Political Quotes

“never in our Nation's history has the American military relied more on National Guard and Reserve servicemembers than it has in the last 10 years. More than 800,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves have been called to active duty service since 9/11, many of them serving two, three, and four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan Our military does an exceptional job of preparing these guardsmen and reservists for combat, but we do far too little to prepare them for transition back to civilian life. Our guardsmen need a transition from the trauma of combat to the serenity of home in Oregon and throughout our Nation. But instead our guardsmen and reservists are sent back to their community with little or no time to readjust. In a matter of a few days these guardsmen go from holding a gun in the chaos of a combat zone to holding their children in the serenity of their own home. That has to be a difficult transition. Unlike most active-duty troops who receive a soft landing through a number of carefully monitored reintegration programs and other support services provided on an active-duty base, returning guardsmen lack the support system of a large base. While active-duty soldiers come home to military bases and the jobs and support systems that they provide, returning Guard members are in many instances left to face the increasingly stark reality of transitioning to civilian life on their own.…”