President Obama's remarks today announcing a drawdown - to zero - of American troop presence in Iraq is not directly New Jersey news.
But more than 100 people with ties to New Jersey have died in the allied wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And at least 539 New Jerseyans died at the World Trade Center attack tied to both wars. For them, for NJ soldiers deployed in Iraq and veterans of 2 wars there, and for the $40 billion spent by NJ on the Iraq War, here is the speech ostensibly ending it, from the President:
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON ENDING THE WAR IN IRAQ
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
12:49 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end -- for the sake of our national security and to strengthen American leadership around the world. After taking office, I announced a new strategy that would end our combat mission in Iraq and remove all of our troops by the end of 2011.
While Governor Christie will hobnob today with influential power brokers in NYC, LG Kim Guadagno will attend five 9/11 events in our state. One of them will be at Bergen County's spacious Overpeck Park on the banks of a creek. Befitting the loss of life of so many county residents, the park has its own World Trade Center Memorial. Engraved stones along its paths commemorate those who died.
For me it was not a political leader, but Bruce Springsteen in his song "The Rising" who vividly captured the 9/11 experience and expressed the hope that out of the horror some good would come. It is narrated by a fireman, one of many heroes during this awful moment. He is climbing the World Trade Center stairs through the fire and chaos, "Lost track of how far I've gone, how high I've climbed. On my back's a sixty pound stone. On my shoulder a half mile line." He sees the dead and injured: "Faces gone, black, eyes burnin' bright. May their precious blood forever bind me." Thinking perhaps about the effect this event will have on so many remaining friends and family members, he speaks of "Sky of memory and shadow. Sky of longing and emptiness." Released a year after the event, the song has as its refrain "Come on up for the rising," suggesting not only the fireman's excruciating climb upward, but also a religious exhortation that people come on up for a renewal or resurrection, life after death, which provides meaning and hope where initially there was only despair.
Last week, I wrote a post about how House Republicans like Scott Garrett and Eric Cantor were using this past week's disasters (earthquake, Hurricane Irene) and used them as a sick opportunity to take cheap shots at those who were the most in need and vulnerable.
Of course, I'm referring to the self righteous calls for more cuts to desperately needed programs to help those who aren't super rich in order to pay for cleanup of the massive and widespread damage.
Hopefully, everyone is safe, with power back on if it was lost or all water bailed out (as I spent most of yesterday doing) or all tree branches picked up (as I still have to finish myself).
House Republicans demanded earlier this year that new disaster relief be funded by cuts elsewhere, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office said Thursday the Virginia Republican continues to believe that.
Rep. Scott Garrett agreed. Garrett, R-N.J., said through a spokesman it was the "responsible thing to do."
"With $16 trillion in debt and budget deficits as far as the eye can see, the last thing we should be doing is spending money we don't have," Garrett spokesman Ben Veghte said.
The honor system never works well when there is public money for the taking. After Hurricane Katrina, Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, was vilified by pretty much everyone for not supporting emergency federal funding for victims, but he raised what later became a prescient point: That there wasn't proper oversight and without it, there would be widespread fraud and abuse.
This is such an interesting coda to the diary I wrote last night. In my read, it's both sad and inspiring. For sure, Joe Lieberman didn't deserve Stephen, who is a candidate for office right now Berkeley Heights Township Council - Rosi
I read Rosi's article on the front page of Blue Jersey with great interest. It was wonderful to see how she and so many NJ-DFA members came up to Connecticut to support a progressive Democrat in Ned Lamont.
However, I have a confession to make: not only was I not among them, but at the time I was trying to help his opponent win renomination. It was a futile effort on my part, and one I now regret.
Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden East Room, White House
11:35 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
What "the great deficit debate" really boils down to is one thing: priorities.
Deficits weren't a priority when nearly all Republicans and a good number of Democrats voted for the ill conceived and ill advised invasions and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq close to a decade ago. They weren't a priority when tens, if not hundreds of billions went to waste or were just "lost" in Iraq - not knowing if they ended up in the hands of those who were the stated enemy. They weren't a priority when billions of no-bid contracts were handed out like candy, with no accounting.
