Martin,

Starting at your local unit, get to know your National Guard folks as far up the chain as you can. (Assuming they are not deployed.)

You already know you will be working with them in the future, right? Go the official route through the chain of command, and then notice who the full time NG guys are. The full timers are the ones who make stuff happen daily.

Next go the unofficial route. Watch for the guys who have been around for some time and seem to know how to make the "system within the system" work (Usually E-6 and above). These are the fellows who are going to be able to get you what you want/need when the official system says it isn't available.

Trust me on this one, I was one of the head "unofficial" fellows in another life and made call-outs for many natural disasters (tornados/floods) and the Oklahoma City Bombing.