Profile: Maj. Gen. John A. "Andy" Love '67

Modern-day Minuteman

For Maj. Gen. John A. "Andy" Love '67, the Minuteman statue, the emblem of the National Guard, embodies the ideal of the citizen-soldier. His opinion is tempered by experience - he's from the Vietnam War generation.

Like many of his contemporaries, Love had to plan for military service or face the draft. He enlisted in the Colorado Air National Guard before he graduated from CC and eventually became a fighter pilot. He has served for 30 years, logging more than 2,500 hours of flight time. In civilian life, he established a successful commercial real estate company.

Now Love has been recalled to active duty. He is working full time at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, as the National Guard assistant to the commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), created to defend North America.

"It is the first military command with the exclusive responsibility of protecting the homeland since George Washington commanded the Continental Army," Love says.

He explains that the '60s anti-Vietnam War sentiment confirmed our Founding Fathers' fears. "They believed that if they didn't have farmers as soldiers, from everywhere, touching the rest of the citizenry, they ran the risk of committing the military to something the country didn't support.

"We are asking the National Guard to be Minutemen again," Love says. "Two hundred thousand reserves are mobilized now to fight the war on terrorism, a significant taking from the communities of America."

The Minutemen, the farmers who stood up to the British when the Revolutionary War broke out, were ordinary people joining together to defend their country, then disbanding and going back to their lives. Love is an example of the genius of this idea, and his new work will further define the role of the National Guard in the days ahead.

—Mary Ellen Davis '73