Richard B. Nugent: “The amendment treats the National Guard dual status military technicians as uniformed personnel in the event of…”

“The amendment treats the National Guard dual status military technicians as uniformed personnel in the event of furlough. Dual status technicians are uniformed full-time guardsmen, but a lot of their workweek falls into a legal gray area between active duty and civilian. Essentially, they wear two hats. They are trained to perform a particular job in the Armed Forces, and they drill in that role like all other guardsmen. However, these dual service technicians are the ones that actually keep the equipment operational. My son serves in the Florida Army National Guard as a Black Hawk pilot. These dual service technicians are there all week long, to make sure that the helicopters he flies are viable, are safe, and can do a mission. When they were furloughed last time under this President, we lost the ability to respond to natural disasters within the State of Florida. When we were in the hurricane season and the helicopters were not flyable because our dual service technicians had been furloughed and not treated like other full-time military personnel, we lost the capability to respond to issues that are State issues. More than that, this same unit that I am talking about--and it goes across this Nation with regard to National Guard units and dual service technicians--they have deployed to Afghanistan, to Iraq; and when they deploy, they actually go with them because they are in uniform. They are military.…”