Local Reserve, Guard drills halted by shutdown; technicians furloughed

SB Anderson — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 12:40:00 +0000

Air National Guard in the District of Columbia. (Air Force photo).

While a last-minute bill kept active duty military members paid during the government shutdown, those not on active duty are in limbo.

“Pretty much everything has stopped,” Army Reserve spokesman Lt. Col. Matt Lawrence told Military.com in a story today.

National Guard and Reserve training exercises and professional development have been put on hold for now (although those who started training before the shutdown are expected to continue) and about 50,000 “dual-status technicians” who work full-time for the Guard and who also are part-time soldiers have been furloughed across the country.

Among those furloughed were technicians helping in the aftermath of massive flooding in Colorado. State officials have agreed to keep paying those technicians with state money and they will continue cleanup assistance.

“The longer this goes on, the more our readiness is put at risk,” John Goheen of the National Guard Association of the United States told Military.com.

Obviously, the Guard and Reserves are a quintessential local story. Here are a few links to what some local media outlets are reporting about the impact in their area.

Coming home, reservists battle for mental health care

SB Anderson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:42:48 +0000

Coming home, reservists battle for mental health care

(HiddenSurge.org) More than 665,000 National Guardsmen and Reservists have fought alongside active-duty service members in the decade-long Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But they face a far different homecoming.

They are as vulnerable as their active-duty counterparts to what military leaders call the signature wounds of the post-9/11 conflicts – traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, those in the Reserve component—National Guardsmen and Reservists—do not have access to the same extensive health care system and support network needed to assess their injuries and help them recover.

Instead of coming home to a military base, they return to their hometowns, where they navigate fragmented health care networks and scattered service agencies without the psychological support of being near “battle buddies.” Full Story

reserves – On the National Security Beat

Local Reserve, Guard drills halted by shutdown; technicians furloughed

Coming home, reservists battle for mental health care