 

the Guard organized subordinate task forces in 

each sector. In addition, separate task forces were 

created under JTF Vista for the central management 

of engineer and aviation capabilities. Enthusiasm 

for OJS duty was high. In short order, California had 

700 volunteers ready for duty, nearly three-quarters 

of them combat veterans. Over one thousand Guard 

personnel were on the border by August 2006, a 

number that remained constant until scheduled force 

reductions more than a year later.7

New Mexico’s international boundary consisted 

of approximately half of the Border Patrol’s El Paso 

Sector. Because of his smaller Guard force and 

other pressing missions, New Mexico’s TAG, Maj. 

Gen. Kenny C. Montoya, decided to man OJS with 

a combination of his own Guard members and 

rotational troops. New Mexico established JTF Zia, 

headquartered in Las Cruces, to oversee OJS with 

most mission logistical support run from another 

installation in Deming. Over its life, seven different 

senior officers commanded JTF-Zia. New Mexico 

quickly deployed nearly 900 troops to the border and 

received additional rotational forces from Arkansas, 

Georgia, West Virginia and other states. Ultimately, 

rotational troops came from as far away as Guam. 

The Guard received a warm welcome throughout 

southern New Mexico, especially in Deming where 

crime from illegal crossers had increased to the 

point that law-abiding citizens felt threatened. In 

appreciation of the Guard’s role in helping to restore 

order, the Deming VFW hall threw open its doors to 

Guardsmen on Thanksgiving Day 2006 while many 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 39
families welcomed citizen-soldiers and airmen into 

their homes to share Thanksgiving dinner.8

The great distances of the Southwest 

significantly affected logistical support in all of 

the border states. In many cases, sustaining 

deployments from centralized JTF headquarters or 

other established state maintenance and aviation 

facilities proved impractical. As a result, the states 

established forward operating bases (FOB) much 

closer to the international boundary. In Arizona, one 

FOB was opened at the Western ARNG Aviation 

Training Site (WAATS) at Marana north of Tucson to 

support operations in the Tucson Sector. Similarly, 

another FOB was established in Yuma to support 

Guardsmen on duty there. A FOB at Camp Morena 

within miles of the border in southern California 

facilitated logistical support for the El Centro and 

San Diego Sectors. In New Mexico, a FOB sprang 

up outside of Deming to sustain that state’s portion 

of the El Paso Sector and eventually became home 

to 350 deployed personnel. Guard members easily 

adapted to the concept and operations of FOBs; 

many of them had already served at similar spartan 

bases during previous tours of duty in Afghanistan 

and Iraq.

Forward operating base 

(FOB) Border Wolf in 

Deming, New Mexico. 

Used as one of the 

staging areas for Guard 

personnel serving on 

the border, troops on 

duty in the region were 

billeted and supplied 

from facilities at the 

FOB. National Guard 

Bureau

40 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
relocating heavy equipment to the border for the 

duration of OJS, the border states contracted 

with local rental and construction 

companies for bulldozers, earth 

movers, dump trucks and other 

commercial vehicles. Contracts also 

included required maintenance and 

repairs, a proviso that lifted a heavy, 

direct logistical burden from the states. 

The Guard did send military refuelers 

and heavy equipment transporters 

(HET) to the border, but the amount of 

heavy military “green” equipment committed full-time 

to OJS was minimal.

Transporting and maintaining heavy military 

engineering equipment along the border proved 

problematic. Construction and 

repair sites were sometimes on 

rugged terrain and often remote, 

making refueling and routine 

maintenance difficult. In addition, 

the states were reluctant to 

place beyond immediate reach 

the very heavy equipment they 

might need the most to respond 

to a natural disaster or terrorist 

incident. In other cases, engineering units tagged 

for deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq would have 

to take their equipment with them. Instead of 

As early as 

the spring 

of 2007, 

Border Patrol 

statistics 

showed that 

OJS was 

having a 

significant 

impact.

Much of the heavy equipment used by Guard 

personnel in construction projects along the border 

was rented from companies such as Hertz. These 

Air Guardsmen are working on the border fence near 

Deming, New Mexico. National Guard Bureau
As early as the spring of 2007, Border 

Patrol statistics showed that OJS was having a 

significant impact. For the entire southern border, 

apprehensions had declined by 27 percent. Arrests 

of illegal immigrants had fallen by one-third only six 

months after the start of OJS. Between October 

2006 and March 2007, arrests were at their lowest 

since 2001. In the Yuma Sector, one of the busiest 

illegal crossing areas, apprehensions were down 

62 percent from the same period a year earlier. In 

the deserts surrounding Deming, New Mexico, 

apprehensions plummeted 61 percent over the same 

comparable period. The Border Patrol credited the 

plummeting crime statistics to improved fences and 

barriers, EIT sites and the return of hundreds of 

agents from administrative duties to 

border enforcement.9

In accordance with original plans, NGB 

implemented a force reduction starting in the 

summer of 2007. By mid-July, NGB recorded that 

OJS force levels had fallen from around 6,000 

to just below 4,000. Texas retained the largest 

contingent with 1,423 volunteers; California and 

Arizona maintained over 1,100 citizen-soldiers 

and airmen each; and New Mexico had nearly 700 

remaining. Overall, OJS manpower was reduced to 

3,000 by October 1, with commensurate, additional 

cuts in each state. The drawdown continued apace 

despite public calls by southwestern governors and 

legislators to keep the Guard on duty. However, the 

Border Patrol agreed with the decrease in military 

forces based on its success in recruiting new agents, 

Tucson resident Sgt. Daniel 

Lopez with the Arizona 

National Guard’s 258th

Engineering Company pulls 

fuel hoses from an M985 

Heavy Expanded Mobility 

Tactical Truck (HEMTT) 

and prepares to refuel a 

tank pump unit used to fuel 

helicopters. Sgt. Benjamin 

Cossel

42 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
declines in illegal activities and improvements in 

border sector fences, barriers and roads.10

The Common Experience 

of Citizen-Soldiers 

and Airmen

Participants in OJS were volunteers all, 

responding to the call to duty motivated by desires 

as varied as the types of jobs they were called upon 

to perform. Above all, they felt that service on the 

Southwest border was the most practical means 

of helping to defend the country during a time of 

heightened tensions due to the threats of terrorism 

and uncontrolled illegal immigration. Increased 

border security seemed the best response to 

increasing social unease at home. Other Guard 

members signed up for practical, familiar reasons: 

the search for adventure, the enjoyment of military 

camaraderie, and opportunities for increased 

pay and benefits. Economic factors may have 

influenced many decisions. Starting in 2006, a 

declining housing market and increased energy 

prices were slowing the economy, with some states 

hit harder than others. For those seeking safe 

harbor and steady employment during an economic 

downturn, a tour of duty on the border was the right 

answer. Many had already experienced lengthy 

deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq and other places, 

and an additional tour on the border was the best 

way to accrue retirement points and gain increased 

opportunities for promotions, required schooling and 

choice assignments. 

Citizen-soldiers and airmen typically performed 

one of five functions. First, they acted as part of 

the state JTFs organized to provide command, 

control, administration, transportation and logistics. 

In this capacity, Guard members were usually part 

of the duration force, serving for longer tours of 

duty. Other military personnel served within the 

four mission areas specified by DHS and CBP: 

engineers, aviation, EITs and Badges to the Border. 

For the most part, Guard personnel directly engaged 

in these missions came from the rotational force. 

Time on the border for rotational force members 

varied greatly, from as short as a week or two to 

as long as several months. Regardless of their 

individual motivation or duty assignment, all Guard 

members served in a Title 32 status.

Those serving in OJS enjoyed—some said 

endured—a wide range of housing arrangements. 

The rush to the border in the summer of 2006 

placed Guardsmen in accommodations that varied 

from stifling tents on dusty FOBs to fancy rooms 

in contracted resort hotels. When federal military 

facilities were nearby and available, OJS volunteers 

were billeted on Army posts, Marine Corps stations 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 43
and Air Force bases. Over time the housing 

situation stabilized, and the preferred method of 

billeting was contracted rooms with major hotel 

chains. Fortified with generous housing and meal 

allowances, Guard personnel enjoyed good quality 

accommodations and meals that hotels offered at 

the government per diem rate. For many towns and 

tourist destinations along the border, the infusion 

of Guardsmen pumped lots of cash into the local 

economy, and stores, restaurants and businesses of 

all types gladly welcomed military customers. 

Among those volunteering for OJS were a 

significant percentage of veterans with combat 

tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Their experience 

added greatly to the Guard’s effectiveness. 

Combat veterans were more confident of their 

own leadership skills and abilities, especially when 

confronting the ambiguity and confusion that usually 

accompanied uncertain, tense moments. They 

were comfortable with handling loaded weapons 

and trusted in their ability to follow orders and to 

communicate effectively with their superiors and 

Border Patrol agents. Veterans already acclimated 

to the extreme temperatures and terrain of 

Afghanistan and Iraq found it easier to operate in the 

environment of the Southwest.

Combat experience was perhaps most valued 

among Guard aviators. At the beginning of OJS, 

about one-third of pilots and crew chiefs were 

veterans, a number which nearly doubled over time. 

