President. the Florida National Guard is back on emergency duty. this time protecting life and property in Miami. Fla. The Florida Guard earlier this month had just completed 16 days of active duty in Key West and again in Miami. helping to keep order while more than 68.000 refugees have landed in our State from Cuba. Keeping the peace is certainly nothing new for these citizen soldiers. 2.240 were on emergency active duty for 23 days last year. helping out when hurricanes hit and during the truckers strike. In 1980. 5.733 members of the Guard have so far spent a total of 22 days on emergency duty during the Cuban situation and the Miami civil disorder. I talked with many of these guardsmen 2 weeks ago during a visit to Key West. I arrived there in the predawn hours and watched as Florida guardsmen helped Cuban refugees from their boats and then through processing and holding centers. I visited later in the day with other guardsmen in Miami where Cuban refugees were being processed for release into the community. Everywhere I went I found the guardsmen to be cooperative and eventempered as they went about the trying duty of maintaining order. - The superb training these guardsmen have received was evident during that. and subsequent. calls to active duty. Indeed. the Cuban situation was eased somewhat because many of our Florida guardsmen are bilingual. speaking both Spanish and English.
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refugees