Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon and Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, talk before addressing about 1,800 Guard members attending the 39th Annual Conference of the Enlisted Association of the National Guard of the United States in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 8, 2010. The National Guard is an essential element of overseas mission success, the governor said. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill) (Released)