A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from Task Force Raven hovers while a cable 

used to lift vehicle barriers in place is attached underneath. Sgt. Benjamin 

Cossel

Seasoned pilots with stick time in the Middle East 

were comfortable responding to the hazards of 

extreme temperatures, high winds and sudden 

sandstorms. They were already trained and adept 

at landing and taking off in brown out conditions, 

produced when rotor wash kicked up dense plumes 

of dust that reduced visibility to near zero. Night 

reconnaissance missions along the border required 

the use of night-vision goggles (NVGs), forwardlooking infrared (FLIR) and other vision devices for 

extended periods, a condition that was common 

during night operations overseas. Standardization 

in aviation training allowed air crews from different 

flying units and states to operate together 

seamlessly and without interruption. Whether flying 

operational or administrative missions, experienced 

aviators accrued an outstanding safety record. Only 

44 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
one flight accident occurred in September 2006 

when an OH-58 helicopter struck power lines near 

Douglas, Arizona, prompting a forced landing and 

inflicting minor injuries on the Guard and Border 

Patrol personnel on board. 11 

While combat experience was certainly a plus, 

a segment of Guard veterans struggled with post 

traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The states were 

alert to exclude from OJS duty those affected by 

PTSD. 

Chaplain (Maj.) Michael Summers presides over a field worship service for 

soldiers of South Carolina’s 218th Brigade Combat Team manning EIT sites 

along the Arizona border in 2008. Sgt. Edward Balaban

However, Guard members recently returned 

from Afghanistan and Iraq who immediately 

volunteered for OJS might not display PTSD 

symptoms for several more months after coming 

home. When identified, afflicted personnel 

received appropriate treatment and counseling. In 

addition to their normal religious duties, military 

chaplains assigned to OJS acted as confidants and 

counselors, identifying PTSD victims and helping 

them to receive treatment. Most PTSD patients 

received local treatment while remaining on duty, 

and in only a few instances were they returned home 

for more extensive evaluation and treatment.

Guardsmen from across the country who had 

never been to the Southwest may have envisioned 

the region as an unusual and desolate place, filled 

with both natural wonders and native hazards. If 

so, their expectations were certainly met. For the 

uninitiated, the Southwest border contained many 

weather related surprises. One factor was constant 

throughout the region—intense summer heat. While 

the lower Rio Grande was usually green, humid 

and hot, the desert regions in California, Arizona 

and New Mexico were brown, arid and even hotter. 

No place had blistering heat like southern Arizona. 

High winds across the entire Southwest whipped up 

intense sandstorms that restricted flight operations 

and lashed troops and equipment. Midday heat 

often produced violent afternoon storms with 

powerful winds, driving rain and fierce lightning. In 

contrast, moderate temperatures in winter were 

certainly more appealing to OJS personnel than the 

cold, snow and ice of the Northeast, the Midwest 

and the upper Great Plains. 

Guardsmen took measures to protect 

themselves and their equipment from extreme 

temperatures. They downed bottled water by the 

gallon to prevent dehydration, and sunglasses were 

an essential uniform item. Outdoor physical labor 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 45
in the hottest months required steps to prevent heat 

casualties. Engineering units constructing roads, 

fences and barriers began work just after sunrise 

and ceased by early afternoon. At the same time, 

the desert at night could become uncommonly 

cool, and troops had to clothe themselves against 

temperature extremes. To many Guard veterans, 

the heat and sandstorms of the Southwest 

were even more punishing than those they had 

encountered in Iraq.

Between the Pacific coast and the Gulf of 

Mexico, the terrain varied greatly. A common 

factor was the vast open spaces. Billeting, feeding 

and sustaining large numbers of troops scattered 

throughout the region posed daunting logistical 

and transportation challenges. Billeting personnel 

close to remote work sites was impractical, even 

given the use of FOBs and local hotels. In some 

cases, Guardsmen faced trips of fifty miles or more 

Most Guard personnel 

participating in Operation 

Jump Start had to undergo 

paintball training to teach 

them how to handle 

various tactical scenarios, 

some of which could be 

life threatening. A member 

of the Massachusetts Air 

Guard defends herself 

against a possible attack. 

OJS Public Affairs Office, 

JTF-AZ
encounter; to teach the best response to tactical 

challenges; and to drive home the importance 

of following established procedures as the best 

means of handling unexpected circumstances. 

Paintball training reinforced the basics for tactical 

success along the border: maintain 360-degree 

observation at all times; keep proper distance from 

unknown individuals; identify yourself to approaching 

individuals; assess and de-escalate threatening 

situations; provide appropriate assistance when 

warranted; and most important of all, communicate 

with the Border Patrol during all situations.12

Paintball training sessions began with 

a quick review of the approved RUF, proper 

weapons handling techniques, basic radio and 

communications procedures and an overview of 

the entire training period. After drawing paintball 

rifles and protective masks, instructors divided 

Guardsmen into small teams for training. Tactical 

scenarios included incidents that had previously 

occurred along the border as well as scripted events 

of the worst case. A popular scenario included 

humanitarian assistance in which unknown persons 

approached an EIT site to request water, food or 

medical assistance. Other situations included 

reacting to an approaching unidentified vehicle; 

encountering armed drug smugglers; dealing 

with an angry rancher who no longer wanted 

in each direction while going back and forth to their 

place of duty by military truck, GSA van or rented 

commercial vehicle. As much as the open desert 

itself, arid mountain chains with high craggy peaks 

dominated the region. The military aspects of the 

terrain greatly influenced operations. Mountains 

posed a hazard to aviators, increased ground travel 

times and hampered visual observation and radio 

communications. At the same time, observation 

posts and radio relays placed on high peaks allowed 

observation and coverage of vast amounts of terrain. 

To the uninitiated, the open deserts appeared 

lifeless, but Guardsmen learned quickly that the 

exact opposite was true. The desert included its 

own unique varieties of cactus, bushes and other 

plants. It was also teeming with life, most which was 

hostile to man, if not potentially lethal. Orientation 

briefings alerted citizen-soldiers and airmen to the 

hazards of snakes, spiders, scorpions and other 

harmful insects and animals. The message was 

clear; don’t bother the wildlife, and it will not 

bother you!

A common experience for all OJS volunteers 

involved at least one day of tactical training 

using paintball equipment that prepared them 

for potentially dangerous situations along the 

border. The purpose of paintball training was to 

familiarize Guardsmen with situations they might 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 47
military personnel on his property; and providing 

assistance to vacationing Americans injured in 

a vehicle accident while touring near the border. 

Other Guardsmen served as role players during 

the various reaction drills. “This has really been 

some great training,” observed 

Senior Airman Emilio Garcia 

from New Hampshire’s 157th

Security Forces Squadron. “I 

wasn’t expecting some of the 

scenarios—they made you stop 

and think and consider all of your 

options, and there are plenty 

of options.”13

To help ensure the proper 

use of force all along the border, 

NGB distributed a copy of the 

RUF to every individual. The 

RUF was published as a tri-fold 

pamphlet on light blue paper and 

laminated for durability. A hole 

punch at the top of the pamphlet 

allowed Guardsmen to place the 

RUF on a small chain suitable for wear around the 

neck. Citizen-soldiers and airmen were to know 

the RUF by heart, but making it readily available 

on their persons further reduced the chances of an 

inappropriate use of deadly force. 

Most Guardsmen serving in the Southwest may 

have arrived with preconceived notions of illegal 

immigrants slipping across the border as individuals 

or in small groups in order to seek a better way of 

life for themselves and their families. Interspersed 

among them might have 

been the occasional criminal 

and drug trafficker, hoping to 

find better opportunities to 

enrich themselves north of the 

border. Similar views of border 

crossing activity were widely 

held by Americans, especially 

those living far from the border 

regions. Unfortunately, such 

popularly held perceptions 

were vastly different from actual 

events transpiring along 

the border.

Guardsmen soon learned 

the stark truth about illegal 

activities along the border. By 

2006, large drug cartels and 

criminal organizations in Mexico and throughout 

Latin America had asserted themselves to control 

and exploit border crossing enterprises. In 

exchange for money, organized crime bosses told 

expectant immigrants that they would guarantee 

Rules For The Use of Force (RUF) card issued 

to each Guard member participating in Operation 

Jump Start. Michael Doubler

48 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
their free and safe passage through the border zone 

and across hazardous mountain and desert regions 

without apprehension from the Border Patrol. 

Passage across the border typically cost $2,000 for 

each immigrant. However, the payment of money 

was not an ironclad guarantee of 

safe passage, and those crossing 

the border under the control of 

the armed escorts of organized 

crime were just as subject to the 

vagaries of weather, rough terrain 

and apprehension as anyone else. 

Human smugglers often herded 

groups of illegal immigrants into 

so-called “safe houses” in urban 

centers like San Diego, Phoenix 

and El Paso before releasing 

them for dispersal across America. 

Sadly, smugglers often detained 

illegals against their will and 

extorted additional money from 

relatives above and beyond the 

border crossing fee by threatening 

to kill their hostages. In other cases, smugglers 

attacked one another north of the border, hoping 

to increase their inventory of illegals in the hope of 

gaining even more extortion money. 

