Who's Paying The Biggest Price Now For Our War In Iraq? Our National Guard.

Between now and the end of President George Bush's term in office on January 20, 2009, almost half of the Soldiers scheduled to deploy to Iraq are members of our National Guard. Never before in the history of our all-volunteer military have we relied so heavily on the National Guard for such a long period of time to serve overseas.

Never.

Over the past six plus years, we have sent over 260,000 members of our National Guard to Iraq and Afghanistan and while the focus and heated debate in Washington may have turned away from Iraq, every day, we are sending more and more members of the National Guard overseas.

So what does this mean? Well, even if you believe that recently we have seen signs of success in Iraq, the cost of maintaining current troops levels is simply too high -- we can not continue to use our National Guard in this manner without devastating consequences for our first-responder ability and for members of the National Guard, their families and their communities.

Recently, a team of staff members from Veterans for America spent days crisscrossing New Jersey, speaking to members of the National Guard and their families. The stories and statistics we heard prompted us to take a deeper look at what is happening across the country with the National Guard, and it truly is shocking.

We created an entire report on the upcoming deployment of National Guard troops and it is right on the front page of our web site, www.veteransforamerica.org -- here are some of the most important things I want you know.

- Almost half of the troops headed to Iraq from now to January 20, 2009 are members of the National Guard.
- More than half of these units will be on their second tour of Iraq.
- At least 35 states have deployed more National Guard to Iraq and Afghanistan than to any war since World War II.
- Over the next few months, Hawaii, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington will deploy a combined total of almost 20,000 National Guard troops.
- Beginning next spring, Pennsylvania and Texas are scheduled to deploy more members of their National Guard and Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont and Wisconsin will deploy large portions of their National Guards.

From coast to coast, literally in every part of our country, our National Guard will be heading over to Iraq in staggering numbers. What is especially concerning to me is that the Department Of Defense found that members of the National Guard are 25% more likely to suffer from combat-related psychological wounds than members of active-duty Army. Clearly, our Guard members are not getting the support they need. The first step our country should take to limit the damage already done is to stop deploying them in such high numbers.

Our overreliance on our National Guard is another wake-up call to our elected officials, and one we should not let them sleep through. The sacrifices we are demanding from our Guard, and their families, are simply too much. We can't maintain this level of Guard deployments -- it is another cost of the war, and another cost that is too great for our country to bear.

Comments

[CalGoldenBear]

Mr. Muller:

I don't know if, after your return from SVN, anyone bothered to tell you, "thank you for your service and welcome home."

It's been my practice for several years now when I'm at the exchange, commissary or food court at Hickam AFB or Pearl Harbor to stop soldiers with a "combat patch" on their ACU's right shoulder and tell them, "Welcome home." I started doing that several years ago, remembering stories about Vietnam returnees who got little or nothing in the way of a welcome home. I'd do the same for members of the other four armed services, but I can't tell from their fatigues who has been to either Iraq or Afghanistan or perhaps both.

That having been said, it's the National Guard AND the Army Reserve that is paying a big price. My next door neighbor is the CO (LTC) of the USAR's 100th Bn, 442nd Inf., and will be going back to Iraq in a couple of months. Only a year or so ago, as a major, he came back from Iraq. In addition, my old Reserve unit, the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade came back from Iraq around the same time, and had 6 KIA and 23 WIA during their year in-country.

So yes, remember the National Guard, but remember the Army Reservists as well.

[jrockbg]

My politics support the Iraq war and the president, in most cases. But as a member of the National Guard I must say this posting is all true. We Guardsmen and women are undertaking a burden that the Guard was never designed for.

I would say this is hardly a case for ending the war. About the only thing I agree with Rumsfeld on is that we "go to war with the army we have." We're soldiers, it's what we do. We know that unusual demands can be placed on us at any time. It's just part of the deal. I remember being in Iraq in 2005 with Mississipi Guard soldiers when Katrina hit. I felt so bad for them. As crushed as many of them were I was amazed at their focus on the mission.

I joined pre-9/11. It was different then being in the Guard then. Weekend drills were more organized. We trained with guys we knew. Now part of a unit is deployed and the other part is a skeleton contingent getting in new recruits back home. We end up having two separate entities almost in one Guard unit. It's like spending one weekend a month with strangers sometimes. Not to mention units now get shifted, and consolidated due to increased turnover.soon.

I would say that this issue, along with the VA's inability to meet wartime demands to care for vets are definitely mistakes of Rumsfeld and Bush.

[westwind]

Who's Paying The Biggest Price Now For Our War In Iraq?

The dead, maimed, bereaved and displaced people of Iraq would no doubt dispute your assertion that our National Guard are paying the biggest price for this war.

[Maxual]

Thanks for bringing attention to this, Bobby. This war is being sustained by troops that weren't meant to be fighting for long periods in this manner.

[hopeless277]

Support the troops. Keep 'em in Iraq forever.