There were some in Congress, including my Representative, Scott Garrett, who weren't yet elected when the first vote was taken to start the folly in Iraq. However, he, and his ilk have been present for all or most of the subsequent economy killing votes to continue funding these disasters with our children's, grandchildren's and great-grandchildren's money. There wasn't even a hesitation on most of this - even with the very basic premise that cutting taxes in conjunction with a war is unheard of and pretty much unprecedented.
It's a (nearly) all-Montclair version of The Colbert Report, with Montclair's Colbert and a special neighbor from Montclair, marking the occasion of the 'end of combat' in the Iraq War (with a famous Delawarian dropping by and a 100% audience of our troops). The Colbert Report: Been There Won That:
After WW II Johnny's return was greeted with "Hurrah Hurrah." After Vietnam his return was not so happy. Yesterday the last combat troops left Iraq, and gradually Johnny and Jane will return to New Jersey. They leave behind a country with significant unresolved issues and a war for which the results are yet to be determined. Of the 50,000 (plus contractors) who are staying in Iraq, many will not be immune to combat. Of those who are leaving, many will be reassigned to Afghanistan or other theaters. Other New Jerseyans will continue to be assigned there to join the "non-combatants."
Most returning to New Jersey are excited to be reunited with loved ones and friends and feel a huge sense of relief. However, they face an unemployment rate about double our 9.7%. (Nationally for veterans the rate is 21%.) Many have physical wounds and ailments requiring treatment from our overburdened VA hospitals. Most will experience some level of post-traumatic stress disorder, in some cases severe enough to lead to suicide. Earlier this month, Rep. Rush Holt (NJ-12) hosted a forum for hundreds of Central New Jersey veterans addressing concerns about health care, the GI Bill, veterans employment, and other issues.
A NJ Senate committee released this week a non-partisan bill that would provide an income tax credit up to $10,000 to veterans who require psychological counseling and treatment. Senate Majority Leader Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) said she will also introduce a separate measure calling on Congress to pass a bill requiring that returnees receive a telephone call from properly trained personnel to determine their emotional, psychological, medical, and career needs and concerns at least once every 90 days.
"Vet-2-Vet," a toll-free confidential help line, created five years ago by the NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and UMDNJ responds to over 3,000 calls a year, but operates on year-to-year funding. Sen. Fred Madden (D-Turnersville) introduced legislation that would require the state to permanently fund the program.
What can we do? Welcome vets home with open arms. Support legislation for better medical care, counseling and job services. Encourage employers to hire vets. Urge our government to withdraw even more troops from Iraq and start the process immediately to bring an end to our fruitless war in Afghanistan.
Tod is a candidate for Congress in NJ-5. Promoted by Rosi Efthim
My military service best falls under the heading better late than never. I had hoped to enter the Army or Marine Corps after college but acquiesced to my parents' wishes to attend law school. It meant a great deal to them as I would be the first "professional" in our family. Upon graduating law school in 1987, I once again flirted with entering the military. Unfortunately, my father suffered a massive heart attack that summer and I opted to take care of my family. Two decades later, I would be given another chance to give something back to my country as a soldier.
In January 2007, I was commissioned into the New York Guard (the "Guard") as a 1st Lieutenant. The Guard was created during WWI in response to homeland security concerns. The prospect of German U-boats surfacing off the shores of Long Island and Brooklyn were enough to have the State of New York charter what amounted to a State Militia. The Guard allowed men and women such as me who were too old to serve in the "regular" armed forces an opportunity to participate in domestic defense initiatives.
I had initially attempted to enter the Guard in 2004, but the particular unit I was applying through made errors with my paperwork. I was frustrated, yet never gave up the dream I harbored since childhood. In 2006, I reconnected with the Guard through a fellow attorney who served as recruitment coordinator for the 7th Civil Affairs Regiment. I told my wife that I wanted to join and explained the nature of and duties inherent in the Guard. I also told her how much this meant to me. With her blessing, I entered the Guard.
