A couple of items related to funding the Guards & the Reserves and veterans' care just came to our attention.
Recently, a friend had shown us pictures from her tour of duty in Iraq; her National Guard unit had fitted her Hummer with "Hillbilly" up-armor. A distressing sight: too many of the soldiers in the unit ended up going through Walter Reed for treatment of injuries.
Thus, when we read something like the Associated Press report below, it's not entirely surprising, though no less outrageous. In Reserves Need Better Resources and Planning Role, Panel Says , we read:
The National Guard and Reserves do not get enough money or equipment and are left out of important planning for national emergencies, an independent panel concluded Thursday, long after the Iraq war and Hurricane Katrina exposed serious stresses on the services.
The report, from the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves, reinforces earlier criticism of the Bush administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf Coast in August 2005. The 151-page report found a significant lack of communication between reserve officials and other military leaders, the Homeland Security Department and United States Northern Command, which is responsible for the military’s national defense.
Guard and reserve troops have been under increasing strain since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, serving in Afghanistan and Iraq while also patrolling the border with Mexico and responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters. At times in 2005, the part-time soldiers made up nearly half of the American forces in Iraq, with some facing repeated deployments.
At the same time, Guard units have struggled to get the equipment and training needed to go to war, often swapping armored trucks, radios and other equipment between the states to meet battle and disaster requirements. The report said 88 percent of the Army National Guard units in the United States are considered poorly equipped. . . .
In its print edition, the Mankato Free Press has published an interesting comparison of Representative Walz and Senator Coleman's views on veterans' care.
Download the article here: Download vetscaremfp.pdf
Comments