WASHINGTON - The chief of the National Guard Bureau is hosting his first-ever Facebook town hall meeting on the National Guard's 377th birthday this week.
People can submit questions in the comments section on Army Gen. Frank Grass's Facebook page or vote for questions they want answered during the session by "liking" them. The live, online meeting starts Dec. 13 at 11:30 a.m. EST. General Grass will answer questions from his Pentagon office.
"Social media has given us a variety of exciting new ways to share ideas," said Grass, who sees the virtual town hall as a way to take the military's traditional town hall format online and to a wider audience. There have been almost 1 million views of the general's posts on his official Facebook page this calendar year.
"During challenging times such as the ongoing sequestration, budget discussions and the government shutdown and furloughs earlier this year, social media has proven to be a highly effective tool in informing and interacting with the force and with the wider public," Grass said.
Grass said that he likes the ability of social media to reach a worldwide audience - including Guard members in all 54 states and territories and the District of Columbia and those deployed in multiple locations overseas. He is taking advance questions in order to maximize the reach of his town hall.
"I'm looking forward to adding to our National Guard birthday celebration with this event," he said. "When we formed at the First Muster in 1636, we had plows, muskets and hand-written, slow-moving communications. In the 21st century, the National Guard is still a force of men and women who set down the tools of their civilian careers when their state or nation calls. Today, when they don the uniform, they are the best-trained, best-equipped, most professional force in our history."