Another significant category of illegal activity 

was drug trafficking. Over 70 percent of the 

marijuana consumed in the United States was grown 

in Mexico, and criminals were intent on supplying 

all of America’s drug needs. Drug traffickers did 

try to sneak large caches of illegal 

substances across the border in 

vehicles, but drug cartels exploited 

the mass flow of people from south to 

north by frequently embedding drug 

carriers among those only seeking 

work. Excessive passage fees, 

extortion money and huge profits 

from drug sales fueled the engine 

of organized crime that sustained 

effective and ordered illegal border 

crossing activities. The Border Patrol 

station chief at Nogales, Arizona, 

best summed up the profit motive for 

continued mass illegal immigration 

from the perspective of organized 

crime bosses: “Illegal immigration is 

big business!”

Guardsmen had to learn a whole new set of 

terms that identified the roles and functions of 

criminal operators. The most dangerous of all were 

“coyotes,” the heavily armed agents of organized 

Arizona Operation Jump Start recruiting 

brochure issued in 2007 to increase the 

percentage of Guard members in the durational 

force. The state had these brochures printed 

and distributed to all the supporting states 

encouraging soldiers to volunteer for long-term 

duty. Michael Doubler 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 49
crime who acted as escorts for groups of illegal 

crossers. Coyotes either operated alone or in teams 

while leading illegal immigrants across the border 

and to designated release points. They were always 

heavily armed, often with automatic rifles and pistols. 

“Bandits” were the second category of dangerous 

illegals. Heavily armed, they laid in waiting along 

known infiltration routes north of the border to 

ambush other illegals entering the country. Bandits 

were intent on robbing passersby of money, jewelry 

and other valuables. “Mules” were Hispanic men 

and women who drug dealers coerced into carrying 

large bundles of illegal drugs over the border. The 

most common conveyance was a homemade burlap 

rucksack packed with as much as forty pounds of 

marijuana. Mules slipped across the border amidst 

other groups with the drugs strapped on their backs 

and then trudged for miles across deserts and 

mountains until relieved of their burden. To make 

sure the mules did not falter, drug lords plied them 

with energy inducing amphetamines and highcontent caffeine drinks, like the popular “Red Bull.” 

The Border Patrol placed the street value of a single 

burlap rucksack of marijuana at $35,000.

Guard teams working in direct support of law 

enforcement or in close proximity to the border 

fence had to understand the Border Patrol’s “border 

calculus” for apprehending illegals. In simplest 

A skywatch tower located on the banks of the Colorado 

River outside of Yuma, Arizona. Michael Doubler
terms, the Border Patrol established a direct 

relationship between the time available to conduct 

a successful apprehension and the distance illegals 

traveled from the international boundary. Border 

calculus held that the farther an illegal traveled from 

the border, the odds of a successful apprehension 

correspondingly diminished. Following this thinking, 

the Border Patrol formed a “defense in depth” 

to maximize apprehensions close to the busiest 

crossing sites. The best chances of apprehending 

law breakers was within minutes after they crossed 

the fence. The exception to this rule was in highly 

urbanized areas where illegals could quickly evade 

their captors by ducking into stores, eateries 

and side streets or by just blending in with local 

pedestrians. The Border Patrol calculated that it 

had from hours to minutes to apprehend illegal 

crossers who made it a mile or more into the interior. 

For those who made it even farther, search efforts 

became more extensive and might last for hours or 

even days.14

EIT teams were an integral part of border 

security operations, quickly becoming the Border 

Patrol’s “eyes and ears.” They provided an 

immediate improvement to border security by 

releasing Border Patrol agents from reconnaissance 

duties and moving them back into direct law 

enforcement and apprehension roles. EIT teams 

were an important force multiplier that deterred, 

detected and prevented illegal crossings. In hightraffic areas, the constant gaze of OJS EIT teams 

forced drug and human smugglers to alter their 

tactics or cease operations all together. Guardsmen 

directly relayed information to Border Patrol 

command centers and agents on the ground, guiding 

them to specific locations where illegal activity 

was observed.

The most prominent EIT sites used the high 

skywatch towers. The Border Patrol provided 

Guardsmen with training on the rudimentary 

mechanical workings of the towers and associated 

equipment. Other sites consisted of concealed, 

sandbagged observation posts covered with 

camouflage nets. Tents and Hummers were 

integrated into the layout of these sites to provide 

shelter and communications. The common uniform 

for EIT teams was the same as for combat with 

personal weapon, body armor and helmet. Fixed 

sites remained within observable range of the most 

likely crossing points while mobile sites provided 

tactical flexibility to counter alterations in illegal 

crossing and drug trafficking patterns. Guardsmen 

maintained constant observation over their 

assigned sector using binoculars, NVGs and other 

night observation scopes. They tracked a wide 

assortment of unauthorized border crossers, from a 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 51
single individual to groups as large as two hundred. 

EIT sites operated on a 24/7, 365-day basis. Teams 

usually worked a 24-hour shift with individuals 

on duty rotated frequently to prevent fatigue and 

maintain alertness. More than any other image, alert 

EIT team members scanning the border sector with 

binoculars became the popular, recognized symbol 

of the Guard’s participation in OJS.

Despite working long hours under conditions 

of extreme temperatures and weather, Guard 

members maintained a very positive attitude. They 

enjoyed performing a “real world” 

mission that helped to protect 

the country against uncontrolled 

illegal immigration and the 

possible threat of terrorism. 

Many considered it a duty and 

a privilege to help defend the 

American homeland. The Border 

Patrol and the National Guard 

were both armed and uniformed 

services with much in common. 

As a result, the two groups 

established a close rapport 

and held great respect for one 

another. While boredom can kill morale, every day 

was different on the border. Things could happen 

fast, and they usually did, especially for those 

working near the fence or keeping watch for possible 

illegal activities. “You never know when something 

is going to happen,” observed a California ARNG 

sergeant on EIT duty. “Every day is unpredictable.”15

Guard Contributions 

Along the Border

 By any measure, Arizona’s boundary with 

Mexico had, by 2006, become the central front in 

efforts to stem the flow of illegal immigration. The 

Tucson and Yuma Sectors 

experienced nearly half of 

all illegal crossings along 

the Southwest border. The 

Tucson Sector alone accounted 

for 44 percent of all illegal 

apprehensions—a staggering 

438,932 in 2005—making it the 

hottest border sector of all. By 

comparison, California’s San 

Diego Sector was the second 

busiest, with 18 percent of 

illegal apprehensions occurring 

there. Drug flows usually 

corresponded with human crossings. Nearly 50 

percent of all illegal marijuana seized along the 

Southwest border was interdicted in the Tucson 

The Border 

Patrol and the 

National Guard 

were both armed 

and uniformed 

services with much 

in common. As 

a result, the two 

groups established 

a close rapport and 

held great respect 

for one another.

52 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
TF Diamondback’s most strenuous work took 

place around Nogales in south central Arizona, a 

town that was at ground zero in the effort against 

illegal immigration. Border crossings ran high there 

because Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico, 

lie directly across from one another, separated 

only by the border fence. In addition, formidable 

border fences in southern California and western 

Arizona had increasingly pushed the migration 

flows of illegal immigrants eastward into Nogales 

and the surrounding countryside. The contiguous 

urban setting—Nogales, Arizona, consists of around 

40,000 citizens while its Mexican sister city numbers 

over 400,000—allowed illegal crossers to slip away 

into nearby businesses and narrow streets with 

reduced risk of apprehension. In addition, a large 

underground drainage tunnel connected the two 

cities. Emanating from this central subterranean 

passage was a network of smaller tunnels that 

Sector, a total of nearly 500,000 pounds in 

2005 alone.16

The National Guard rightly prioritized OJS 

manpower to the border state with the greatest 

need, and Arizona experienced a huge infusion of 

citizen-soldiers and airmen. At the peak of OJS 

in early 2007, a total of 2,734 Guardsmen from 

both the duration and rotational forces were on 

duty in the Tucson and Yuma Sectors. Arizona 

organized its Guard forces to support the priority 

mission areas identified by DHS, CBP and the 

Border Patrol. Perhaps the most significant 

work completed in Arizona was performed by TF 

Diamondback, the designation for the engineering 

group that performed near-miracles in the deserts 

and mountains along the border. The Border Patrol 

retained accountability for overall project design and 

coordination. Guard engineers took responsibility 

for the planning, supervision and implementation 

of all tactical infrastructure improvements along the 

border, including fencing, vehicle barriers, lighting 

and water wells.17 

A section of raised road west of Nogales, Arizona, was perhaps TF 

Diamondback’s greatest achievement. The entire roadbed was raised over 

eighty feet and placed atop a new, level surface for better ease of use by the 

Border Patrol. Michael Doubler
criminals had burrowed to emerge north of the 

border. Prior to Jump Start, the Border Patrol 

operated over rough, rocky access roads that 

traversed steep high hills and deep narrow ravines. 

The poor roads slowed reaction times to border 

crossings and increased the time required for 

apprehending and transporting perpetrators and 

providing emergency medical services. The extreme 

roads surrounding Nogales took a serious toll on 

patrol vehicles and posed a real safety threat 

to agents.

Just west of Nogales, TF Diamondback 

executed its most challenging construction project 

of all. After making immediate repairs to the 

runway mat fence and emplacing tetrahedron 

vehicle barriers, Guard engineers tackled the job 

of remaking the surrounding road network. In a 

prodigious effort, they filled in a series of gullies 

to construct a new access road that paralleled the 

fence line for 2.1 miles. At the most challenging 

point, bulldozers and earth movers constructed an 

80-foot high fill to support a smooth, level roadbed. 

