Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.

The Trump administration’s obsession with sending National Guard troops hither and yon brings back memories of the time I spent as a member of a mobilized Guard unit.

It was 63 years ago on Sept. 30, and yes, it did coincide with the admission of James Meredith as the first Black student at the University of Mississippi. I was a senior journalism student at Ole Miss and a part-time reporter for The Oxford Eagle. I also had another part-time job as a member of the Mississippi National Guard, one I had held since high school.

All three came together in the last week of Septembe

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