As 4,000 California National Guard soldiers continue to serve in Los Angeles, they remain unpaid and may face a lengthy wait for their paychecks and benefits due to poor planning at the Pentagon under the direction of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Many of the Guardsmen stationed in LA are worried they won’t be able to meet their financial obligations as bills come due, Steve Beynon of Military.com reports.
“According to more than a dozen Guardsmen across four units who spoke to Military.com, none has received formal activation orders, the critical paperwork that not only authorizes their duty status, but also unlocks pay, Tricare health benefits and eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs services. Without those orders, troops remain in a legal and administrative limbo.”
“Multiple defense officials with direct knowledge of the situation told Military.com the chaotic and sudden activation of troops has effectively clogged up the flow of administrative work.”
Additionally, the failure of the Trump administration to adequately prepare for the Los Angeles mission is “… indicative of a slapdash mission where the welfare of troops has not been a priority. Several service members described inadequate living conditions at staging areas such as the military facility at Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where soldiers are sleeping outside on cots due to a shortage of space. Others cited intermittent issues with food and fuel supplies.”
Sleeping on cots and having to do without food and fuel supplies. Is that how Trump and his lackeys at the Department of Defense think anyone should have to live? Especially when they’re on deployment to an American city?
Another challenge for the California National Guard troops is that they’ve been deployed to an area against the will of the state’s governor and the majority of Californians.
“One midlevel officer said their unit would receive ‘extremely generous’ help when deployed to combat wildfires, including water, sports drinks and food, which played a significant role in morale and tightened the Guard-community relationship. As one officer noted, ‘This is a situation [where] we’re against the community.'”
Donald Trump hates our troops. He continually proves that with his actions and his failure to provide the most basic necessities when he deploys them. For that alone, he needs to be removed as commander-in-chief.