To complete the west Nogales project, engineers 

installed guard rails and drainage ditches along 

the new stretch of road, graded and smoothed 

surrounding trails and emplaced new bollard fencing 

along the border.

Just east of the Nogales entry point, the border 

runs through an especially dense urban area 

infamous for the high number of illegal crossings. 

TF Diamondback and the Border Patrol engaged 

in a low-intensity conflict there with hostile coyotes 

A Border Patrol vehicle traverses a perilous section of the border just east of 

Nogales. It was in this vicinity that OJS engineers engaged illegal smugglers in a 

rivalry to provide security for the border. Note the steel sleeves at the base of the 

utility poles to protect them from being cut down or burned. Michael Doubler
during construction projects. The first OJS assets 

deployed into the sector were multiple EIT teams to 

detect and report illegal activities. Many crossings 

occurred under the cover of darkness, and to 

counter the method, the Border Patrol decided to 

install a network of powerful flood lights mounted 

atop high utility poles. Smugglers watching the 

lighting go up from across the fence understood 

the threat to their operations that it posed and 

pelted Guard engineers with rocks. Undeterred, 

the engineers pressed on with construction. After 

completion, aggressive coyotes slipped across the 

border in daring raids to cut power lines, damage 

lighting, cut down utility poles and even to set the 

poles ablaze. The engineers studied the problem 

and adapted a novel solution. They installed a 

polished sleeve of thick, heavy metal around the 

base of each utility pole, making them impervious 

to sabotage and impossible for coyotes to scale in 

attempts to damage lights or cut electrical cables.

Further east of Nogales, TF Diamondback 

tackled another formidable road construction project. 

A deep arroyo cut across the border there, forming a 

veritable, protected express lane for illegal crossings 

and a formidable barrier for Border Patrol agents. 

To cross the steep wash, agents had to negotiate a 

narrow, rocky road through a series of steep up-anddown switchback turns. Furthermore, water runoff 

after sudden rainstorms made the area even more 

dangerous and difficult to negotiate. 

Engineers studied the road conditions east of 

Nogales and decided to give the area a complete 

makeover, including the construction of 1.5 miles 

of all-weather highway. In another great feat of 

construction, TF Diamondback killed two birds with 

one stone. They removed the crowns of several 

nearby hills, dumped the dirt into the deep arroyo 

and built the new highway over the top of the fill 

pile. In one act of construction, engineers blocked 

a major route of illegal immigration while providing 

greatly improved mobility and safety to agents. A 

system of drainage pipes and culverts was installed 

to handle the water runoff throughout the area.

The second focus of TF Diamondback was in 

the Yuma Sector in far, western Arizona. Just west 

of Yuma, the Mexican city of San Luis hugged the 

border line. Illegal immigrants had learned to exploit 

the urban terrain and a dilapidated border fence to 

cross with near impunity. Frustrated by the difficult 

situation, the Border Patrol decided to employ OJS 

engineers to construct a near impenetrable barrier of 

improved fences, lighting and barricades. 

TF Diamondback went to work in Yuma in 

earnest, employing ARNG and ANG engineer 

units from across the nation. Over the course of 

OJS, Guardsmen constructed a formidable 15-mile 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 55
span of triple barrier fencing designed to thwart 

any type of illegal crossings. The Border Patrol 

had learned valuable lessons from previous fence 

building projects in southern California that were 

incorporated into the Yuma construction. Engineers 

first made repairs and improvements to the 

original aged runway mat fencing. Secondly, they 

constructed a parallel bollard fence some fifteen feet 

high made of sturdy but transparent meshing that 

blocked all human passage but still allowed clear 

observation through the material. Between the two 

fences the engineers cleared a wide security zone 

that offered no hiding places for border crossers 

and clear visibility for agents. A third chain link 

fence topped with barbed wire completed the main 

security barrier. In the middle of the security zone, 

the engineers erected a series of high light poles 

that stretched for miles, bathing the entire border in 

bright illumination at night.

The Colorado River and a series of irrigation 

canals that watered the massive agricultural 

efforts around Yuma and San Luis complicated 

the engineers’ task. Taking into consideration 

the multiple waterways, the Guardsmen installed 

a series of bridges and automatic gates over 

irrigation canals in ways that still provided maximum 

security while facilitating the Border Patrol’s mobility 

and access to constricted areas. Border Patrol 

statistics alone speak to the effectiveness of TF 

Diamondback’s efforts at Yuma; between April 2006 

and June 2008, illegal border crossings plummeted 

nearly 90 percent. 

OJS engineers in California, organized as TF 

Steel Castle, built on a strong record of border 

engineering accomplishments that had started in 

earnest in the 1990s. Compared to the rest of the 

states, California had already installed a fence 

along much of its southern border. However, large 

segments of the original primary fence were aged, 

battered and broken by the tsunami of illegals that 

had already surged into southern California. In 

many places, the primary fence no longer offered 
significant resistance to border crossers. TF Steel 

Castle’s main construction efforts were to build a 

new secondary fence, perform upgrades and repairs 

to the primary fence, clear a new security zone 

between the two fences, emplace vehicle barriers at 

key tactical locations and complete road repairs and 

improvements of all types. To complete these tasks, 

California relied heavily on its inventory of Air Guard 

civil engineering squadrons. TF Steel Castle’s most 

visible accomplishment was the emplacement of 

a formidable secondary fence and security zone 

that stretched westward in parallel through the San 

Diego Sector until they ended in the plunging surf at 

the Pacific coast.18

California’s JTF Vista provided the Border Patrol 

with other vital support. Aviators flew 341 agentinsertion missions to remote and inaccessible areas 

and conducted thirty-six emergency rescues. Poor 

roads, high usage and deferred maintenance had 

put almost half of the Border Patrol’s vehicles in 

the San Diego and El Centro Sectors out of action. 

Guard mechanics increased vehicle availability to 

above 90 percent, a respectable non-operational 

rate for any major vehicle fleet. EIT teams assisted 

in the seizure of nearly 40,000 pounds of marijuana, 

680 pounds of cocaine and 714 vehicles. In one 

unusual incident, an EIT team helped to stop a crime 

done southern California-style. It reported a number 

An Arizona Army Guardsman 

monitors computers at the Border 

Patrol’s Yuma Sector control 

room as part of the Badges to the 

Border initiative. The computers 

are linked to various cameras and 

sensors along the border. OJS 

Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 57
of suspicious illegals carrying three surfboards over 

the border. When the Border Patrol apprehended 

the crossers and searched them, the surfboards 

were found to be hollowed-out and packed with 

almost 500 pounds of marijuana.19 

Engineers in Texas faced a challenge during 

road maintenance and repair work in the Big Bend 

National Park, located in the far southern elbow of 

the west Texas panhandle where the Rio Grande 

makes a sharp change in its southeasterly course. 

The park is a region of varied terrain that includes 

craggy mountains, arid plateaus and narrow 

canyons and valleys as well as marshlands. 

Because of its remote location along the border and 

sparse population, Big Bend had become a favorite 

entry point for drug traffickers. The dynamics of 

the Rio Grande and difficult terrain made fence 

construction impractical, so Border Patrol agents in 

the Marfa Sector relied upon rough, primitive roads 

to patrol the area. Starting in September 2007, 

OJS engineers rebuilt and repaired border roads 

plagued by frequent washouts and strewn with large 

rocks. When they finished, the East and West River 

Roads in the Big Bend National Park were smooth, 

trafficable and open to vehicles except during 

occasional heavy rains and flash floods.20

ARNG aviation maintained a near constant 

presence along the border, perhaps nowhere better 

than in the Grand Canyon State. Arizona’s aviation 

component of OJS was designated TF Raven and 

operated primarily from the robust aviation facility 

in Phoenix. The helicopter fleet at first consisted 

of fourteen OH-58 Kiowas and three UH-60 Black 

Hawks, but the number of Black Hawks grew with 

increased mission requirements. In the first year, 

about 250 aviation personnel of all types supported 

the task force, a number that eventually declined to 

near 150 during the second year. Arizona’s reliance 

on rotational forces was reflected in TF Raven’s 

Members of Delaware’s 160th Engineer Company 

spent their three-week annual training period 

constructing steel vehicle barriers along the border 

near Deming, New Mexico, in March 2007. Spc. 

Steven Banks tightens a vise on a steel beam, 

holding it in place for his partner to weld. Delaware 

National Guard 
composition; by the end of OJS thirty-four states had 

provided either aircraft or personnel. All together 

TF Raven flew 13,200 flight hours with only one 

accident and no injuries.21

TF Raven conducted several key missions in 

support of border enforcement. One of its most 

important was observation and reconnaissance 

to detect illegal crossers and drug traffickers. A 

popular tactic was to use NVGs and FLIRs to detect 

illegal activities after dark. Search and rescue was 

another essential mission, not only in support of 

Border Patrol agents and Guardsmen, but for illegals 

in need of emergency medical care as well. Black 

Hawks also sling-loaded construction materials to 

engineers working at distant, inaccessible sites. 

