General Says National Guard Is Weakened by Deployments in Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aIK.zW0nFXX8&refer=us

General Says National Guard Is Weakened by Deployments in Iraq

By Aliza Marcus

May 12 (Bloomberg) -- The National Guard is overstretched by deployments in Iraq and can't properly respond to local emergencies in the U.S., said retired Major General Melvyn S. Montano, a former adjutant general of the New Mexico guard.

``The National Guard, our nation's first responder to hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes and other natural disasters, is not as prepared as they should be,'' Montano said in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address. ``It is not only a matter of equipment, but of personnel as well.''

A tornado that nearly leveled Greensburg, Kansas, last week and killed about 10 people underscored that both guard members and equipment are depleted by the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Guard forces in Kansas had about half their usual equipment available when the tornado hit, slowing the recovery process, Montano said.

snip//

``It is time for President Bush to listen to the American people and finally acknowledge the facts on the ground -- both in Iraq and here at home,'' he said.

[Monkeyman]

1. This Goes Under White House Lies 3 Billion

[tabasco]

2. Why does General Montano hate America?

Doesn't he know Iraq is the "central front" in the war on terra?