We wonder: How many of these politicians sitting in their sackcloth and ashes have ever served in the National Guard? We wonder what they think the Guard does. Comfort isn't part of the contract.
Here's a primer on the mission: Show up in the worst situations, at the worst times of the year, deal with hungry people and no electricity, help a little girl find a doll, keep the same little girl from viewing a corpse, put your own family down the priority list during national emergencies, keep your outfit squared away at all times, all while dealing with pointy-headed media types trying to score points.
We were amused by the governors who were shocked--shocked!--because National Guardsmen in Washington D.C. had to use a parking garage as a staging/resting area during last week's inauguration. Some governors were so shocked that they recalled their units. Oh, puh-lease.
A real National Guardsman would be quite at home in an air-conditioned parking garage, resting on a full rucksack. After carrying that thing miles at a time, it's amazing how comfortable a full rucksack can be when "halt" is ordered.
We've seen Guardsmen brief field-grade officers under a tree in the summer, because the briefing room had been reserved by some privates conducting a CPR class. A Guardsman can make a classroom out of a six-foot section of broken fence. The best sleep ever might come in an airport on the way back from some hurricane or fire--resting on that rucksack.
The governor of New Hampshire said he was bringing his troops home because they should not be subjected "to substandard conditions." We'd bet the troops would get a laugh out of that! Hey, Guv, when have we not had substandard conditions? Have you seen the barracks back home?
There is little surprising in politicians pandering to an honored profession. But something tells us if more politicians--and more Americans--had worn the uniform, they'd be more apt to know the difference between disrespectful conditions and SOP.
That said, all of Arkansas should be proud of the troops that left our state last week to patrol the nation's capital. It hasn't been an easy time in America, and sometimes it helps to calm things by putting a few troops in the streets. A whiff of grapeshot might not be necessary, but a whiff of Kiwi polish can't hurt.