A battle over spousal benefits for guard members and veterans in same-sex marriages has erupted in Texas, turning the recent shift in federal policy into even more of a bipartisan political debate.
According to the Texas Tribune, 16 Democratic lawmakers are asking the Texas National Guard to reconsider its current ban on allowing same-sex military couples and veterans from receiving spousal benefits. Military health insurance, social security assistance and identification cards are among the benefits now available to married same-sex couples, under the new directive from the Department of Defense.
The policy change comes several months after the Supreme Court issued an unprecedented ruling last June, striking down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act that blocked federal agencies from recognizing same-sex marriage. However, the Texas National Guard is an agent of both the state and federal governments, answering to both the president and the state's governor. This dual role allowed the guard to ignore the DoD's policy change and act according to the state. Texas currently has a Family Code that bans same-sex couples from receiving marriage licenses.
Currently, Texas National Guard members can only enroll in the veterans benefits programs that are operated out of federal campuses. In their letter, the 16 lawmakers pressed Maj. Gen. John Nichols to allow state-operated institutions to grant these services.
The Texas National Guard is not the only one refusing to process claims for same-sex military spouses and veterans. NPR reported that the Mississippi National Guard will not grant spousal benefits to same-sex couples unless they apply for a marriage license on federal property.
This year has been particularly bad for forest fires, and nowhere is that more evident than in northern California, where flames have been decimating iconic Yosemite National Park. As first responders work to save this natural landmark from the blaze, they are getting some help from the local National Guard, according to the Army's official website.
The Guard has been providing assistance both in the form of helicopter crews and airtankers to provide support from the sky. Specifically, seven Black Hawk helicopters have been used to douse the flames as is a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Additionally, one Black Hawk is on call to be used to evacuate in the case of a medical emergency. Since they were activated Aug. 17, the helicopters have dropped more than 111,500 gallons of water.
"We train for this fight every year," Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, adjutant general of the California National Guard, told the website. "Our ongoing coordination with CAL FIRE and CAL OES [California Office of Emergency Services] ensures that the right people, with the right training, are in the right place when the lives and property of our fellow Californians are on the line."
Despite the efforts, the Yosemite fire has continued to grow in recent days. According to CNN, the fire is at just 20 percent containment.
The impact of sequestration-required cuts is beginning to be felt in military communities across the country, and now those effects are extending to the National Guard. The Department of Defense has ordered furloughs for one day a week over the next three months. The move could cut their pay by about 20 percent, according to The Associated Press.
Along with less compensation, Guardsmen may also find it difficult to perform their necessary tasks due to the shorter hours. For instance, cutting hours may hurt their ability to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies. This is especially troublesome in some states, like Florida, which will be dealing with hurricane season in the near future.
"Our general sense is that short-term, it's going to be a terrible hardship for those soldiers, airmen and their families. But if it goes on for any length of time, that may have a negative impact on our readiness and our ability to respond," said Hawaii National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony.
Guardsmen aren't the only ones feeling the pinch from sequestration. According to MSNBC, the cuts also reduced federal funding for first responders and firefighters.
The western U.S. is no stranger to wildfires, but this year is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent memory. Colorado is already experiencing intense blazes raging outside of Colorado Springs, and as first responders rush to get the fires under control, the military is lending a hand. In addition to offering support on the ground, helicopters and C-130s from the Reserve 302nd Airlift Wing have been brought in to fight the fires from the air, according to Military Times.
Historic flames
By Friday morning, the fires raging through Black Forest have been about 5 percent contained, and while that's progress compared to the earlier estimates, the area damaged by the flames is significant. Officials say that at least two people have died as a result and an estimated 379 homes have been destroyed. Additionally, 38,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and the fire has covered approximately 15,700 acres, The Denver Post reports.
Military plays increasing role
The C-130s were requested by the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday, and by Wednesday they were up fighting the blaze. Each plane is equipped with the capability of discharging about 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant at once. Not only that, but it can be refilled and back in the air in just 12 minutes, proving that the planes are a vital tool in the fight against the wildfires. In addition to the C-130s, members of the National Guard are helping contain the blaze on the ground. El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa is certainly thankful.
