Members of Congress Push Pentagon to Provide Equipment For Guard and Reserve Troops in Iraq
For Immediate Release - November 20, 2003

WASHINGTON - Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA) today joined 48 other members of Congress to introduce "National Guard and Reserve Protection Concurrent Resolution" calling on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld House to provide adequate equipment for National Guard and Reserve troops in Iraq.

"Soldiers who serve in the Guard and Reserve deserve the same respect and equipment as any other soldier who puts their life on the line for our country," said Rep. Jim McDermott. "I have visited wounded troops, and I can tell you that the Guard and Reserve get injured and suffer just like the regular troops. There is no excuse for the Administration's failure to give them the tools they need to do their jobs and stay alive."

Over 60 National Guard and Reserve members have died and dozens more have been seriously injured in the war in Iraq.

There are numerous accounts of Guard and Reserve units being sent to Iraq without crucial items such as guns, bullet-proof vests and armored Humvees. Many of the Humvees being used by Guard and Reserve units have not been strengthened to protect against enemy fire or roadside bombs, and reports indicate that many Guard and Reserve combat support units in battle zones lack bulletproof vests. As a matter of policy, National Guard and Reserve troops have been given second-hand equipment no longer used by the active duty military.

Over 28,000 National Guard and Reserve personnel are currently serving alongside active duty military in Iraq, making up more than a quarter of the American troops there. Just yesterday, an additional 15,000 Guard and Reserve troops were ordered to prepare for a possible yearlong tour of duty in Iraq or Kuwait, bringing the total number of Guard and Reserve troops who have been alerted for possible service in the Persian Gulf region early next year to 58,000.

"When the Administration was asked why so many do not have life-saving Kevlar in their jackets, the response was that front-line troops got Kevlar and others did not, " McDermott explained. "This logic fails to acknowledge is that we are in a guerilla war in Iraq and every American there is on the front line."