VFA stands with our citizen Soldiers of the National Guard are they prepare for Hurricane Ike.
Texas has activated 7,500 National Guard members less than two weeks after the Texas Guard helped evacuate 17,000 residents from the fury of Hurricane Gustav.
Our National Guard has shouldered an incredible burden in the past few years as a result of its heavy use in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as its continued commitment to respond to various contingencies and emergencies within the United States. As VFA has found, between now and the end of President Bush’s term in office, about 20,000 members of the Army National Guard will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. This constitutes about half of all members of the Army who will be deployed over this timeframe.
VFA recently launched a nationwide program assessing the needs of our National Guard. VFA’s work shows that the needs of the National Guard – and their families – are considerable. According to DoD, half of the members of the National Guard who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered considerable psychological injuries.
VFA remains strongly committed to ensuring that our National Guard and their families receive the support their sacrifice merits.
For more information on VFA’s work supporting our National Guard, visit: www.veteransforamerica.org
About Veterans for America
Building upon the legacy of the Nobel-prize-winning Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), Veterans for America (VFA) unites the current generation of servicemembers and veterans with veterans from previous wars to address the needs of our men and women in uniform—both active-duty and Guard/Reserve—and their families. VFA’s mission is to ensure that the voices of those who have sacrificed immeasurably on behalf our country in recent years are heard and that support commensurate with their sacrifice is provided.