GI’s have always complained. Soldiers and all services are world famous for griping about their duties and missions. This is nothing new or peculiar to the Trump/Hegseth mandated mission of deploying for 60 days to assist law enforcement and protect primarily federal properties in Greater Los Angeles.
I can categorically tell you from 40+ years of military service and four voluntary combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan after I initially retired from the Army, that many soldiers are infamous and tenacious complainers about any and all duty assignments. I can also tell you about the dull nature of most of the local missions to assist law enforcement and guard federal property and personnel that, as in combat, include long, tedious periods of incredible boredom, which are infrequently punctuated with moments of terrifying, adrenaline-loaded combat.
Just one example: During more than one of my tours in Iraq and Afghanistan for the Superbowl Game for those soldiers off-duty to watch the game, our senior commanders permitted over standing orders in those Muslim countries, secured and distributed to the troops two beers each for the troops. Many of the troops were most appreciative, but inevitably several complained that they wanted more than two beers. They failed to grasp the exceptional boon provided to them for the game of ANY beer.
Contrary to the liberal press and the inane pronouncements of Karen “Ghana” Bass and Governor Hair Gel Newsom, the deployment of the media-reported “bored and disgruntled” soldiers and Marines to duty in Southern California was essential, timely and well-coordinated. Bass and Newsom refused to deploy in a timely manner sufficient police force with sufficient authority. They also refused even when police actions failed to quell the violent, property destroying and dangerous mobs in LA. President Trump acted swiftly and prudently to prevent further damage and danger to our citizens by deploying military forces.
Last Sunday, I was fortunate to help the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army serve 800 pizzas with soft drinks to the 4,000 mobilized National Guard soldiers of Task Force 51 at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. The soldiers were uniformly very appreciative of the AUSA provided treat and break from their normal Dining Facility (DFAC) food supplemented by MREs.
At least 80 percent of the soldiers we served that day were not combat veterans as evidenced by their lack of combat service patches on their right sleeves. Those soldiers were and are having their first experience with an extended mobilization along with the tedium thereby created.
Some soldiers told me they were grateful for the treat of the pizza and the break in the boredom of the base to which they are restricted. Some of the older, more experienced Noncommissioned officers and officers told me it was not bad duty and more than one NCO told me it was a great opportunity to train his troops over an extended period.
If the troops were in any way bored, despite the provision of the Moral, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) tents and facilities such as phones, video games, internet, and movies with snacks, I blame their leadership. The only reason the troops could be bored was that they were not sufficiently challenged or occupied by their leadership.
I was a battalion and brigade commander as well as the commander of the California Army National Guard. I led forces in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as commanding Task Forces for the LA Riots, Northridge Earthquake, and Reginald Denny Trial responses. I would have relished the dedicated down time of this deployment to train my troops in accord with the mandate from Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump for increased readiness, capabilities and lethality on the battlefield.
Using the leverage and resources of this federal mandate, I would have mandated and organized training with quantifiable targeted goals for the troops to include, but not limited to: electronic weapons qualifications, daily physical training, rappelling training using easily available civilian provided climbing towers, training for qualifications such as Expert Infantry Badge, Expert Medical Badge, Expert Sapper Badge, Air Assault and even Ranger Training. I would have also used the leverage of the mobilization to secure the rare NG training slots in those respective schools and tests for the troops following their mobilization.
I am quite sure some of this kind of training was and is being administered by a few seasoned NCOs and officers, but much more could and should be done to take full advantage of the time the troops are mobilized.
With such training augmenting their already “support to law enforcement” duties , no troops could possibly be bored and would be fully employed 14 to 16 hours per day. In addition, the mobilized troops of all ranks at the end of their tour of duty would emerge better trained, qualified, and more proficient and combat lethal than prior to their mobilization.
Such leadership actions supported by DoD would virtually eliminate the soldier complaining except for them today there are not hours sufficient in each day to accomplish all that could be mandated.
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