Texas National Guard Streched Thin; Rep. Green Says Guard Needs New Vehicles
Houston’s KHOU-TV has a story on the Texas National Guard being streched thin, with some comments from Congressman Gene Green (D-Houston):
The Texas National Guard is the home-front force called out in times of disasters, like hurricanes.
But like never before, thousands of Guardsmen are instead being sent overseas to fight in Iraq.
And that is having an impact back here in Houston.
Is too much being asked of the Guard and its equipment?
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But there is concern that the war in Iraq has left the Guard ill-prepared to handle future emergencies at home because while its soldiers may have returned, some of their equipment has not.
One place the National Guard stockpiles equipment and vehicles is at an armory off Westheimer in far west Harris County.
Should disaster strike, would there be enough equipment here to respond? Or has too much been left behind in Iraq?”
In a report last fall to Congress, investigators found that National Guard units have left behind over $1 billion worth of trucks, Humvees and other equipment.
As a result, the report said National Guard units now back home are showing signs of increased stress and that it may be more difficult for the Guard to respond to homeland security and disaster response missions.
…
“I want to make sure they have those vehicles as quick as we can, by June 1st when our hurricane season starts,” said Houston Congressman Gene GreenGreen said the Guard deserves not its old vehicles back from Iraq, but new ones.
“If you beat it up for a year and you get shot and maybe even shrapnel, its not always the best equipment to have back home,” he said.
…
“We need to make sure we have the basics that you have to have run an army on, a military unit, and we’re not doing that as well,” said Congressman Gene Green.
And the longer its resources are stretched thin, the greater the impact on its ability to train for and handle crises here at home.
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