02/17/2005 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS

HJR  8-SUPPORTING ALASKA ARMY NATL. GUARD                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:15:43 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  announced that the  final order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION  NO. 8 "Expressing support  of Alaska Army                                                               
National  Guard soldiers  deployed worldwide".   He  related that                                                               
HJR  8  will  show  legislative support  for  the  Army  National                                                               
Guardsmen currently deployed around the world.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
TERRY HARVEY,  Staff for  Representative Bruce  Weyhrauch, Alaska                                                               
State Legislature,  announced that  this resolution  is a  way to                                                               
address concerns  and give support  to the guardsmen  from Alaska                                                               
who are deployed all around the  world.  This resolution is a way                                                               
of  putting  on  record  that the  committee  supports  the  Army                                                               
National Guardsmen  for serving  the country.   The  bill sponsor                                                               
believes it's  important to show  support for the  National Guard                                                               
who are  letting their lives  go while serving their  country and                                                               
state.  It is important to  show support, but it's also important                                                               
to  extend this  gratitude  to  family and  friends,  as well  as                                                               
employers who also support the troops.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  asked if the Air  National Guard was also  covered or                                                               
if there was a similar bill for them as well.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
MR. HARVEY answered that there was  not, and that since this bill                                                               
was already  in the works  the sponsor  decided that he  would go                                                               
forward with  HJR 8.   He indicated that  he had been  talking to                                                               
the  Air  National Guard  and  that  legislation addressing  that                                                               
branch of the military is in the planning stage.                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN  continued by  stating that  this could  be done  as a                                                               
committee  bill.     He  indicated  that  he  did   not  want  to                                                               
discriminate against any of the Guard units.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
1:19:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MR.  HARVEY  suggested  that  the   committee  ask  the  military                                                               
representatives for comment.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
LIEUTENANT COLONEL MIKE BRIDGES,  Alaskan Army/Air National Guard                                                               
Officers  Association,  Legislative   Liaison,  Fort  Richardson,                                                               
stated that  the Army  National Guard is  being deployed  in very                                                               
unique ways  right now, more  than since  the years of  World War                                                               
II, and  that he was all  for the resolution.   He also indicated                                                               
that although  he was  all for including  the Air  National Guard                                                               
into  the resolution,  he acknowledged  that  the resolution  was                                                               
addressing the  high deployment that  the Alaskan  National Guard                                                               
is currently  experiencing.   He added  as a  side note  that the                                                               
officers  association that  he is  representing did  include both                                                               
Army and Air Force, and that he represented both.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE ELKINS  asked if  what he was  saying was  that he                                                               
wanted  to be  considered as  a  separate entity  at the  present                                                               
time.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
LT.  COLONEL BRIDGES  answered that  the Army  National Guard  is                                                               
being deployed  at a  very different rate  than the  Air National                                                               
Guard and that it is  more than anything military had experienced                                                               
since World  War II.  He  then pointed out that  the Air National                                                               
Guard  is  being deployed  as  well,  but under  different  [non-                                                               
combative]  circumstances. He  then added  that the  Air National                                                               
Guard  goes  only for  30-120  days  for operational  deployment,                                                               
whereas the  Army National Guard goes  for a 18 months  and up to                                                               
two-year deployments.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE DAHLSTROM moved  to report HJR 8  out of committee                                                               
with  individual  recommendations  and  the  accompanying  fiscal                                                               
notes.  There being no objection, it was so ordered.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR LYNN announced  that he was looking forward  to seeing this                                                               
on the floor and being voted into law.