Opinion: Guard members should not be political pawns, Beto O'Rourke says
Terrible news came to light last week that four Texas National Guardsmen who’d been activated for Operation Lone Star have committed suicide since October, increasing concerns about the role and treatment of troops who’ve been deployed to the border through rushed, involuntary, and indefinite deployments.
The news of the suicides broke the day before Christmas Eve, as thousands of soldiers remained at the border away from their homes and families — sleeping in truck trailers converted into squad barrack bays — amid ongoing pay delays, benefit cuts, and an unaddressed mental health crisis within their units.
This devastating string of suicides must serve as a wake up call to the way that our Guard members are being treated at the border.
The warning signs have been there from the beginning. As Gov. Greg Abbott rushed to expand his border mission in September, Texas deployed a total of 10,000 troops in a matter of months. Some were given less than a week’s notice before deployment, complicating work and family commitments and leaving soldiers still scrambling to resolve issues at home while deployed at their posts along the border.
On top of that, families have reported that some troops have gone months without pay. A woman I met in Lubbock a few weeks back told me that her husband had been on duty in Laredo for over six weeks, but hadn’t received a single paycheck or any of the per diems he’d been promised.
Read more: https://elpasomatters.org/2021/12/27/opinion-guard-members-should-not-be-political-pawns-beto-orourke-says/
= new reply since forum marked as read
