http://www.whptv.com/news/local/story.a ... 48afb04c11

Patrolling the border
Feb 13, 2007

More than 100 of Pennsylvania's National Guardsmen and women are waking up at home this morning. They're back from a month spent patrolling the Arizona-Mexico border.

“This is gonna be the last time we're gonna have everybody together like this 'cause we're gonna start getting ya'll out of here so you can go home.”
A final formation for 105 members of both the Army and Air National Guard in the light of a Pennsylvania sun, seemingly a world away from what they're used to.

“Not many trees down there.”
"Down there" is along a six mile stretch of the U.S.- Mexico border, in Yuma, Arizona.

Spc. Ryan Noyes:
“We served as essentially the eyes and ears of that stretch of border.”

For about a month, these citizen soldiers assisted border patrol agents in spotting "UDA's" or undocumented aliens crossing the border.

MSgt. David Austin:
“It seemed like if we weren't there, folks would just be coming across in droves.”

From above and from the ground these men and women made about 160 separate sightings, three quarters of which led border patrol agents directly to the illegals.

Col. Roger Turk:
“In the words of the Border Patrol, they couldn't have done their jobs without us down there helping them out.”

Each and every guard member we spoke with appeared to really enjoy their time in Arizona. They described it as fun, that they ate well and slept in hotels. In fact, the Pennsylvania National Guard will return to the border next month, and as evidence of how much they enjoyed it, about half of these same people have volunteered to go back.