Spokesman for the California National Guard
Spokesman for the California National Guard
PROFILE
Jon Siepmann
Guest
FROM Jon Siepmann
Which Way, L.A.?
The Iraq War and California Four years ago, Marines from Camp Pendleton were the first conventional troops to surge into Iraq. They were met by Navy SEALs from Colorado who had slipped across the border days earlier. That's illustrative of how important the San Diego area has been to the war in Iraq. About 10% of the war's casualties have come from California. Camp Pendleton leads the list in deaths and injuries among bases nationwide, and the state's National Guard has been transformed. The average Guardsman or woman is now a combat veteran, which has never been true before. Yet, just a small percentage of Californians are making the sacrifices. We hear what it’s like for a Gold-Star mother and how it looks to kids whose high school is close to a recruitment center.
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