My unit is a remarkable collection of men and women. Our personnel include Judges, partners at major New York law firms, attorneys from various backgrounds and non-professionals who bring myriad experiences to bear in performing their duties. We receive no compensation for our service and provide anywhere from $300,000 to $400,000 in legal services to soldiers and their families every year. We also receive training in numerous areas of homeland defense. I have received certifications in suicide bombing prevention and response along with completing nearly a dozen learning modules in emergency preparedness. I have also been trained at a very basic level in dealing with weapons of mass destruction.
This training is critical given that I and my comrades are first and foremost soldiers. The fact that I work just a few blocks from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan brings a sense of immediacy to my service. My BDUs (battle dress uniform) often hang in my office and I have made my peace that in the event we are attacked again, I will put them on and do whatever is necessary to protect our nation and save as many lives as possible.
My tenure in the Guard has had an indelible impact on how I view not only war, but peace. When my unit travels to Fort Hamilton, Floyd Bennett Field or some other military facility to perform what we affectionately refer to as "will drills," we are confronted with a reality most Americans never witness. It is a sobering experience to sit down with a young man or woman to discuss things like the disposition of their remains or draft a health care proxy in the event they return from Iraq or Afghanistan incapable of making decisions regarding medical care. It is heart rending to make small talk with a twenty-year-old about how he wants his kid brother to get his prized hot rod if he doesn't make it back. Even more difficult is addressing issues involving children and what happens to them when mommy or daddy comes home in a flag-draped casket.
Our soldiers are not action movie characters or cartoonish fodder for our entertainment. They are flesh and blood. They are our brothers and sisters. They are our sons and daughters. They have precious dreams that they sacrificially defer in order to preserve our liberties. I often find myself looking for a quiet place amidst the frenzy of our legal services operation to bow my head, say a prayer and shed some tears at the prospect that some of these soldiers will not be coming home or that their lives will be forever changed by the hell that is war. That their families will sit down for Christmas dinners to come with an empty place setting that will never be filled. That their children will grow up never knowing their mothers or fathers. That they will leave a piece of their soul in an Iraqi desert or Afghani mountain range.
Sending servicemen and women into the line of fire is the most solemn decision any elected official will ever make. Before such a decision is made, it is incumbent upon those in power to consider exactly what they are placing at risk. I subscribe to a very simple standard for whether to commit troops to the field - would I send my own son or daughter to fight. Most politicians could not answer this question in the affirmative. Yet they wrap themselves in the flag and reflexively send other people's children across the globe to fight for causes not worthy of their own progeny's blood. I hope there is a special corner of hell carved out for these hypocrites.
My service in the Guard has, more than anything, taught me to value our troops at a very human level. I pray on this Memorial Day that I never discount who they are for the sake of political expedience.
Tod Theise
Democratic Candidate for Congress
5th District - NJ
Today, Americans pause to remember the sacrifice of the countless heroes who, through our country's 228 years of existence, took up arms in defense of liberty and our national interest. We mark this Veterans Day embroiled in the longest conflict in American history, one that pits our women and men in uniform against an adaptive, dangerous, and determined enemy. Regardless of one's politics, we ought to honor the sacrifices of those still living, and remember the fallen heroes who are no longer among us.
According to the Congressional Research Service, at least 1,009,041 Americans have died in major combat operations since the first shots sounded at Lexington and Concord in 1775. That number is staggering, especially when one considers the thousands of wounded veterans who returned home, many physically and mentally broken, never to live the life they intended to live. Indeed, the pain and suffering borne by so many families was and continues to be a festering wound that refuses to heal. These heroes sacrificed to secure a permanent peace as precious as it is elusive.
Unlike any other arena of human endeavor, soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen put their lives on the line to defend that which we hold dear. And we, by many measures the most prosperous and free people in the history of humanity, have those warriors to thank for the liberties we continue to enjoy. Yet, as a country, our thanks is too often half hearted. 1/3 of all homeless Americans, a number equal to 260,000 people, are veterans. Nearly two mllion veterans lack access to basic medical care. The greatest thanks we can offer the heroes still among us are the guarantees that they will be cared for in the shadows and twilight of their lives. Thus far, we have failed to honor that simple but profound commitment.