Helicopters carried Border Patrol agents during 

observation missions because flight crews were 

prohibited from apprehending illegals. TF Raven’s 

observation missions produced real results by 

assisting in the apprehension of 14,000 illegal 

crossers and the seizure of 85,000 pounds of 

illicit drugs.22

Border Patrol agents always carried their own 

weapons aboard Guard aircraft, so TF Raven at 

first saw no need to arm its flight crews. However, 

during a night observation mission in May 2007, a 

Black Hawk landed near the border and dropped 

off its agent to pursue a ground apprehension. The 

pilots lifted off to return to base but soon developed 

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from Task 

Force Raven transports pieces of the Land 

Mobile Radio System being constructed on 

a mountain peak near Tucson, Arizona, on 

August 17, 2007. Sgt. Benjamin Cossel
an engine problem, making a forced landing in an area known 

for its high activity of armed smuggling. Luckily, no incident 

occurred that night, but afterwards at least one crew member 

carried a 9 mm pistol.23 

In the rugged, arid mountains of southern Arizona, high 

terrain often interfered with audio and video communications, 

thereby hindering Border Patrol operations. TF Raven 

employed its Black Hawks in a unique effort to install 

communications repeater equipment on high, inaccessible 

mountain peaks. Using cargo slings, Black Hawk crews 

lifted antennas, radio gear, and other supporting 

materials and equipment to selected 

mountaintops. Once in position, 

specialists made the equipment 

operational, providing much 

improved communications. In all, 

TF Raven installed fifty-two 

repeater antennas and 

flew another sixty-five 

lift missions to put in 

solar and microwave 

antennas.24 

The most widely 

publicized event of 

OJS resulted from an 

unexpected encounter 

between a band of “coyotes” 

and an Arizona EIT outpost. On 

Tech. Sgt. Mark 

Quinn of the 

Operation Jump 

Start Repeater 

Team scales a 

Border Patrol 

communications 

tower to conduct an 

inspection survey, 

January 18, 2007. 

Senior Airman Trish 

Harris
January 3, 2007, a four-man EIT team of Tennessee 

Guardsmen under the leadership of Sgt. Louis 

Goins was on duty near Fresnal Peak, Arizona, in 

the Sasabe District of the Tucson Sector. A band 

of 6-8 heavily armed coyotes emerged from a 

nearby ravine moving southward toward the border 

after apparently delivering either drugs or illegal 

immigrants. The two groups were on top of one 

another before anyone realized it; the surprise was 

mutual. Within seconds, both parties recovered 

from the initial shock and then leveled automatic 

weapons at one another. Recalling his orders “to 

observe and report” and to leave apprehension to 

the Border Patrol, Sergeant Goins ordered his men 

to withdraw slowly. The coyotes reciprocated and 

backed off with no hostile action taken by either side. 

Sergeant Goins called his headquarters immediately 

who in turn informed the Border Patrol. Agents 

arrived about twenty minutes later but were unable 

to locate the coyotes. For handling a potentially 

deadly situation with coolness and good judgment, 

Sergeant Goins received the Army Commendation 

Medal while other team members were awarded the 

Army Achievement Medal. All four EIT members 

were veterans of the Iraq War, and the JTF-Arizona 

commander credited their combat experience for 

allowing them to handle the threatening situation 

with restraint and good judgment.25

Sgt. Louis Goins (right) 

and two members of 

his EIT team stand in 

the area where they 

were confronted by 

armed smugglers 

on January 3, 2007. 

National Guard Bureau 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 61
The Badges Back to the Border program greatly 

assisted the Border Patrol by relieving agents of 

administrative and support duties and returning 

them to the field. National Guard personnel were 

assigned to a wide range of law enforcement 

support duties including camera and control room 

operators and intelligence analysts. Remote camera 

operators monitoring the border region from central 

control rooms advised agents of actions by illegal 

crossers and drug runners and guided them to 

the right location to make apprehensions. In one 

instance, intelligence information developed by 

Guard analysts helped the Phoenix police break up 

a long-standing human smuggling ring. Other duties 

included vehicle maintenance, equipment repair and 

servicing, electronics support, ground transportation, 

and supply and administrative assignments. In the 

Tucson Sector alone, Guardsmen allowed the return 

of 118 Border Patrol agents to law 

enforcement duties.26

One of the most dramatic examples of the 

positive impact of the Badges Back to the Border 

program in Arizona occurred at Nogales. By April 

2006, high rates of usage, deferred maintenance 

and rough roads had rendered 40 percent of the 

station’s vehicles inoperative. Agents coming 

on duty after shift briefings had to wait 60-90 

minutes for a functional vehicle to come in from 

the field before they could go out on patrol. Guard 

mechanics rolled up their sleeves, waded into the 

disrepair of the Nogales maintenance shop and 

began to turn things around. Two years later, 

only 10 percent of vehicles were unavailable due 

to needed repairs and scheduled maintenance. 

Border Patrol leaders at Nogales considered the 

vehicle maintenance repair effort the greatest 

tangible accomplishment of OJS, second only to the 

impressive work of TF Diamondback.

The Guard’s presence along the border in 

Arizona made a huge difference in many regards. 

By 2007, apprehensions in the Tucson sector had 

fallen to 378,239 for the year. This was perhaps in 

large measure to the efforts of TF Diamondback. 

Guard engineers had built nearly four miles of allweather road and performed improvements and 

maintenance on another 500 miles of secondary 

roads to improve Border Patrol responsiveness. At 

Yuma, a new formidable triple barrier fence complex 

A National Guard mechanic works on a Border Patrol truck as part of the 

Badges Back to the Border program. By relieving Border Patrol agents 

of administrative and supply functions, they were able to return to law 

enforcement duties. OJS Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

62 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
reduced illegal crossings to barely a trickle. ARNG 

and ANG engineers also emplaced vehicle barriers 

along a fifty-mile corridor to prevent illegals from 

crashing vehicles through weaker parts of the fence 

line. TF Diamondback emplaced nearly 400 utility 

poles to bring electric power and lighting to critical 

sectors. Those illegals not dissuaded by improved 

border barriers often found themselves under 

observation by EIT teams and TF Raven flight crews 

as a prelude to their apprehension. OJS staunched 

the flow of human illegals to a measurable degree, 

causing reduced revenues for criminal organizations 

and coyotes. However, the insatiable craving 

for money and drugs on both sides of the border 

resulted in much increased drug trafficking to 

compensate for the loss of proceeds. In 2007, the 

Border Patrol seized a mind-boggling amount of 

marijuana—nearly 900,000 pounds—in the Tucson 

Sector alone.27 

During the course of twenty-five months, over 

30,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen served in the 

Southwest, performing missions that helped to 

increase border security by reducing the level of 

illegal activities, improving border infrastructure 

and easing the strain on the Border Patrol. The 

full significance of their contributions can only be 

understood within the context of a broader appraisal 

of what OJS meant for the country as a whole, both 

now and in the future. 

Lt. Gen. H Steven 

Blum, Chief, National 

Guard Bureau, 

meets with Guard 

personnel near San 

Diego, California, on 

November 27, 2006. 

Staff Sgt. James 

Greenhill

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 63
MISSION 

ACCOMPLISHED!

The extensive triple fence security zone that Guard 

engineers constructed on the border between Yuma, 

Arizona, and San Luis, Mexico, was one of the great 

engineering achievements of OJS, causing illegal 

crossings in the sector to plummet sharply. Michael 

Doubler
CHAPTER FOUR

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

Well before OJS was scheduled to end in 

the summer of 2008, border state legislators and 

governors expressed alarm, calling for an extension 

of the Guard’s presence. As early as September 

2007, U.S. senators from the border states wrote 

President Bush, questioning the Guard’s withdrawal 

from the border where security was still an issue 

while so many citizen-soldiers and airmen remained 

on duty in distant Iraq. In February 2008, Governor 

Schwarzenegger wrote the president as well, asking 

him to extend OJS and pointing out that fewer than 

3,000 of the intended 6,000 Border Patrol agents 

had been added to the force since the middle of 

2006. In April, Governors Napolitano, Richardson 

and Schwarzenegger sent a joint letter to leaders 

of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives 

warning that “prematurely ending” OJS would 

“reverse the success of this mission.” 

The Property Room at the Border Patrol Headquarters in Yuma, Arizona, 

holds some of the non-drug contraband that Guard personnel assisted in 

seizing during Operation Jump Start. OJS Public Affairs Office, JTF-AZ

The governors argued that the Border Patrol 

had fallen short in its recruitment goals and that 

DHS plans for a “virtual fence” to enhance security 

through high technology applications had not 

materialized as quickly as hoped. The state chief 

executives called on congressional leaders to extend 

OJS further as the best means to preserve the 

“hard-won improvements” along the border.1

Despite the governors’ appeals, plans for ending 

OJS continued apace. By June 15, 2008, two 

years after the mission’s start, the states had all but 

terminated the active deployments of troops in the 

border sector. Thirty days later, most volunteers 

were no longer on duty. Only a remnant of the state 

JTFs remained to tend to those administrative and 

logistical details that linger at the close of any major, 

extended operation. July 15, 2008, became the 

designated end-date for OJS. 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 65
By the time OJS ended, more than 30,000 

citizen-soldiers and airmen from all 54 states and 

territories had participated. Up to 6,000 were on the 

border at any one time in the first year. As many 

as 3,000 were on duty throughout the second year 

when the numbers of personnel deployed declined 

as the Border Patrol expanded its ranks. The bystate usage of OJS participants was as follows:

Operation Jump Start Manpower Utilization

in the Border States, June 2006-July 2008

State Personnel

Arizona 17,766 

California 5,519

New Mexico 4,150

Texas 2,607

Total 30,042

(Source: NGB-J3/COG, September 8, 2008.)

