Sarah Palin: Leading Alaska's National Guard Across the Bridge to Nowhere

[cynatnite]

McCain surrogates have been touting Palin's experience as commander of the Alaska National Guard. Veterans For America, a nonpartisan veterans advocacy group, has been in Alaska all last week researching the plight of the National Guard in Alaska, as they've been doing all with other state National Guard forces. Their new report about the Alaska National Guard is damning enough to make Team McCain not want to talk about her leadership of the Alaska National Guard anymore.

If Palin's record as commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard is any indication of how she would serve as commander in chief of all our forces, should she ever have to, it would spell absolute disaster for our already weakened military.

"The post-deployment challenges facing the Alaska National Guard are more daunting and widespread than any seen by Veterans for America's National Guard Program."
"For Guard members living in remote villages, it can cost over $1,500 to travel to Anchorage for appointments. VA will reimburse this money; however, the soldiers need pay upfront. In Bethel, Alaskan Native Elders and local VSOs had to help Soldiers pay for their travel and lodging." i.e. a National Guard Soldier with severe PTSD will have to have $1500 up front to spend if he wants an appointment with the VA.

"The families of Guard deployed from rural Alaska were hit very hard. For instance, those on public assistance lost their food stamps and Medicare eligibility when their husbands were deployed because their household income had temporarily increased. Food is incredibly expensive in the remote villages of Alaska -- milk costs $10 for a half gallon. Also, there are no Tricare providers in the villages so as a practical matter many rural Guard family members lost all health care when their loved one was deployed. "

The limited accessibility to mental health care and services as well as the conditions observed and those presented to study investigators by elements of the Alaska National Guard family are equally fitting for the Governor's personal attention. In addition the lack of sensitivity to the specific needs and assignment limitations of the most rural Alaskan Guard members would also be worthy of a Governor's direct intervention.

We can find no evidence that Governor Palin intervened on behalf of members of the Alaska National Guard before or after their recent deployments. Where has the Governor been?

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