National Guard Unit Split on Border Plan
By LYNN BREZOSKY, Associated Press Writer
44 minutes ago

WESLACO, Texas - In the Rio Grande Valley, an area known for both blended cultures and intense U.S. patriotism, National Guard soldiers recently back from Afghanistan are taking stock of President Bush's plan to use their ranks to patrol the Mexican border.

Bush has promised that 6,000 National Guard troops would help out to secure the border. The deployment would last two years, with no clear end date, according to a Pentagon memo obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

"This is one battalion that can always be counted on," said Maj. Albert Lara. "Military service is a big tradition in Hispanic communities."

But not all his soldiers were as eager to get right back to work building triple-layer fencing and handling other logistical duties.

"Today's a last day for a very long time," 24-year-old Spc. Joe Pena said, his companions nodding in shared relief on Friday when they marked the official end of their yearlong deployment. "We're not looking to wear this uniform much longer."

Pena says he disagrees with having the National Guard patrolling the border.

"It's not the right thing to patrol the border, 'cause that's not what they're for," he said. "You're taking people from high-stress areas; you're putting them somewhere they don't belong. People are going to be getting killed. It could be detrimental."

But Lara said the Guard is ready for such duty.

"Our training prepares us to do a lot of things, whatever the case may be. We've proved we can adapt," he said. "That's what makes us better than active duty _ we bring our civilian skills. Yes, we have a military mind, but we also have a civilian mind."

The Pentagon's one-page "initial guidance" memo to Guard leaders in border states does not address the cost of the mission or when soldiers would be deployed. But high-ranking officials in the California National Guard said they were told Friday that deployments would not begin before early June.

While the document says troops would remain under governors' command, it also indicates a high degree of federal control. It states that the National Guard Bureau's Army and Air Directories "will serve as the states' focal points for force-planning, training, organizing and equipping their forces."

Guardsmen in "all other states, territories and the District of Columbia" will serve a supportive role, according to the memo.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano said they would support deployment to the border. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he has not decided whether to participate, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has criticized the plan.

Among Guardsmen in Weslaco, some said they were ready to sign on.

"As a matter of fact, I volunteered yesterday," said Spc. David Garza, 41. "I don't want to sound corny or anything, but I do believe in serving your country. ... Here we've got a security thing going on the border and here's an opportunity to do it again."

Garza said their time in Afghanistan was busy. They spent 12- and 16-hour days assisting combat infantry and going out on patrols. Being divorced, with teenage sons and a job that would wait for him, he said he might be more available than others to serve.

The recent deployment could be a plus, he said.

"Every infantry soldier you have here is fit," he said. "Some would say let's not wear them out. But some would say this is the perfect unit."

Pena and a group of younger soldiers said they joined the Guard for the educational benefits and chuckled at the Guard's mantra of "one weekend a month."

"It was a long weekend in Afghanistan," 20-year-old Abel Samaniego said.

Narciso Zapata, 25, has spent the past three years serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the first year with the Army. He got married five days before he was deployed.

"Three tours, three years," he said. "I'm glad to be back. I think it'd be nice to spend time at home, spend a little time with my wife."

He said he didn't agree with sending the Guard to the border but would go if asked.

"I think the federal agencies are doing an excellent job," he said. "I just don't see the need for it. I think a lot of it has to be political."

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Associated Press writer Aaron C. Davis in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report.