The nature of military conflict may have changed, but that nobility of service and the selfless devotion to one's country remains. For the echoes of Breeds Hill can be heard in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan. The bugle call heard at Antietam still summons heroes to our nation's cause. These heroes, along with those who fought at Verdun, Normandy, Khe Sanh, and Anbar, did so that their children might live in a world unaware of the horrors of war. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, as the United States faces security threats from all corners of the world, some may say it was a hope born out of ignorance. Perhaps, however, it was born from the experience of those who saw the most degrading and base aspects of the human condition. War is terrible, unjust, and should be avoided at all costs. Those who wore the uniform at Yorktown knew it then, and those riding convoy duty this very moment know it now.
So today, let us thank our veterans and say a collective prayer that these wars end, expeditiously, and with honor. In the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes,
"Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace."
Iraq and Afghanistan: What is the Way Out?
Dahr Jamail speaks at NJ Peace Action 52nd Annual Soup Luncheon
Saturday, November 21st at Columbia High School in Maplewood
For Immediate Release
October 9, 2009
Dahr Jamail will be speaking at NJ Peace Action's 52nd Annual Soup Luncheon on Saturday, November 21st, at Columbia High School in Maplewood. His topic will be "Iraq and Afghanistan: What is the Way Out?" Since the nation just marked the 8th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, this program could not be more timely. The program runs from 11:45am to 4:00pm with Dahr Jamail speaking just after 2:00pm.
Dahr Jamail, a political activist and unembedded journalist from Anchorage, Alaska, first traveled to Iraq in November 2003 to write about the effects of the US occupation on the Iraqi people. After nine weeks covering the occupation, he returned to the US and addressed audiences in Alaska and the Northeast about his experience. As his articles at dahrjamailiraq.com became more widely referenced, his reputation grew quickly as a courageous journalist for whom the pursuit of the truth was worth risking his life. He is the author of Beyond the Green Zone (Haymarket Books, 2007) and The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (Haymarket Books, 2009).
"Dahr Jamail is one of the few reporters brave and principled enough to report independently on the conflicts, instead of being embedded with military units fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. His presentation could not be any more timely," said Madelyn Hoffman, Director of NJ Peace Action. "President Obama is currently deciding whether to send thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan on the advice of General McChrystal or to pursue an alternative approach to ending the conflict, particularly since public opposition to the on-going war is steadily increasing. It is essential to hear from an independent voice at this critical juncture - as we make the case against an escalation in the number of troops being sent to Afghanistan."
When asked about the decision facing President Obama regarding an increase in troops to Afghanistan, Dahr replied "The US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan violates both international law as well as the US constitution. I feel it is fair to ask this question to the President: given the law, and given that you are a constitutional lawyer yourself, how can you, as President, justify sending more troops into an occupation that violates the UN Charter and the US Constitution?"
"The US is a signatory nation of the UN Charter," continues Dahr Jamail. "According to the UN Charter, there are only two reasons why any country is allowed to go to war. The first is in self-defense and second is only with UN Security Council Ratification. The US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan is not a just war, as it meets neither of these criteria. Given the Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution, Article 6 Paragraph 2, which tells us all foreign treaties the US signs become the supreme law of our land, the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan violates both international law as well as the US constitution."
Dahr writes for the Inter Press Service and many other outlets and is a regular guest on the radio show, Democracy Now! His extraordinary reporting talent has earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious 2008 Martha Gellhorn Award for Journalism, The Lannan Foundation Writing Residency Fellowship, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage, and four Project Censored awards.
Some of Dahr Jamail's most compelling observations appear below:
- On Journalism:
"Since an informed citizenry is the basis for a healthy democracy, independent, non-corporate media are more crucial today than ever before."
- On Reporting about Iraq:
"I feel it imperative to maintain a solid presence of independent journalists in Iraq, as there are so few. Most of the mainstream media are just parroting the news fed to them by the CPA and military."
- On Veterans:
"It is a painful irony that some of those who volunteered to serve and defend our nation are now left particularly defenseless and vulnerable as a direct consequence of its ill advised foreign adventures."
- On American Ignorance of the occupation:
"I keep wondering how long it can go on; how long so many people in my home country will continue to ignore it, to be complicit, whether they know it or not, in our brutal occupation -- so long after it was proven beyond a shadow of a shadow of a doubt that this war was illegal and based on nothing but lies. "
Reservations for the Soup Luncheon are $25 before November 10th and $30 after that. Reservations can also be made on line, by clicking
here.
