Posted on 01/27/2021 11:33:36 AM PST by Red Badger
Note: The author's identity has been verified by the Washington Examiner, but her name is being redacted due to concerns of possible retaliation against her spouse.
When news broke last week that soldiers serving in the Maryland National Guard on active duty at the U.S. Capitol were banished to a cold, exhaust-filled parking garage, Congress rushed to offer outrage.
Social media exploded with vows from members to “get to the bottom” of things and to “make them right.” Unfortunately, that passion from just a few days ago has faded into business as usual on Capitol Hill.
My husband serves in the Maryland National Guard and was one of the soldiers sent to the now-infamous parking garage. He’s one of hundreds who have to wash their socks and undergarments in hotel sinks because they don’t have time to access laundry services. He’s one of many who have been away from their families since early January. And he’s just one of many soldiers who don’t understand why they are still deployed at the Capitol.
Military spouses understand the role we play and the sacrifices we must make. We know our loved ones will be gone and we’ll have to pick up the slack at home. We accept that we’ll have to explain to our children why mama or dada is away for so long. We take on these roles willingly and often without complaint. But we ask, I think fairly, that military leaders and elected representatives take care of our soldiers by providing them with a clear mission, the resources they need to succeed, and basic sustainment. On each of these points, our leadership is failing.
I reached out to Gov. Larry Hogan’s office to ask him to release the Maryland National Guard from active duty at the Capitol. I received a generic form letter in return that read, in part, “Being responsive to your concerns is a top priority for our administration, and I assure you that your input will be taken into account.”
If it’s a top priority to be responsive, the Hogan administration should reevaluate its internal processes. I also contacted Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen. To date, I haven’t received a response from Sen. Cardin’s office, and Sen. Van Hollen responded with an email that read, in part, “Unfortunately due to the number of messages I receive I am unable to provide a response to people outside of Maryland.” It’s true, I don’t live in Maryland, but my husband serves in the Maryland National Guard. Is that not reason enough for a proper response? It was only a few days ago he was mingling with Guard members such as my husband and posing beside them for his social media pages. This is not leadership.
But the questions remain: Where can military families turn to for answers? Who is looking out for those who volunteer their time and talents to serve their communities and country?
It certainly doesn’t seem to be our elected officials. I’m thankful to those who have exposed the parking garage scandal and asked important questions about what happened, why it happened, who was responsible, and what happens next. I encourage them to keep asking questions. Maybe then, soldiers and their families will get the answers and support they need. Sadly, our politicians don't seem very interested in asking hard questions.
I got lucky here.
One of my boys is in the SC National Guard, and he got back a couple of days ago.
Unless it was rumor, Trump offered to put them up in his DC hotel.
Sheer political theater. Try to convince the gullible that every Trump supporter is a dangerous domestic terrorist to justify their totalitarian actions.
The article mentions washing clothes in hotel sinks, so I assume that her husband is staying in a hotel now.
But her point is that she doesn’t understand why her husband and other members of the National Guard are still there.
Missed that. So good, as long as they’re off the freezing underground parking lot.
DID THEY GET A COOKIE?
Ha!
The LIBs & DIMocRATS openly DESPISE the members of the US Armed Forces, regardless of who they are OR in which service that they serve.
We GIs & EX-GIs know how the RADICAL LEFT feels about us & that “negative feeling” is RETURNED by the GIs.
Yours, ex-cadet
USA, Retired
That part is good, certainly. But still no one is explaining why the National Guard is still there. They are not active duty, and there is no emergency - just a made-up “emergency”.
The U.S. Capitol Police has over 2,000 police officers. It’s ridiculous that they need NG backup.
Send the NG back home now, and use them for real emergencies, not made up B.S.
Pelosi totally failed to develop a logistics plan for her dog and pony show. It was inexcusable to deploy troops without considering the need for the basic needs of the National Guard soldiers.
Your husband is being used to impose a dictatorship on America, to destroy our constitution and to ensure the drooling tyrant with a pen in the White House is able to stay there.
Those who bitch about the last dog and pony show will be on burn pit duty for the next 30 days on a bone fide military deployment.
Thank your snowflake relatives for all that sand in the crack of your ass.
Why don’t they bus them in shifts to and from the nearby military bases such as Walter Reed, Joint Base Andrews or Fort Belvoir? Or pay the DC universities (American, George Washington, Georgetown, Catholic U, Howard) to use some of their facilities?
If he was in an FOB in Assghanistan he’d be sleeping on the sand and eating MREs. Those troops are on a mission that will save our republic. Let them do it. I’m proud of them.
Those are some workable ideas.....too bad they didn’t consider doing that.
Biden needs time to assemble his praetorian guard consisting of FBI vetted troops with the proper mix of races and the 37 genders
The deep state mice are manufacturing a 2 million state national guard army to kick their weenie asses.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.