Over a two-year period, National Guard men and 

women accomplished much while assigned to OJS. 

Their specific achievements were wide ranging and 

included: 

■ 176,721 illegals apprehended with National 

Guard assistance 

■ 1,116 vehicles seized

■ 316,401 pounds of marijuana and 5,224 

pounds of cocaine seized

■ 581 Border Patrol agents returned to law 

enforcement duties 

■ 102 undocumented aliens rescued 

■ 28,667 flight hours logged during aviation 

support 

■ 13 miles of road, 31 miles of fencing and 86 

miles of vehicle barriers built, and more than 

1,153 miles of road improved and repaired2

Considering all that the National Guard 

accomplished toward border security, a comment by 

the Border Patrol’s Nogales Station chief seemed 

especially apt. “They called it Operation Jump 

Start,” he observed in June 2008, “but a better name 

might have been ‘Operation Shot in the Arm’.”3

 

Operation Jump Start added another important 

addition to the National Guard’s long tradition of 

defending the American homeland against a wide 

range of threats. Its first major expedition on the 

Southwest border had occurred in 1916 when state 

troops deployed to prevent further incursions onto 

U.S. soil. At the start of both World Wars, Guard 

members had assured the public safety and restored 

confidence by providing local security at certain 

key points. 

Throughout the twentieth century, the National 

Guard had organized and implemented various 

defensive programs to protect America’s coasts, 

harbors, skies and major cities from external threats. 

The security response to the attacks of 9/11 and the 

onset of the war on terrorism added greatly to the 

Guard’s reputation as a defender of the homeland 

as state troops stood watch at the nation’s airports, 

major public events, state and federal facilities and 

points of key infrastructure. During 2006-2008, 

the National Guard once again deployed to the 

66 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
fencing; the repair of primary fencing; installation of 

security lighting systems; emplacement of vehicle 

barriers; and the construction 

and repair of vital border roads. 

Improvements in fencing will 

serve to restrict illegal crossings 

for the foreseeable future in a 

number of key border sectors. 

New and improved roads will 

make a huge difference for the 

Border Patrol in diminished 

response times to border 

intrusions, less wear and tear on 

vehicles and equipment, and decreased physical 

and mental stress on agents. OJS engineers 

Southwest Border to assuage public concerns over 

illegal immigration and possible terrorist infiltration 

by increasing security along the 

international boundary. 

Three clear legacies of OJS 

will endure long after all the 

troops have gone home. The 

first legacy is a physical one. 

The work completed by OJS 

engineers permanently altered 

the face of the border zone in 

all four border states. The key 

accomplishments were the 

construction of new primary, secondary and tertiary 

Operation Jump 

Start added 

another important 

addition to the 

National Guard’s 

long tradition 

of defending 

the American 

homeland against 

a wide range of 

threats.

A section of border fence near Yuma, Arizona, marked 

by members of Tennessee’s 134th Civil Engineering 

Squadron before they returned home to McGhee 

Tyson Air National Guard Base near Knoxville. 

Michael Doubler

A section of border fence near Yuma, Arizona, marked by 

members of Detachment 1, 200th and 201st RED HORSE 

Squadron, which includes Air Guard personnel from Ohio and 

Pennsylvania. Michael Doubler
were proud of their accomplishments, and anyone 

traveling to Yuma, Arizona, can view the large 

unit crests that Army and Air Guard engineer 

units affixed to the border fence as testimony of 

their work. Partially as a result of the engineering 

effort, the Southwest border has become the most 

technologically advanced international boundary in 

the world. 

A second legacy of OJS was that it established 

a solid precedent for joint operations in future 

homeland security missions. The ARNG and ANG 

in the past have conducted both specified and joint 

missions for homeland security during the war on 

terrorism, but no mission has reached the level of 

joint integration and sustainability as that achieved 

during OJS. Overall, the numbers of personnel 

involved included approximately 83 percent from the 

ARNG and 17 percent from the ANG. Such 

Operation Jump Start JTF Arizona “Commander’s Award For Excellence” 

coin distributed for high achievement to Guard personnel serving in 

Arizona. Michael Doubler 

statistics reflect the Air Guard’s increased 

participation in ground-based homeland security 

missions since the attacks of 9/11. Even though all 

four border states employed Army and Air Guard 

assets, no other reached the level of joint integration 

and operations achieved by Arizona. Driven by 

the desire to promote jointness and the necessity 

to place large numbers of troops in some of the 

most challenging border sectors, JTF Arizona 

advanced jointness through command advocacy, 

the assignment of key personnel and joint training. 

In doing so, Arizona established a new standard of 

jointness for future domestic contingency operations.

The third legacy of OJS was psychological; the 

increased sense of teamwork fostered between the 

National Guard and the Border Patrol. Once the two 

groups began working together extensively in the 

fall of 2006, their members quickly realized they had 

much in common. Both were armed and uniformed 

services with a structured chain of command which 

had the shared, common goal of ensuring America’s 

security. In their conversations, Border Patrol 

agents and National Guard members often shared 

the same doctrinal concepts: “common operating 

picture”, “defense in depth”, “time and space”, and 

many other familiar terms filled their professional 

language. Both the National Guard and the Border 

Patrol struck and distributed commemorative coins

68 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
The teamwork and pride in accomplishment that 

the Border Patrol and the National Guard together 

fostered throughout OJS could very well be the basis 

for increased cooperation in the future. In a very 

unique way, OJS created a reservoir of experience, 

knowledge and confidence in one another’s abilities 

among junior leaders within the Border Patrol and 

the National Guard. If the military is ever again sent 

to help secure the border, these leaders should 

be able to pick up once again where OJS left off, 

perhaps even reaching higher levels of cooperation 

and interoperability.

The Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector commemorative coin for Operation Jump 

Start that depicts the joint relationship between the National Guard and the 

Border Patrol. Michael Doubler 

in recognition of the others’ service during OJS. 

Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that a 

significant number of Guard personnel decided 

to join the Border Patrol as a result of their OJS 

deployment. Conversely, an undetermined number 

of Border Patrol agents have joined the 

National Guard. 

The many achievements 

by Guard personnel 

participating in Operation 

Jump Start were in 

some ways made 

possible because of the 

professional relationship 

they developed with 

members of the Border 

Patrol. OJS Public Affairs 

Office, JTF-AZ
OJS influenced the volunteers who participated 

in several ways. More than anything else, Guard 

men and women completed the mission with a 

sense of satisfaction in another job well done. After 

witnessing the incessant 

flow of illegal immigrants and 

drugs into the country, Guard 

members felt a great pride 

in what they had done, not 

to close the border, but to 

make it more secure. And a 

more protected border was 

the best way to prevent the 

entry of possible terrorist 

operatives into the country. 

By helping to reduce criminal 

activity and the possible 

threat of terrorism, the 

National Guard helped to 

make America a safer, more 

secure place.

Most volunteers left their assignments in the 

Southwest with increased knowledge of the region, 

especially the dangers and dynamics of illegal 

activities. A common phrase used among many 

OJS participants was that the American people 

“did not know what was going on” along the border. 

The National Guard has 

always accepted the 

challenge of educating 

the American people on 

defense matters. In effect, 

OJS produced over 30,000 

informed ambassadors 

from all across the nation 

who returned to their 

local communities armed 

with firsthand knowledge 

of the border situation. 

These Guard members 

will likely inform their 

fellow Americans as to 

the real need for border 

security, the nature of activities along the border, the 

efforts of the Border Patrol and all what the Guard 

accomplished during OJS. In this way, the National 

After witnessing the incessant flow of illegal 

immigrants and drugs into the country, Guard 

members felt a great pride in what they had done, 

not to close the border, but to make it more secure.

The Desert Sentinel was a monthly (later every two months) 

publication produced by the Arizona Operation Jump Start Public 

Affairs Office to keep the troops informed on events and important 

information. A similar publication, The Vista, was distributed in 

California. Michael Doubler

70 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Guard can help to sustain the national consensus for 

safe and secure borders. 

Freedom isn’t free, even when it comes to 

securing the nation’s borders. Three Guard 

personnel lost their lives while assigned to OJS. 

Spc. Kirsten Fike from Pennsylvania’s 28th Military 

Police Company was serving as a member of 

the rotational force when she collapsed and died 

from heat related causes near Yuma, Arizona, on 

August 10, 2006. Her untimely death was a stark 

reminder to all OJS members of the dangers of 

operating in extreme heat. When her funeral was 

held in Pennsylvania, an honor guard of Border 

Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector attended. In 

September 2006, Specialist Fike’s memory and OJS 

service were memorialized with the placement of a 

plaque in her honor at Yuma’s Armed Forces Park. 

