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Marcia Barlow: Families
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NEWS & ANALYSIS
Scrooged: Governor,
National Guard Spurn Minutemen Care Packages
Dec. 22, 2006
SCOTTSDALE — The Minutemen
Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) has been informed by commanders of the
National Guard troops stationed on the United States-Mexico border that
they will not be permitted to distribute care packages during the
holiday season to 156 National Guard personnel stationed on the
border.
The event dubbed Operation Christmas Stocking was originally cleared by field command, but earlier this week MCDC was notified that because of political reasons which involved orders from Governor Napolitano and high level commanders the offering of holiday support was nixed.
After several attempts to appeal to the
sympathies of unit commanders, a statement released today by Major Paul
Aguirre Public Affairs Office, AZ National Guard states “The National
Guard is very appreciative of your thoughtful offer during this holiday
season. However, based on operational, safety, and security reasons we
will be unable to support your request to … distribute your care
packages to our soldiers and airmen”.
The care packages were organized in an
effort to demonstrate appreciation to the National Guard troops, from
states other than Arizona, who have volunteered for the assignment to
secure the border from terrorists, drug cartels and illegal crossings
rather than spend their holiday season with their families in Michigan,
Tennessee and North Carolina.
Chris Simcox, founder and president of the
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, said, “We are grateful to the members of
the National Guard who understand the importance of securing our borders
and therefore we wish to demonstrate our appreciation for their
sacrifice during the holiday season Soldiers are always sent care
packages while stationed on the front lines in combat and the
U.S.-Mexico border is the front line on the War on Terror. It is a shame
they are punished by the politically motivated discriminatory acts of
Governor Napolitano and the open borders lobby in Washington, D.C.”
MCDC now
has 156 cares packages that were to be delivered to Sasabe, Arizona on
Saturday. The care packages include store bought cookies and candies,
sunscreen, skin lotion, chap stick, long underwear and various other
personal items to help our troops cope with the Sonoran desert region
where they have been assigned.
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