Who protected Americans before the army, navy, and air force? The National Guard is the oldest U.S. military branch. Readers find out what it takes to train and acquire the skills needed to be a guard member. Action-packed photos of real occurrences and interesting facts allow students to analyze and determine the meaning of the text. This title also provides practice in determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings, and analyzing the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.