Moving beyond resolutions

As our editorial today argues, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is right to demand hardship pay for Kansas National Guard members whose tour of duty was recently extended to meet President Bush’s troop surge.
She also shares other governors’ concern that the Defense Department’s heavy reliance on National Guard and Reserve troops in Iraq is undermining state emergency and disaster readiness.
The Iraq war is affecting Kansas, and state leaders need to protect the interests of the state, its citizen-soldiers and their families.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

7 Comments

  1. Dennis
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 2:06 pm | Permalink

    Can you say back-door draft?

  2. Doug
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 2:11 pm | Permalink

    How can Iraq be hard on the National Guard when they were greeted as liberators and the war was over in a week? Typical liberal media presented lies. Bush declared “Mission Accomplished,” the war only cost $3 billion as predicted, there is a flourishing democracy in Iraq, the WMD were found, all the terrorists were captured or killed, Iraq’s nuclear program was stopped as were their unmanned drones and mobile weapons labs, and the cost of oil is so low that I can fill up my tank for a dollar.

    Hardship? Not really, the Wichita Eagle needs to report the facts just like Fox News does.

  3. AmerDAD
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 2:17 pm | Permalink

    I notice this editorial lists the first group in need of protection is the “State.”

    I know we who have served the military always worry most about the “State” and its interests rather than staying alive or our families.

    If this Governor is truly concerned,she should find tangible ways to assist veterans and soliders,rather than political grandstanding.

  4. gster
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 2:23 pm | Permalink

    There are Federal provisions to guarantee the NG members will have a job to return to after deployment, but if I recall correctly, that does not necessarily apply to Guard members returning after multiple deployments.

    ????

  5. AmerDAD
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 2:36 pm | Permalink

    The post by gster brings up a point that will be a severe problem for many Guard & Reserve members.

    When you are an active duty member of the military,you learn over time what benefits are available through other people retiring,and through people who exit the military.

    Just as in any full time pursuit you learn what is available in any given situation. Guard & Reserve are folks are called up for temporary periods of time.

    I have often thought there would be great benefit to assigning active duty personnel to assist Guard & Reserve units especially in matters pertaining to injuries,and the many different government programs and systems.

  6. mrbill
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 4:06 pm | Permalink

    After VN the guard and reserve were intentionally designed by the Generals to have needed specialties by the services spread around in the guard to force them to be called up.

    This was to put local political pressure on the politicians to make sure they supported the war and troops, unlike they got away with in VN.

    And it looks like it has worked to well. Its looking like neither the pols nor the public have a stomach for fighting and would relish an overseer. Its looking more and more as if the West has simply given up. Think France here.

    Perhaps when their new Islamists overlords institute Sharia Dhimmitude here as they are doing in Dearborn, MI and Europe they will grow a set. But some of us hate to wait that one out.

  7. trndobrd
    Posted January 31, 2007 at 9:10 pm | Permalink

    Not that it matters, but has anyone at the Eagle bothered to check to see exactly what the Active Duty hardship allowance and the National Guard hardship allowance really is?

    A quick search shows that they are both the same. In fact, National Guard soldiers in Iraq are on Title X and the pay and allowances are exactly the same.

    Maybe next spring Sebelius should demand more rain so she can take credit when we get a sprinkle.

    http://www.military.com/Resources/Index/0,13926,31-mil_status_active-1,00.html