Summary
More than 40,000 National Guard members assisting with COVID-19 efforts will have their deployments end one day before qualifying for federal benefits.
Abstract
According to a report by Politico, the National Guard members who have been actively involved in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing will face an abrupt end to their deployments on June 24. This date falls just short of the time required for them to be eligible for federal benefits, including early retirement and education benefits. The situation has been described as "fucking sick" by retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson, who is the president of the National Guard Association. He points out the cruel timing of the deployment cutoff, which seems to deliberately prevent the guardsmen from accessing these benefits after their service.
Opinions
- The author expresses a strong negative sentiment, calling the situation "fucking sick," indicating a belief that the timing of the National Guard deployment cutoff is intentionally harmful to the guardsmen.
- Retired Brig. Gen. J. Roy Robinson's statement implies that the decision to end deployments just before guardsmen become eligible for benefits is not just unfortunate, but potentially malicious or negligent.
- The use of the term "hard stop" suggests a rigid and uncaring approach to the well-being of National Guard members who are serving during a public health crisis.