"Mother Nature has really challenged us the last couple days," Maketa told NBC's "Today" show. "Today is supposed to be another windy day, and having all those bodies will certainly be an asset, because it's really two fronts fighting the fire.
More than Colorado
Although Colorado has seen the most substantial fires so far, California has also been greatly affected this year. Earlier this month, flames hit communities located near Los Angeles and burned an estimated 41 square miles, causing the evacuation of around 1,000 homes, according to The Associated Press. Fires throughout New Mexico have also caused a significant amount of damage including to areas near the capital city of Santa Fe.
As the town of Moore, Okla., recovers from a devastating tornado that hit earlier this week, the Oklahoma National Guard has played an integral role in the process. Just hours after the storm passed through, hundreds of Guardsmen were on the scene helping look for survivors and they will likely remain as the clean-up process continues, according to the Army's official website.
Local residents are just beginning to feel the full effects of the storm. Officials say the twister, which had winds of up to 200 miles per hour, killed 24 people – 10 of whom were children. Although many of the service members helping out in the recovery have been to devastated areas before, they say the damage inflicted on Moore – estimated to be about $2 billion – is among the worst they have ever seen.
"This is a thousand times worse [than a 1999 tornado that also hit Moore]. It's like a war zone." Sgt. Mike Bell told NBC News, "I was deployed to Katrina in 2005; that was bad. This is – words can't describe how bad this is."
The scene in Moore evokes memories of a powerful tornado that struck the city of Joplin, Mo., in 2011. That storm caused the deaths of more than 160 people.
When First Sgt. Bernard Madore, 1st Lt. Steve Fiola and Staff Sgt. Mark Welch began walking the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route on Monday carrying the rucksacks, they could have never envisioned their supplies would have been put to good use. Yet the trio of Guardsmen, who made the arduous journey as part of Tough Ruck 2013, which raises money for the Military Friends Foundation, quickly put their training to use once two bombs turned the finish line into a war zone, USA Today reports.
Battlefield memories
Madore is no stranger to being in the line of fire. A Somerville, Mass., native, he spent nearly two years deployed to Iraq as part of both Operation New Dawn and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While he is trained to respond in the event of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), when he heard the blasts go off and saw the destruction on Monday, it hit much closer to home than anything he experienced during his time in the battlefield.
"When you're over there, you almost expect it," he told the publication. "I've seen bombs go off. This was by far one of the most horrific scenes."
Madore, Fiola and Welch quickly jumped in to help by removing barriers and getting to victims as fast as possible. They helped put out fires, get other spectators to safety and clear the area while emergency personnel quickly got to work on the severely injured bystanders.
More with military ties
The three Massachusetts Guardsmen were not the only people with military ties to help out amid the chaos. A photo of Carlos Arredondo jumping in to help the wounded immediately after the attacks has become one of the most iconic images of the day's events. Donning a cowboy hat, the Costa Rica-born spectator helped tend to one of the most seriously injured victims and is being labeled a hero by many. His life has been touched with tragedy before – his son was killed by sniper fire in Iraq nearly 10 years ago. In fact, he was on hand to watch a group of runners who were participating to honor soldiers who had died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, ABC News reports.
"My first reaction was to run toward the people," he told reporters. "There was so much commotion and a lot of people running away. I was one of the first to help people and God protected me. It was horrific."
A historic blizzard hit New England last weekend, and while most emergency responders were focused on snow removal, some members of the Massachusetts National Guard were helping out in a much different way. Called into action during the early hours of February 9, when the storm was at its worst, the Guardsmen helped a local woman give birth, reports The Boston Globe.
A call came into local emergency services at around 2:30 a.m. from Ericka Bueno, who reported she had started going into labor. At this point, snow was pummeling the Bay State, but the National Guard’s Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 181st Infantry Regiment helped first responders get to her residence in around 10 minutes. After delivering Bueno’s child in her home, emergency responder escorted her to the hospital.
“It’s just good to know that we had so many people behind us – that it wasn’t just the EMTs, that we had the National Guard there,” Bueno told the Globe. “I was just a regular person giving birth, and they went and they shoveled us out and they made sure that we made it to the hospital,” according to the Globe.
Given the scope of the storm, the response time and relative ease of the delivery was certainly impressive. On February 9, Boston received 14.8 inches of snow, the most in a one-day period the city has ever had.