With thousands of National Guard troops already called to serve, many in Iraq, a safety net merits a review.
By CURTIS KRUEGER
Published September 18, 2003
[Times photo: Thomas M. Goethe]
National Guard Private C. Soto checks IDs at the MacDill Air Force Base gate Wednesday. Even with deployments, well over 9,000 soldiers in Florida's National Guard are still available.
When hurricanes smash Florida, the state often turns to the National Guard for help rebuilding.
But at this moment, one-fourth of the Florida National Guard already has been put to work on other jobs - including more than 1,700 who have been shipped to Iraq.
National Guard spokesman Jon Myatt says the extra demand on the National Guard will not damage its ability to keep Florida prepared for natural disasters like the hurricane that is expected to blast into North Carolina this morning.
"We are in good shape as far as a hurricane situation," he said.
But he acknowledges that logistical challenges could result if more National Guard soldiers are called to active duty at the same time a hurricane, flood or wildfire strikes.
"If we have other deployments and other units called up, that'll complicate things," Myatt said.
The multiple demands on these soldiers shows the changing nature of the National Guard, once thought of as a band of "weekend warriors" who were in little danger of being called to active duty for any extended period.
The Florida National Guard is a reserve military force similar to the Army, Air Force and naval reserves, but National Guard soldiers can be called up by the governor. Increasingly, National Guard soldiers are being called to federally approved wartime missions and sent overseas. This has become a harsh reality for some families recently, because top military officials have made it clear that many soldiers will need to serve a full year in Iraq.
Asked about the impact of the approaching hurricane on the National Guard, Michael E. O'Hanlon, a scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., said "I think you're right to be worried. This would definitely be a strain on people in certain specific areas."
Last week the adjutant general of South Carolina's National Guard said it would be a challenge to protect the state if Hurricane Isabel hit, because so many troops had been deployed overseas. He also worried that it would be difficult to get help from other states' National Guard forces because "they're in as bad a shape as we are."
O'Hanlon stressed that even if a natural disaster combined with a higher-than-usual mobilization of guard forces in Florida or another state, the nation should have enough soldiers elsewhere to step in and meet the need.
"In theory you've got all sorts of National Guard divisions all around the country ... we should be able to get people from other states. It's a test of how well government is going to respond," O'Hanlon said.
Florida has more than 13,000 National Guard soldiers and airmen. They can be mobilized by the governor for hurricanes, floods, fires and other emergencies - the governor of Minnesota has its National Guard preparing to fill in for state employees who may go on strike. The president also can deploy these troops.
About 3,300 men and women in Florida's National Guard have been called to active duty and are currently under federal control. That includes roughly 2,100 serving overseas, in countries such as Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Bosnia. Others are serving in the United States, such as about 700 soldiers providing security at Air Force bases in Florida.
Even with these deployments, well over 9,000 National Guard soldiers still are available. During four months after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the Florida National Guard activated about 5,000 soldiers but never used more than about 3,000 at any given time.
Myatt acknowledged that challenges could arise depending on the situation. For example, the 743rd Maintenance Co. from Fort Lauderdale has helped repair vehicles used to fight wildfires that have raged across Florida in recent years. But about 200 soldiers from that unit have been deployed to the Middle East. A medical unit also is overseas.
He said Florida has agreements with other states in case it needs help coping with a disaster. "So we could go to one of those states and say, "We would like you to provide one of your medical units."'
Mike Stone, spokesman for the state Division of Emergency Management, said National Guard staffers approached the state months ago to discuss the adequacy of its forces. All sides walked away feeling confident. "They've got the resources in place," Stone said.
While it's the job of generals and governors to send these forces to the right places, soldiers and their families must cope with the absence of loved ones during their periods of active duty.
Military officials recently said soldiers will need to serve a full year in Iraq, not counting training and other time spent in the United States. That means it's possible that some could serve as much as 18 months.
"I got the joy of calling these wives and telling them that," said Michele Clancy, a volunteer family readiness coordinator for the 3rd Battalion of the 124th Infantry Regiment in Panama City, Fla. "It's a very emotional thing to hear them cry."
Clancy's husband, Michael, is a staff sergeant with the unit, stationed in Baghdad. He has missed their son Christopher's eighth birthday while serving overseas.
"It's heart-wrenching. It saddens all of us," she said. "It's an emotional roller-coaster, but at the same time you have to have faith that they're coming home and you have to be strong for them, you have to be strong for yourself and you have to be strong for your family."
- Information from the State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., was used in this report.
