The National Guard Played Cards While People Died
By streiff Posted in User Blogs — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Or so the nitwits leading the dysfunctional mob known as the New Orleans Police Department would have us believe
Unbelievably, NOPD deputy police commander W.S. Riley claimed:
"The guard arrived 48 hours after the hurricane with 40 trucks. They drove their trucks in and went to sleep.
"For 72 hours this police department and the fire department and handful of citizens were alone rescuing people. We have people who died while the National Guard sat and played cards. I understand why we are not winning the war in Iraq if this is what we have."
Well, I'm sure when Riley comes back from his stress counseling session in Baton Rouge and his taxpayer funded boondoggle to an R & R trip in Las Vegas his panties will be untwisted. Maybe he'll even consider apologizing to the people who took time out from losing a war in Iraq to save Riley's worthless patootie, restore order in his city, and cover for him while he was cavorting in Vegas. But I'm not holding my breath.
in his own city doesn't speak well of him either.
Now on to his unrealistic expectations, and the mission the NG was given.
In the linked article:
The initial priority of the Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard forces was disaster relief, not law enforcement, because they expected the police to handle that, he said.
Their mission was disaster relief-not police work. They were working their original mission-sounds to me like the police chief didn't get the message or he had unrealistic expectations.
I think the man should lose his job, and lose it tomorrow, but instead apparantly the mayor is sending him on a taxpayer paid vacation to Vegas.
.... if the Guard units were actaully doing this then more power to them. All that tells you is that the command structure had a decent plan for the proper use of their resources so that the troops would have adequate rest between assignments and fresh for the next duty. In contrast the NOPD was quickly burned out.
Apparently, by their own admission, the NOPD chose to work their men without rest and burned them out almost immediately (based on statements from the chief and deputy chief that the officers had been working 24 hour duty.) And on top of this, knowing that they would be in the city during and after the storm, they apparently made no provision for food and water and sanitation facilities for their own (based on complaints from officers about lack of food/water and having to relieve themselves in the basement.)
The troops in question were LANG, under direct (and jealously guarded) authority of Governor Blanco, right?
Communication breakdown at its finest...and probably most frustrating... While I cannot speak specifically to what happens in a National Guard rapid deployment...I can speak specifically about what happens in a rapid deployment of the Reserves. My husband is career Army, a senior NCO, "AGR" (Active Guard/Reserve)...that means he's a "fulltimer"... For 40 trucks to come rolling into "wherever" from "wherever", probably means the soldiers have been awake and moving for at least the previous 48 to 72 hours These men & women, left their families (to fend for themselves) at a moments notice, went to their Unit, got their equipment/supplies, loaded the trucks, and probably headed out as soon as possible. It's my understanding (although info is hard to come by) that some of the LA National Guard's assets (men & equipment) had to be moved from the path of Katrina to staging areas out of harms way and then driven back down.... clearing the roads as they went. On the best days, on clear interstate highways, heavy loaded military trucks travel at the astronomical pace of maybe, 55mph... Hindsight's wonderful...with all my heart I wish that they'd been deployed earlier (National Guard Units belong to the individual "State"), thus able to arrive sooner & with a larger component of men... But in all the worst case scenarios that I've read...no where is a complete breakdown of order envisioned in the Superdome... But, even in those horrible conditions...at least they are alive. And if Katrina had not veered just a little bit...most of those 25,000 would be corpses floating in Lake New Orleans.
Soldiers get tired too...and some are probably thoughtless enough to play cards while people need help...but that doesn't speak to the majority...just as those two police officers shown "shopping" in a looted Wal-Mart do not reflect the tremendous efforts of the New Orleans Police. And for the record, I think given what they've been through...the New Orleans Police (who stayed on the job) do need to have some vacation time...God Bless them all.
Amen to that, SergeantsLady.
Funny you should write this. I logged in this morning to post my thoughts and thanks for our soldiers and came across your comment.
Echoes my thoughts and sentiments exactly.
John
You don't think the National Guard had plans, plans which specify time on and time off, time for duty, time for sleep, let the drivers rest on arrival, send the rest of the troops out on patrol.
You don't think they actually adhered to the plan, had troops in order, had a roll call, all accounted for, and stuff like that? You know, military logistics, planning and discipline within units?
Maybe they did. It could happen.