Vote 'yes' on Amendment 5

On Nov. 8, the citizens of Missouri are going to vote on Constitutional Amendment No. 5: "Shall the Missouri National Guard, currently under the Missouri Department of Public Safety, be its own department, known as the Missouri Department of the National Guard, ..."

The Missouri National Guard is very important to Missouri and to our national defense. It has a dual mission and answers to both President Joe Biden and Gov. Mike Parson.

The state mission is to provide trained and disciplined forces for domestic emergencies or as otherwise required by state law under the authority of the governor.

The federal mission is to maintain properly trained and equipped units for prompt mobilization for war, national emergency, or as otherwise directed by the president.

Missouri National Guard members must always be ready for any mission from the president, including peacekeeping missions and overseas contingency operations. The National Guard is currently under the Department of Public Safety, along with seven other organizations.

Its missions make it too important to subordinate it to the Department of Public Safety. Forty-eight other states have moved their National Guard to a distinctly separate department, reporting directly to their governors. We need to do the same.

Please vote "YES" on Amendment No. 5.

JERRY ELDER, 25-year USAF veteran,

Bloomfield, Missouri