Thread: Rural communities welcome Texas National Guard

http://www.elpasotimes.com/news/ci_4057952

Members of the Texas National Guard who have arrived in the El Paso area to provide support for the Border Patrol are receiving positive feedback from residents of rural communities where guardsmen are likely to be spotted, officials said Saturday.
Guardsmen are in the beginning stages of the two-year Operation Jump Start, an initiative announced in May by President Bush to help monitor the U.S.-Mexico border as the Border Patrol bolsters its staff by training about 6,000 new agents.

While the Guard expects to keep a low profile throughout the mission, its members might be noticed in small rural communities working on engineering projects and supporting the Border Patrol outside of the greater El Paso area.

"Most of the small communities where the National Guard can be seen, they are excited because it's going to bring economic support," said Doug Mosier, spokesman for the Border Patrol. "I think everyone is interested in protecting our Southern border."

Lt. Col. Paul Hernandez, commander for Operation Jump Start in the Border Patrol's El Paso sector, said the National Guard so far has focused on administrative and clerical duties, maintenance support, manning surveillance sites and developing infrastructure such as
roads and walls.

"The work that we have been doing has focused mainly on background assistance," Hernandez said. "We support the Border Patrol wherever they feel we need to support them."

As many as 300 National Guard soldiers could be assigned at one time to the El Paso sector -- which includes Hudspeth County, El Paso County and all of New Mexico -- for the duration of the mission, Hernandez said.

First Sgt. Michael Shepard of Nacogdoches volunteered for the mission and said most National Guard soldiers from out of town are staying in hotels until apartment-style accommodations are made.

"Everybody that I've run into and talked to, the reception has been very good," he said. "I thought it was a great way to help the country, my state and to help protect our borders."

Glad to see them show up. Maybe we will actually get to 1000 before long.
If we are lucky we could have all 6,000 by election day...2008