Spc. Roxanne Gutierrez was killed in California in 

an automobile accident in September 2007. Nine 

months pregnant, both mother and child perished in 

the mishap. One unidentified Guardsman in Texas 

took his own life while assigned to OJS.4

The three national agencies primarily 

responsible for OJS held an end-of-mission 

Operation Jump Start officially ended on July 15, 2008. To mark the occasion, a ceremony was held in Washington, D.C., hosted by CBP 

Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, Border Patrol Chief David V. Aguilar, and Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau. Here 

General Blum accepts an award on behalf of the National Guard from the CBP for the outstanding work performed by the Guard in helping to 

secure the border. Staff Sgt. James Greenhill
ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Building and 

International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., 

on Friday, July 11, 2008. The presiding officials 

included Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, the head 

of CBP, David V. Aguilar, Chief of the U.S. Border 

Patrol and General Blum, the Chief, NGB. In their 

remarks, all three emphasized that the ceremony 

not only marked the official end of OJS; it defined 

the beginning of a new era of cooperation among 

their agencies and the continuation of engineering, 

counter-drug and other support missions along the 

border.5

Commissioner Basham and Chief Aguilar both 

stressed the teamwork and accomplishments that 

had become the hallmarks of OJS. “We can all 

now admit that we did, in fact, need your help,” 

Commissioner Basham said of the National Guard. 

“We needed your help desperately...to build a 

bridge [from] where we were two years ago in June 

2006 [to] where we are now.” In his comments, 

Chief Aguilar recalled the skeptics in 2006 who had 

questioned the wisdom and utility of the mission. 

Now, two years later, the same skeptics were 

acknowledging the great, positive changes that had 

occurred along the border and were questioning why 

the Guard was leaving. “Within law enforcement 

there is one word that we put a lot of weight on,” the 

Chief of the Border Patrol emphasized. “That is the 

word ‘partner’...Today I am very, very proud to use 

that word...with the National Guard as 

true partners.”6

Stepping to the podium to deliver his remarks, 

General Blum could not have missed the sea of 

blue and green uniforms that filled the hall; Air Force 

blue, Army green and Border Patrol green. The mix 

of uniform colors among the audience members 

reflected the inter-agency cooperation and joint 

operations that had become the trademarks of 

OJS. The level of joint activity and proficiency that 

the National Guard’s chief had advocated from the 

very beginning of OJS had indeed become a reality. 

General Blum observed, “If this country didn’t have 

a National Guard, we’d be scrambling to invent one 

this morning.” In his mind, OJS already stood as an 

example of military professionalism and “a model 

that future leaders will look at.”7

In many respects, OJS added greatly to the 

heritage and tradition of citizen-soldiers and airmen 

as defenders of the nation, a legacy they have 

upheld for nearly 400 years. Once again, the 

National Guard had acted as a bridging mechanism, 

stepping forward in a time of need to improvise a 

temporary security response until the government 

could provide a more permanent solution. In 2006, 

the need was enhancing the security of the nation’s 

Southwest border, a mission that the National 

72 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Guard had fulfilled two years later. As a result of 

OJS, the American people can rest assured that the 

Southwest border is more secure than ever before 

and that the National Guard remains “Always Ready, 

Always There” to provide for their security, both now 

and in the future. 
Glossary

ANG..........................................................................................................Air National Guard

ARNG ...................................................................................................Army National Guard

CBP ..............................................................................U.S Customs and Border Protection 

COG .............................................................................................Current Operations Group

CONUS......................................................................................... Continental United States

DHS.................................................................................Department of Homeland Security

DOD..................................................................................................Department of Defense

EIT .................................................................................................Entry Identification Team

FLIR....................................................................................Forward-Looking Infrared Radar

FOB ................................................................................................Forward Operating Base

GSA....................................................................................General Services Administration

HET ....................................................................................... Heavy Equipment Transporter

JOC ................................................................................................. Joint Operations Center

JFHQ .............................................................................................Joint Force Headquarters

JFTX..........................................................................................................Joint Force Texas

JTF ..............................................................................................................Joint Task Force

JTF-6 ........................................................................................................Joint Task Force-6

JTF-AZ............................................................................................Joint Task Force-Arizona

JTF-VISTA..........................................................................................Joint Task Force-Vista 

JTF-ZIA..................................................................................................Joint Task Force-Zia 

NGB.................................................................................................. National Guard Bureau

NORTHCOM ..................................................................................U.S. Northern Command

NVG....................................................................................................... Night-Vision Goggle

OJS......................................................................................................Operation Jump Start

PTSD................................................................................... Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

RSOI.............................................. Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration

RUF ............................................................................................. Rules for the Use of Force

TAG ..................................................................................................... The Adjutant General

TF .......................................................................................................................Task Force

UAV ...............................................................................................Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

WAATS .......................................................................Western ARNG Aviation Training Site 

74 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008

Notes 

Chapter One 1 War Department, Annual Report, 1912, “Report of the Chief of Coast Artillery,” 975-77.

2 Militia Bureau, Mobilization of the Organized Militia, 12, 65, 156. 

3 Ibid.

4 Jim Dan Hill, The Minute Man in Peace and War: A History of the National Guard (Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole 

Books, 1964), 237-43.

5 Ibid.

6 Ibid., 261-63; and NGB, Annual Report, 1942, 51-52.

7 Charles J. Gross, Prelude to the Total Force: The Air National Guard, 1943-1969 (Washington, DC: U.S. Air 

Force, Office of Air Force History, 1985), 98, 105; and NGB, Annual Report, 1954, 28.

8 National Guardsman, November 1974, 2-8.

9 Ibid.

10 National Guard, July 1989, 4; National Guard, August 1989, 22; and NGB, Annual Review, 1993, 27-30.

11 Joint Task Force North, “History of Joint Task Force North,” found at http://www.jtfn.northcom.mil/subpages/

history.html.

12 Mst. Sgt. Bob Haskell, “Winter Freeze Wrap-Up,” March 22, 2005 located at http://www.northcom.mil/

news/2005/032205.html.

13ARNG Directorate, “Hurricane Response After Action Review,” November 14, 2005, 15-16; and NGB, “National 

Guard Support to Hurricane Katrina,” Office of Public Affairs daily update, September 20, 2005, passim.

14 U.S. Embassy, Mexico, “Borders and Law Enforcement,” March 7, 2006. 

15 U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “U.S. Border Patrol: Protecting Our Sovereign Borders,” May 20, 2008. 

Located at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/about/history.

Chapter Two 1 Office of the Governor of the State of California, “Governor Schwarzenegger Joins U.S. Border Governors 

Calling for Congress to Tighten Border Security, Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” press release, 

August 25, 2006, 1.

2 Office of the Governor of the State of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, memorandum to Michael 

Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, July 19, 2005, 1-2; Office of the Governor of the State of Arizona, 

Governor Janet Napolitano, memorandum to Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security and Donald H. 

Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, March 7, 2006, 1-3; and Office of the Governor of the State of Texas, “Perry 

Signs MOU to Authorize National Guard Troops on Border,” press release, June 2, 2006, 1-2. 

3 White House, “President Bush Addresses the Nation on Immigration Reform,” press release, May 15, 2006, 

passim. 

4 Ibid.

5 Ibid.

6 Sgt. Sara Wood, American Forces Press Service, “Guard Support at Border Not New Concept, Officials Say,” 

May 16, 2006, 1-2.

7 DHS, “U.S. Department of Homeland Security Implementation Plan: Operation Jump Start,” memorandum, May 

21, 2006, 3.

8 Ibid.

9 Mr. George Brock, NGB J-5, telephonic interview with the author, July 15, 2008. Mr. Brock served as the first

chief of the NGB OJS COG starting in May 2006.

76 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
10 NGB, “Support to the Southwest Border,” information briefing, May 20, 2006, passim.

11 Ibid., 5; and JTF-Arizona, “Operation Jump Start-Arizona,” information briefing, January 2008, 5.

12 NGB, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, memorandum for Director, NGB Joint Staff; Director, Army National Guard; 

Director, Air National Guard; the Adjutants General of All States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 

and the Commanding General of the District of Columbia, “SUBJECT: Initial Guidance for Southwest Border 

(SWB) Support,” May 19, 2006, 1; and NGB, “Operation Jump Start Regional Rules for the Use of Force (RUF),” 

command information pamphlet, n.d., passim. 

13 NGB, “Support to the Southwest Border,” 4.

14 DOD, “Memorandum of Agreement Between the State of Arizona, the State of California, the State of New 

Mexico, the State of Texas and the Department of Defense—Operation Jump Start,” June 2, 2006, 1-2.

15 NGB, On Guard, “Significant Operation Jump Start Events,” October 2006, 11. On Guard is the main command 

information publication of NGB Public Affairs.

16 CBP, “Frontline News,” press release, July 28, 2006, 1.

17 NGB, On Guard, “Significant Operation Jump Start Events,” October 2006, 11.

18The White House, “President Bush Discusses Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Texas,” press release, 

August 3, 2006, 1-5.

Chapter Three 1 Maj. David M. Church, Commander, TF Tucson, Arizona National Guard, “Looking Back on OJS,” January 19, 

2008, passim. Major Church completed this insightful paper in partial requirements of the Naval Postgraduate 

Homeland Security/Homeland Defense Master’s Certificate Program. 

2 Ibid.

3 “Operation Jump Start-Arizona,” 7.

4 Texas National Guard, “Leaders Focus on Operation Jump Start in Texas,” The Dispatch, July 2006, 1-2. 

5 Ibid.

6 Office of the Governor of the State of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Transcript of Governor 

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Remarks Regarding Plans to Deploy National Guard Troops to the Border,” press 

release, June 1, 2006, 1-4.

