| Most of the National Guard equipment was either in Iraq or under water. |
LOL....
"Even though National Guard forces have been heavily engaged in the Global War on Terrorism, nearly 124,000 troops were available for duty in the 17 states along the storm’s projected path, the National Guard Bureau reported. That averages to 78 percent of those states’ total Guard strength. Another 6,000 were available in Texas, and a Guard spokesman pointed out that tens of thousands more could be drawn from the rest of the nation."
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Today's Louisiana Army and Air National Guard consists of 74 units spread among 43 cities and towns of the state and numbers some 11,500 Army and Air Guardsmen.
approximately 2,300 men and women of the 256th Brigade Combat Team who have been away for more than a year while supporting the Global War on Terrorism.
Both Mississippi and Louisiana have about 3,000 National Guard troops deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, defense officials said.
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Gene
Only the 256th Combat team was deployed to Iraqi. They fell in on equipment in theator, leaving their vehicles behind. What I do know of the LA National Guard units in the New Orleans area, is that almost all of them are located at Camp Jackson. An area that was not under water. Could you just see the field day the Republicans (and maybe one or two media outlets) would of had showing thousands of LA National Guard vehicles submergered.
About only 1,800 troops from LA (the rest of the Bgd is from MS) was deployed out of the over 11,500. You need to stop drinking the Cool Aid Gene. The National Guard was pumping thousands of troops into LA. The active troops sent in later was a drop in that bucket, and was only sent as a PR move to get screaming liberals off their backs. Almost everything was handled by the National Guard units from across the nation. The Active troops was not truely needed. I do know your experience is with the non-unified Army Reserves, which are a far cry away from knowing how to react to emergencies. Remember, the Guard does this for a living.
(9/2/2005)
By the day's end, almost 12,000 National Guard troops will be on duty in Louisiana and almost 8,000 in Mississippi, he said. An additional 2,500 Guard members are supporting relief efforts in Florida and Alabama.
(9/4/2005)
By Sept. 3, five days after the storm struck with 145 mph, Category 4 fury on Aug. 29 and after the levees that protected New Orleans had broken open, nearly
27,000 Army and Air Guard men and women were on state active duty in the stricken region.
That number was expected to increase to nearly 40,000 during the coming days. Forty states, including the affected ones, were sending troops, equipment and supplies by cargo planes and convoys. The Guard was providing 74 percent of Joint Task Force Katrina, the uniformed military support to civilian authorities, the National Guard Bureau reported.
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Mississippi Guardsman Counters 'Too Slow' Criticism
GULFPORT, Miss. (9/12/2005) — Some Mississippi National Guardsmen are getting a bit annoyed at the criticism that their response to Hurricane Katrina was too slow.
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