I'm with you. I have a love one in the Guard, so I knew long ago the Guard was being sent over there with inferior equipment or none at all. I don't understand the anger at the question. Our troops have a right to be properly equipped with no excuses.
EverOnward,
See my response at #922. Most (but not all) of the anger is directed at the reporter in this, in my opinion.
This lack of equipment is unconcionable. What's more, it is terrible for morale to have a two-tier fighting force: one being the regular Army,preferred,privileged, and well-equipped; and the other being Guard and Reserve--who get the junk and the leftovers.
Are the lives of our Reserves and Guardsmen less valuable than those of the regular military? My state of Pennsylvania has a huge contingent of Guardsmen and Reserves in Iraq. Once a month,in our town, we see families (some young wives with two or three toddlers), saying goodbye as their men are getting on the bus to be taken to the airport and flown over to Iraq. These families deserve to know that their loved ones are not being thrown out front as target practice for the insurgents. BTW, 48% of our forces in Iraq are now Guard and Reserves.