The National Guard is older than the United States. The forerunner of the Guard began in 1636 when ordinary people formed militias to defend their communities, towns and families.

Fast forward to 2020.

National Guard duty still involves helping local communities respond to floods, snowstorms and other emergency situations, but today it also includes conducting overseas combat missions and humanitarian assistance.

Most people know somebody who serves in the National Guard.

But what is really known about these part-time servicemen and women and their families?

Kevin Dellicker, a 25-year veteran of the National Guard, knows quite a bit.

The Heidelberg Township resident and his wife, Susan, have released a book on their experiences called “20 Percent Soldiers — Our Secret Life in the National Guard.”

The book takes readers inside the life of a part-time reservist and the impact of serving has on his or her family.

The account is written from the perspective of a military wife supporting her family at home and a Guardsman conducting special operations overseas. As in a movie, scenes in the book jump back and forth between military duties and civilian life.

Page after page, chapter after chapter, a central theme emerges gradually — the Dellickers occupy a complicated space somewhere between military and civilian life — without truly feeling at home in either.

“To most of our neighbors, we are typical civilians,” Susan Dellicker said. “We own a small business and work regular jobs. But we live a secret life, too.”

Susan, who studied in Europe as a Fulbright Scholar, earned a Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati and taught English at a school in the former East Germany.

She helped raise three boys with husband, Kevin, under those circumstances.

That secret life comes alive in the book’s pages.

Together, the Dellickers supported four overseas deployments, 10 stateside missions, 22 formal schools, 24 training exercises and 1,549 days on orders.

“Through it all, we’ve been on some kind of military status for just about 20 percent of our life together,” Kevin noted.

Reservists wear the same uniforms and train to the same standards as America’s full-time military.

“Nobody knows the difference,” Kevin said. “Yet, they are very different.”

Readers receive an up-close and personal look at that difference.

The military stories, of course, are there.

Kevin’s stories pull no punches, ask for no quarter and receive none.

But the book offers a unique perspective into the life of a citizen-soldier and the impact it can have on their families.

“It’s a part-time job with a full-time commitment,” Kevin said. “Most reservists live in communities far away from military bases.

“Many do not have access to the same family support resources as the full-time force.

“Perhaps this book will inspire a policymaker to fix this problem and provide Guard and Reserve families the resources they deserve.”

Sometimes forgotten, other times ignored, often misunderstood, some families have few options.

“We want other National Guard families to know they are not alone,” Susan said.

The couple noted reasons for writing the book.

First, to reassure other part-time soldiers and their families they still can survive and thrive, even in a state of perpetual war.

Second, they hope the book enlightens others what the National Guard does and why they do it.

The men and women of the National Guard don’t play Army “dress up” once a month. Rather, they have a unique responsibility for homeland defense and a critical role in overseas missions.

And finally, the couple wants to raise awareness of the family support challenges to the part-time force.

The couple plans on donating 100 percent of their net proceeds from the book to related charities.