Vt. lawmakers seek to pull Guard from war

Vt. lawmakers seek to pull Guard from war

By Lisa Rathke - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 30, 2008 10:01:56 EST

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Fed up that Washington hasn’t done more to end the war, a group of Vermont lawmakers said Tuesday that the president no longer has the authority to use Guard troops in Iraq.

State Rep. Michael Fisher, D-Lincoln, said the authority to call up Guard members for Iraq duty has expired because that country no longer poses a threat to U.S. national security.

“The mission authorized in 2002 does not exist,” said Fisher, who plans to introduce a bill backed by 30 colleagues Wednesday that calls on Gov. Jim Douglas to join the effort. “Unless Congress grants a new authorization, the Vermont Guard should revert back to state control.”

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin said the Senate would take up similar legislation.

“Bottom line is, if the politicians in Washington aren’t going to do the right thing for our troops, let’s do the right thing by bringing our Vermont Guard members home,” he said. “If Vermont can make one small step forward, I believe others will follow.”
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/01/ap_vermontguard_080130/

National Guard troops have been reporting with rates of 50% with PTSD for two years now. They have to live with giving up their jobs and incomes in order to be deployed over and over again. Many of them face financial troubles beyond what the regular military face. This adds to their stress level.