"Supporting our Troops" ? Yeah, Right !

Arizona governor fighting Army in rebuff of Guard families
PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano wants the Secretary of the Army to reverse a decision by military commanders to withdraw housing support for the families of Arizona National Guard troops set for training at Fort Hood.

The deployment of the 447 troops will be the largest National Guard mobilization overseas from Arizona since the Iraq war began.
Most troops are scheduled to ship out to Texas during the first week of May, along with 15 helicopters. The deployment, including training, is expected to last 20 months.
Guard officials said many of the troops' families had planned to move to Fort Hood but got word last week that they would no longer be entitled to housing support.
Maj. Paul Aguirre, a spokesman for the Arizona National Guard, said that troops were assured repeatedly during the past year that their families could accompany them to Fort Hood. They were told they could live off base in Texas and would receive monthly stipends.
Napolitano said she plans to call the secretary of the Army, seeking to overturn the decision by Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, commander of the 1st Army.
Military units typically are not allowed to bring families for short-term training operations at U.S. bases, lasting a few months or less. However, when training goes for six months or more, family privileges and other benefits are considered routine.
Aguirre said those policies traditionally apply to active-duty military units as well as Guard units training at active-duty installations.
The Arizona soldiers will spend an unusually long time in Texas because, in addition to pre-deployment training, the unit must be certified as combat-ready with the Apaches.
Aguirre said Honore canceled the housing privileges last week, saying the troops are in mobilization mode and therefore will be isolated at Fort Hood, living in barracks with base restrictions as if the soldiers were on mission in Afghanistan.
At least 124 families planned to make the move and 57 of them already had spent money seeking off-base housing in Texas, according to the Arizona Guard.
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Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
source: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/gen/ap/AZ_Guard_Rebuffed.html
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Note from Steve, These type of Bush administration actions do not follow their "talking points" and "slogans" ! I support the Arizona Governor and all of the military families. Beware the forked tongues ! In Texas, who do you think would fight the hardest for our guard members and their families, a Governor Kinky Friedman (Independent) or a Governor Rick Perry (Republican) ? I beleive it would be Kinky Friedman hands down !

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