7 California National Guard, JTF Vista, Office of Public Affairs, “Operation Jump Start,” press release, September 

23, 2006, 1-3; and California National Guard, JTF Vista, Office of Public Affairs, “California Guard Deploys for 

Operation Jump Start on a Fast Track,” press release, September 2006, 1-2. 

8 Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service, “Guard Chief Joins Border Patrol in Praising Operation Jump 

Start Troops,” December 1, 2006, 1-3; and New Mexico National Guard, Office of Public Affairs, “Chavez Takes 

Command of JTF-Zia, Border Wolf,” New Mexico Minuteman, Spring 2008, 18. 

9 United Press International, “U.S.-Mexico Border Arrests Down 30 Percent,” March 10, 2007, 1; Faye Bowers, 

The Christian Science Monitor, “On U.S.-Mexico Border, Illegal Crossings Drop,” February 16, 2007, passim; 

and Tucson Citizen, “Illegal Crossings in New Mexico Down With Help From the National Guard,” June 27, 

2007, 1-2.

10Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “3,000 Guard Troops Being Cut From Border,” September 20, 2007, passim; and 

NGB, NGB-J3 COG, “National Guard Military Support Operations on the Southwest Border: Supported States 

Report,” daily situation report, July 16, 2007, 1. 

11 The Bisbee Daily, “Guard Copter Crashes Near Douglas,” September 22, 2006, A1, A12.

12Arizona NG, JTF-AZ, “Preparing with Paintballs,” Desert Sentinel, March-April 2007, 6; and Arizona NG, JTFAZ, “Paintball Training Prepares EIT Guardsmen,” Desert Sentinel, January 2008, 10-11. 

13 Ibid.

14 CBP, “Border Enforcement Operations in the Tucson Sector,” information briefing, June 3, 2008, 9. 

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 77
15 NGB, Office of Public Affairs, Sgt. 1st Class Gordon Hyde, “Operation Jump Start-California,” DVD presentation, 

n.d.

16 “Border Enforcement Operations in the Tucson Sector,” 4. 

17 Ibid., 7, 8; and “Operation Jump Start—Tucson Sector,” 15. In addition, many of the details regarding the 

operations of TF Diamondback in the Tucson and Yuma Sectors were provided to the author during on-site 

interviews with JTF-Arizona, TFs Tucson and Yuma, and Tucson and Yuma Sector Border Patrol leaders during 

an official tour of the region, June 3-4, 2008. All information on TF Diamondback comes from these interviews, 

unless otherwise noted. 

18 California National Guard, JTF Vista, Office of Public Affairs, “Operation Jump Start: Mission Backgrounder,” 

information paper, January 5, 2008, 1-3. 

19 Ibid.

20Texas National Guard, JFTX, Engineer Cell, “Big Bend National Park River Road Project,” decision briefing, 

September 2007, passim. 

21 Maj. Perry Jones, TF Raven S-3, interviewed by Mr. John Listman, NGB contract historian, Phoenix, Arizona, 

June 3, 2008. 

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid.

24 “Operation Jump Start—Tucson Sector,” 12-14.

25 Col. Robert Centner, Commander, JTF-Arizona, interviewed by Mr. John Listman, NGB contract historian, 

Phoenix, Arizona, June 3, 2008, 2.; and NGB, Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill and Staff Sgt. Rebecca Doucette, On

Guard, “Exceptional Judgment,” March 2007, 1, 10.

26 “Operation Jump Start—Tucson Sector,” Charts 3-9. 

27 “Operation Jump Start: Tucson Sector,” 15, and “Border Enforcement Operations in the Tucson Sector,”6

Chapter Four 1 Associated Press, “Senators Ask Bush: Keep Guard on Border,” September 25, 2007; and Office of the 

Governor of the State of California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Governors of California, Arizona and 

New Mexico Urge Extension of Operation Jump Start,” press release, April 22, 2008, 1-2.

2 Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill, NGB, On Guard, “National Guard, Border Patrol Celebrate Continuing Partnership,” 

August 2008, 1, 5; and NGB-J3/COG, OJS information update, September 8, 2008. 

3 Key comments from Border Patrol personnel were recorded during interviews with the author, Nogales, Arizona, 

June 3, 2008.

4 The Yuma Sun, “Guard Member Remembered With Plaque,” September 8, 2006, 1; and California National 

Guard, Office of Public Affairs, telephonic interview with Mr. Tom Koch conducted by Mr. John Listman, NGB 

contract historian, August 20, 2008. 

5 “National Guard, Border Patrol Celebrate Continuing Partnership,” passim. 

6 Ibid.

7 Ibid.

78 Operation Jump Start 2006-2008
Appendix- State Participation in Operation Jump Start

STATE Arizona California New Mexico Texas State Total by ServiceState Cummulative Total

Alabama 13 42 2 37 7 22 79 101

Alaska 401 8 38 4 439 12 451

Arizona 1181 204 57 4 1238 208 1446

Arkansas 51 133 426 18 130 607 151 758

California 1 1 2109 332 2110 333 2443

Colorado 72 49 4 1 3 28 1 1 80 79 159

Connecticut 63 24 8 63 32 95

Delaware 148 58 72 220 58 278

District of Columbia 167 9 167 9 176

Florida 138 37 3 1 7 3 145 44 189

Georgia 13 20 1 275 22 288 43 331

Guam 88 96 132 17 220 113 333

Hawaii 226 20 100 1 326 21 347

Idaho 16 40 45 2 9 61 51 112

Illinois 77 138 296 1 11 373 150 523

Indiana 52 51 320 97 1 14 373 162 535

Iowa 68 44 2 44 70 114

Kansas 41 210 58 1 3 8 102 219 321

Kentucky 1200 198 1 12 1 1202 210 1412

Louisana 3 1 1 10 11 4 15

Maine 254 19 100 11 354 30 384

Maryland 121 39 210 86 8 4 339 129 468

Massachusetts 497 46 1 3 498 49 547

Michigan 147 74 115 2 1 24 4 267 100 367

Minnesota 2 120 2 226 20 228 142 370

Mississippi 3 1 2 30 31 5 36

Missouri 31 103 1 40 3 16 1 36 159 195

Montana 99 17 1 352 36 452 53 505

Nebraska 94 18 145 75 4 314 22 336

Nevada 85 33 6 48 7 91 88 179

New Hampshire 49 84 50 3 99 87 186

New Jersey 84 120 46 120 130 250

New Mexico 1 1 357 114 358 115 473

New York 944 75 29 2 22 1 947 126 1073

North Carolina 704 48 1 19 10 715 67 782

North Dakota 278 25 18 296 25 321

Ohio 1 314 1 1 3 13 5 10 328 338

Oklahoma 2 34 593 25 259 15 854 74 928

Oregon 261 134 12 7 273 141 414

Pennsylvania 529 261 47 50 3 15 1 580 326 906

Puerto Rico 406 406 0 406

Rhode Island 528 9 112 1 24 641 33 674

South Carolina 1026 3 3 1026 6 1032

South Dakota 131 10 45 169 7 300 62 362

Tennessee 2154 47 36 1 15 23 2178 98 2276

Texas 4 41 5 2210 169 2219 210 2429

U.S. Virgin Islands 88 6 213 301 6 307

Utah 91 8 1 4 92 12 104

Vermont 216 26 45 14 216 85 301

Virginia 704 51 1 4 1 5 706 60 766

Washington 663 125 27 10 690 135 825

West Virginia 93 1 228 17 229 110 339

Wisconsin 857 102 1 10 858 112 970

Wyoming 17 34 3 34 20 54

Total Army 14337 4624 3451 2437 24849

Total Air 3429 895 699 170 5193

Totals 17766 5519 4150 2607 30042 30042

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 79
Appendix- Map 
Dr. Michael D. Doubler is a nationally recognized 

expert on the history of America’s citizen-soldiers. He 

served twenty-three years on active duty as a Regular 

Army and full-time Army National Guard officer. He is 

a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 

New York, and holds a doctorate degree in military 

history from The Ohio State University. He was 

assigned to the National Guard Bureau in Washington, 

D.C., from 1988 to 2000, serving as a staff officer 

and as a speechwriter for the Chief, National Guard 

Bureau. His service as a full-time Army National 

Guard officer began in 1991 and was completed with 

his retirement in 2000. Since then, he has headed 

Doubler Enterprises, a writing and research firm 

located in Washington, D.C. 

Mike Doubler previously authored Closing With 

the Enemy: How GIs Fought the War in Europe, 

1944-1945, which is included on the Chief of Staff 

of the Army’s professional reading list. He is also 

the author of Civilian in Peace, Soldier in War: The 

Army National Guard, 1636-2000, which has been 

hailed as the definitive history of the Army Guard. His 

latest book —The National Guard and Reserve: A 

Reference Handbook—is an entry in the respected 

Praeger Security International series. At present, he 

is completing an official history of the National Guard’s 

involvement to date in the war in Iraq. Colonel 

Doubler has appeared on several national radio and 

television news venues. Here he is seen surveying 

the Southwest border from an Army National Guard 

Black Hawk helicopter during on-site research for the 

present work. 

About the Author

The National Guard on the Southwest Border 81