Anti-war activists kicked off a statewide petition drive Monday that calls for the return of New Jersey's National Guard troops, and they hope Gov. Jon Corzine will listen.

New Jersey Peace Action took to the streets of Newark to gather signatures. The group feels the troops have been used and abused.

Vietnam veteran Ken Dalton, who is a member of Veterans for Peace, feels the deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan also leave New Jersey vulnerable. "You could have a disaster like a hurricane where you need [the] National Guard," Dalton said. "If they're deployed in Iraq, what do we do?"

The activists hope to deliver their petition to Corzine by March 31. In the meantime, they plan to make plenty of phone calls to rally support.