General Montano: War in Iraq Has Overstretched National Guard Resources Here at Home

[cal04]

Major General Melvyn S. Montano, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), a former adjutant general of the New Mexico National Guard, delivers the Democratic radio address. During the address, General Montano highlights the fact that the war in Iraq has stretched National Guard resources to a breaking point.

General Montano notes that, as a result, the Guard is not as prepared as they should be to respond to local emergencies like the tornado that hit Greensburg, Kansas last week. He argues that we need to rebuild our National Guard and President Bush should work with Democrats to bring the war in Iraq to an end.

(snip)
It is not only a matter of equipment, but of personnel as well. Because our military has been so badly depleted by the war in Iraq, the Bush Administration has had to deploy about 80 percent of the National Guard and Reservists to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2001. The Guard and Reservists have been deployed for an average of 18 months per tour of duty and more than 84,000 of them have been deployed more than once.

Homeland security begins with hometown security and we have a responsibility to rebuild our National Guard and make sure they have the equipment and training they need to keep our communities safe.

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. Now that more and more Republican lawmakers are beginning to see that the stay-the-course approach in Iraq is unsustainable, it is time for the President to finally work in a bipartisan fashion to change course.

http://www.dnc.org/a/2007/05/general_montano.php

[Bobbieo]

1. Agree wholeheartedly - Bring the Guard home where it belongs