For National Guard Troops, How Much Sacrifice Is Enough?

I’ve just read the article “Company A Comes Home” (Aug. 7), and I think it’s time that people face the facts about the National Guard. The National Guard was never meant to be our first line of defense or the force that we send to war. The reserves and the Guard are made up of cooks, mechanics, farmers, small business owners, etc.--and not professional soldiers. They are older and, in most cases, not lean, mean fighting machines. I respect their sacrifices, and my sympathies go out to the families of those who were injured or killed.

But I still have to ask: Are these the people whom we want to protect us and fight our wars? There is a big difference between someone who lives in the Army and maintains his physical and mental edge, and someone who has a civilian job and attends a two-week summer camp each year. There is little doubt that casualty figures in Iraq and Afghanistan are much higher than they would be if we had more professional soldiers there instead of “weekend warriors.”

John Moran

Burbank

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Thank you for the articles about the men who have served in Iraq. I read these stories every time they are published; I trust them far more than anything President Bush or Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld say. I know that the troops and their families have made a great sacrifice. It is easy to support our troops, but not this war. Thank you, Company A.

Brian Arnold

Long Beach