No group in the U.S. military has been treated as shabbily as the National Guard.
They've been unceremoniously yanked out of their civilian jobs and away from families, frequently deployed more than once in harm's way in Iraq and Afghanistan, and often without proper protective equipment for combat.
Some whose time was up contractually also have been involuntarily forced onto added duty.
Wait. There's more indignity. State Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, has discovered that Idaho law literally punishes Guard members and their families for serving their country.
He found that family members who're state employees lose their insurance coverage for 30 days when the Guard's member is deployed and the military's insurance policy kicks in.
Another state law covering Guard members also allows paid leave for Guard duties only after "field training." But there's apparently no paid leave during combat-ready deployments as activated members of the Guard,
Stennett has introduced bills that would change both punitive state laws.
Making life even more difficult, if not outright unjust, for men and women who serve their nation in uniform, and for families who have a grueling enough time maintaining the home fires during deployments, flies in the face of the national chant, "Support the Troops."
Sen. Stennett's legislative colleagues should approve his well-founded remedies unanimously, and with thanks that the flaws were discovered so Idaho could make amends.
