...and it is pathetic (what a surprise, given the Bush Administration's overall pathetic response to the disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina). From the Northwest Herald's Associated Press report this morning:
National Guardsmen to stay in Iraq despite storm
The ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq – National Guard troops from Louisiana and other Gulf states will not be pulled out of Iraq ahead of schedule despite the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. command said Thursday.
Some units are due to leave next month anyway after a year in Iraq, but the process could take weeks to complete.
"They're not going to be leaving early as a result of the hurricane," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told The Associated Press. He said the military had set up help lines for servicemen from the Southern states hardest-hit by the hurricane trying to contact family members.
Still, pressure appeared to be building for the hastened withdrawal of some troops from Iraq, allowing them to return to their flood-ravaged home states.
Brig. Gen. John P. Basilica, commander of the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Enhanced Separate Brigade, asked his division commanders in Baghdad to hasten the Louisiana-based brigade's departure, said Lt. Col. Jordan Jones, battalion commander of the New Orleans-based 141st Field Artillery Battalion, which is part of the brigade.
"We were on schedule to leave anyway and he was trying to expedite that," Jones said. The 256th could start leaving Iraq in about a week, if the departure was granted, and begin arriving in Louisiana a few days later.
The request came as 10,000 National Guard troops from across the United States began pouring into Louisiana and Mississippi to shore up security, rescue and relief operations. The new units brought the number of troops dedicated to the effort to more than 18,000, in what may be the largest military response to a natural disaster.
In Doha, Qatar, a spokesman for the U.S. regional command said there would be no large-scale shifting of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to help with disaster relief.
But Lt. Col. Trey Cate said military officials were exploring ways to bring individual soldiers home to take care of their families who may have special needs after the devastating storm.
It could be tough to get service members to some especially hard-hit areas because of flooding or mandatory evacuations.
"There are lots of different options of getting soldiers back there," Cate said. "We're going to do our best to take care of the troops and their families."
Navy Cmdr. Jeff Breslau, a U.S. 5th Fleet spokesman in Bahrain, said no U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf would be redirected to disaster relief in the Gulf of Mexico, but individual sailors with family emergencies could be granted home leave.
The Air Force also said it was considering releasing troops from the affected areas.
"U.S. Central Command Air Forces is currently reviewing our ability to send airmen affected by Hurricane Katrina home early from deployment," said Capt. David Small, spokesman for U.S. Central Command Air Forces in Qatar.
Katrina struck as about 3,700 soldiers from the 256th were in the middle of preparations to return to their base in Lafayette, La., after spending nearly a year in combat in Iraq.
Lt. Col. Steve Boylan, spokesman for the U.S. military command in Baghdad, said the 256th is expected to leave Iraq by November – if their deployment is not extended. Boylan said the Army was providing the Louisiana Guardsmen extra Internet and phone lines to contact family and friends affected by the hurricane.
Moving troops and equipment out of Iraq is a process that can take weeks. Most units enter and leave Iraq through Kuwait. Equipment earmarked for incoming units must be cleaned and repaired.
The 256th includes the 141st Field Artillery Battalion, based at Camp Liberty, Saddam Hussein's palace complex near Baghdad International Airport. The 400-member unit has suffered one killed and several wounded during its tour in Iraq.
Lt. Taysha Deaton, a spokeswoman for the unit, said most of the soldiers had been glued to television sets watching scenes of their neighborhoods trying to cope with wind damage and flooding.
No comments:
Post a Comment