Generals ask: Why are armed soldiers patrolling cities? Why are they even there in the first place? This is not normal
Why are armed soldiers patrolling American cities?
Why did President Trump dispatch troops to these cities against the wishes of governors and mayors? Why did he threaten to arrest these elected officials who disagree with these deployments?
We think it’s worth hearing a statement made at a US Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 7:
“When these soldiers are doing what they signed up for — defending our great nation or helping their neighbors recover from a natural disaster — they don’t mind sacrificing wages, missing a child’s birthday, losing months away from school. But when they’re bagging trash in Washington, DC, they lose trust. Worse, their employers and families lose trust.
“It took a generation for the Guard to recover from the stain of guardsmen shooting and killing college students at Kent State. We are one trigger pull away from another such tragedy. Don’t let it happen. National Guard forces are for a real emergency, not a band-aid for long-standing problems that need a long-term solution.”
The words of a radical leftist who loathes Trump?
Hardly. These are comments from former congressman William Enyart, an Air Force veteran who served in the Illinois National Guard, rising to the rank of major general. Enyart served as adjutant general, commanding 13,000 soldiers and airmen, including those in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He felt compelled to speak out about the decision to send soldiers to American cities. It was noteworthy that when he concluded his remarks, not a single Republican senator, including loquacious individuals like Ted Cruz, Josh Harley or Eric Schmitt had a single question.
Why? They fear Trump’s anger, his social media following, his thirst for revenge against anyone who he perceives as crossing him.
I agree with Enyart. There is no obvious need for National Guard members in these cities. Whatever problems exist, and there are some, are matters for police and local authorities, not the military.
“We train in military skills, not police skills, to provide part-time soldiers for our nation’s defense,” Enyart said. “Our other, equally important, role is as a trained and ready force for the governors. In our state role, we deploy to assist in disaster recovery. We deployed to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina, to Illinois for Mississippi River floods, to St. Louis for tornadoes, the Nevada Air National Guard for forest fires to name but a few.
“You have heard what we are. Here’s what we are not: we are not trained as police officers. Our soldiers may receive a couple of hours a year in civil disturbance training. We do not receive the months and years of training required to become qualified police officers.
“We are not trained to perform arrests, to perform traffic stops, to perform investigations, to follow up on crime tips. The calls to mobilize the Guard fail to understand this, nor do they understand the costs to mobilize the Guard.”
Enyart said he has heard it will cost $120 million to station 4,000 guardsmen in Los Angeles for 60 days. How many police officers could have been hired, trained and put on the streets for $120 million, he asks.
These enormous costs also take money from the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA.)
“Every dollar spent on a misguided use is a dollar that can’t be spent on training or equipping these soldiers. That can’t be spent on their real mission,” Enyart testified. “A dollar that isn’t there for disaster response when the next hurricane hits New Orleans or the next tornado levels St. Louis.”
He also asked the senators to consider the hidden cost to the soldiers and their families. They are part-time soldiers with jobs and families who rely on them. Some are in school.
Enyart said families, employers and communities trust and rely on these men and women to defend our nation.
“To misuse our troops whether Guard or active duty is to breach those bonds of trust,” he said.
Enyart is not alone in registering his concern.
Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, who was the acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told NPR he worries that Trump’s use of the National Guard will damage recruitment, which has been going well. Manner also doesn’t want to see the president make a habit of deploying guardsmen for other purposes, some with apparent political overtones.
" We must not allow this administration to drive a wedge between the American people and our military," he said.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: National Guard troops in Los Angeles, June, 2025, public domain, wikimedia commons
The South Dakota Standard is offered freely and is supported by our readers. We have no political or commercial sponsorship. If you'd like to help us continue our mission to advance independent political and social commentary, you can do so by clicking on the "Donate" button that's on the sidebar to your right.