For more information contact: Madelyn Hoffman, Executive Director of NJ Peace Action, 973-259-1126 (office), (973)876-1023(cell)
As New Jerseyans, we can intimately recall the events of September 11, 2001 and remember the panic, outrage, and grief that washed over us. Memories of the hole in the Manhattan skyline, the smoke that blanketed our suburban skies and the pain of losing nearly 700 of our neighbors still lingers eight years on.
Like a line of demarcation running through our collective consciousness, the force of our initial reaction may have lessened with time but there is no doubt that our national life is forever changed. In the aftermath of the horrific attacks, determined to prevent terrorism from returning to our shores, we launched two wars and surrendered certain freedoms in the name of homeland security. Eight years later, the consequences of those decisions and the challenges they were intended to overcome remain. Osama bin Laden is at large. Al Qaeda, though its strength is diminished, continues its war of terror against the West. Prisoners still wait at Guantanamo Bay, and American men and women still serve overseas prepared to lay down their lives in defense of our national interest.
Many progressives are reluctant to discuss the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are divided between wanting an immediate end to the conflict and a desire to defeat the agents of terrorism. We are also distracted. Angry town hall meetings, death panels, and in New Jersey, talk of driving records consume our attention. Ours is a country at war, but one would be hard pressed to see that when considering the issues dominating our national and state discourse.
Sure, life goes on. There are pressing domestic concerns that must also be addressed. Health care reform should be enacted. Chris Christie's record should be examined. Yet the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have lasted longer than America's involvement in the Second World War, and as progressives, we have failed to demand our leaders present a path to victory or a plan for peace.
This is the greatest question of our time and our movement is asleep at the wheel. Perhaps we were traumatized by the Bush Administration's politicization of national security, and by no means do I seek a return to 2002, when agreeing with Republican principles was a question of patriotism. What I seek is engagement. We cannot relegate the reality of war to the back of our minds and content ourselves with talk of health care reform when America's sons and daughters are dying for a cause that many in our country no longer deem worthy of their attention.
Victory, much like our war against Nazism, requires that we fully devote ourselves to our present endeavor. We may decide to see this through to the end or we may decide these wars are no longer worth the cost of life and treasure. Nonetheless, we must choose our course. Progressives understand that timidity is the great enemy of success, and the current situation demands more than hanging a flag from the front porch. It demands our engagement.
Years from now, our children will ask us what we did to help our country in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. What we say then will depend on what we do now. History will be the ultimate arbiter of our actions. Let us engage.
So John Adler's office is sending out a triumphant press release that he "supports the troops" by voting for today's war supplemental. I guess we can say that the Republicans, by their previous standards, don't as they all voted against it. Blah blah blah. I just hope President Obama lives up to his commitment to withdraw troops from Iraq, as so far he's switched to plan that involves not actually withdrawing them in 2009. Where is the money for these wars? I'd rather just mail a check to bail out California and any other state, or just not borrow it.
We hear he's turning to vulnerable Republicans and telling them he can get the DCCC to "go easy" on them next year if they vote for the Supplemental tomorrow. And Eric Cantor's office is really pissed.
It's one thing if he makes a deal with Vern Buchanan in Florida or Chris Smith in New Jersey, but we're hearing that he's offering to protect Republicans who have been slated as major DCCC targets, like Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Bill Young (R-FL), Leonard Lance R-NJ) and Charlie Dent (R-PA).
This is not a deal to get universal health care passed, which I could certainly forgive. This is a deal to vote for A. The Iraq War, B. Bailing out European banks via the IMF, and C. Covering up abuse photos. There's not much reason any Democrat should vote for it, much less make a deal to protect Leonard Lance.
Let's hope the rumor is not true, or the DCCC has the guts to tell Rahm he's not their boss.
