30 July 03

From a friend with the NJSP:

"Several of my colleagues and I have been sent to 'protect bridges' between NJ and NY. Our brass decided that one, maybe two, troopers per bridge is adequate, in spite of the fact that thousands of vehicles drive over every h our. Joining us are member of the NJ National Guard, usually two and a Humvee.

Keeping in mind what you said about the National Guard in airports, I make i t a point to ask the members of one NG detail deployed at a bridge about the supply of ammunition they had for their M-16s. You guessed it! They had no ammunition; none on them; none in their Humvee. They didn't even have magaz ines, just empty rifles.

We asked them what they had been instructed to do if things went in the toilet. Their response was, 'Our commander told us that, if there i s a riot or terrorist attack, we are to run back to our Humvee and lock ourselves in!'

Needless to say, we consider them to be nothing but excess baggage."

Comment: It is bad enough that we have cowards in the command structure of the NG who obviously look upon their guardsmen as completely and utterly expendable. The real crime is that they demand that soldier themselves beco me cowards too. Contemptible is not a strong enough word!

/John