Missing equipment

An article in the New York Times today reported that Governors are concerned that the Iraq war is stripping NG units of equipment needed to respond to state emergencies. I have not read the article because I don't subscribe to the online NYT, but I read a couple of references to it.

As I have written, we did leave a good deal of our equipment in Iraq, including weaspons and weaspons systems, radios, night vision equipment, and vehicles. Many of the vehicles we shipped back have been diverted to a Depot Rebuild, and we won't see them again.

So, I guess I'd have to agree that right now we have a vastly reduced capacity to respond to a state emergency, though we're not exactly shorn little lambs, shivering in the breeze.

The picture is of our company motor pool in February, 90 days after we returned, and not a single vehicle in the compound. The other pic shows one of the intangible advantages to being in the Guard. Driving to drill, I got to see this fantastic sunrise, which I otherwise would have slept through.