Now this is pretty cool. The Yellow Ribbon Club is a non-partisan organization that was started in South Jersey and works to support our armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan through shipping care packages, promoting and fostering welcome home events for local veterans and providing monetary assistance to us military hospitals and care facilities. Here is an audio interview with the founder of the organization Leslie Drummond from WPHT, who explained how she started the club in September of 2005 when her son was in Iraq and she began organizing the delivery of care packages. The group has grown from Leslie's efforts.
At one point during the encore, Vedder mentioned a letter he got from a fan that really moved him, in which the writer of the letter talked about the impact Pearl Jam's music had on his life and how he was inspired by Eddie Vedder to begin volunteering for an organization called the Yellow Ribbon Club that raises money to support US troops. As he told the story, he noticed a visibly emotional couple in the front row and discovered that it was the same couple that had written the letter. It was a very touching moment as he hugged them and thanked them for the letter, and announced that he and Pearl Jam would be contributing to the organization. It is moments like this that make you realize the ability music has to bring people together and impact their lives in a powerful way.
The organization has received over 60,000 hits on their website since the concert and article. In full disclosure, I have volunteered with the club for many events including their recent car washes, which were organized by David J. Sliver, the writer of the letter which inspired Vedder's support. They are a fantastic organization that does wondeful work and the families are so dedicated to supporting their own. Below the fold, i'll put a video of a recent welcome home they organized for a soldier coming home from his fifth tour of duty in Iraq. You can learn more about their efforts.
Although they started returning on Memorial day, a parade and ceremonies were held in Trenton yesterday to honor the service of our National Guard troops. The largest deployment since World War II returned with the same number they left to serve. Here is video from the Assembly:And here is some video from the Governor's office where he said:
"Today, we are proud to welcome home our heroes one and all," Governor Corzine said. "You have served our state and our nation with dignity, with honor, and with courage. We can only imagine the adversity you faced and the conditions that made your jobs even more difficult. On behalf of all New Jersey's citizens, we thank you for your patriotism and service and we honor the sacrifices of your families. We are fortunate that you have all returned home safely."
I'll put more comments from elected officials, video and photos from the day below the fold. We're glad to have them all back safe and sound, but just because they've returned safely doesn't mean that everything goes back to normal. Let's hope that our elected officials are as interested in caring for them now that they have returned as they were celebrating their arrival.
A plane carrying nearly 400 members of the Guard's 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is scheduled to arrive Monday morning at McGuire Air Force Base in Burlington County.
The soldiers are the first to return from the largest overseas deployment of the New Jersey National Guard since World War II.
This is the first wave to come home since they deployed in what was the largest since World War II. We've had over 2800 members in Iraq since last September and while they won't all come home Monday, they are coming home soon:
They will arrive in groups of 300 to 400, landing every few days. The entire complement should be back in New Jersey by the time a special parade is held in their honor on June 14, officials said.
The first returning group includes men and women from three units: The 250th Brigade Support Battalion, Delta Company out of West Orange; the 114th Infantry Battalion, Delta Company, Woodstown , and the 154th Quartermaster Company, Sea Girt.
The Memorial Day plane troops are expected to arrive at McGuire Air Force Base by late morning, said 1st Sgt. David Moore, a Fort Dix spokesman. They will be bussed to Fort Dix where their families will be waiting at the National Guard training and development center, officials said.
It's fantastic that we are bringing them home safely. Now they will need the care and assistance to help manage the adjustment back to civilian life with their families.
The demobilization is the first step in a $3 million "reintegration program," for New Jersey Guardsman. State adjutant general Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth called it "one of the most comprehensive efforts ever undertaken to support troops as they make the transition from warrior to parent, spouse, student, employee and member of their community."
The program includes employment, financial and marital counseling. There will be job fairs, free tuition, marriage enrichment seminars and special rates on health insurance.
Rieth said a key component of the reintegration program is mental health screening. In the first three months after their return, the troops will be screened at least three times for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injuries and other mental health or emotional issues.
They still have a long road ahead, but the fact that they can begin the next phase of their journey is a huge step.
Now that a Democrat is in the White House, the political dynamics of voting for war funding have changed. Would Republicans vote any spending bill from this President, after so many pro-war votes? Would Democrats who opposed previous supplementals now vote in favor? And would Scott Garrett ever vote with a majority of New Jersey Representatives?
