Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) said he was “very disappointed” with the way the state’s National Guardsmen were treated when they were deployed to Washington, D.C. for President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
“It’s time to welcome our TN National Guard soldiers & airmen home today after their mission in DC. Very disappointed in the way this mission came to a close & the overall treatment of the National Guard in DC. Tennesseans are proud of our men and women in uniform,” he said Friday on Twitter.
It’s time to welcome our TN National Guard soldiers & airmen home today after their mission in DC. Very disappointed in the way this mission came to a close & the overall treatment of the National Guard in DC. Tennesseans are proud of our men and women in uniform. @TNMilitaryDept
— Gov. Bill Lee (@GovBillLee) January 22, 2021
Tennessee sent more than 750 troops to D.C. for the inauguration proceedings.
Thursday, photos of National Guardsmen sleeping in the U.S. Senate parking garage circulated online, after they were kicked out the Capitol complex itself.
“Hundreds of Guard soldiers relegated to the Senate garage, breathing in exhaust fumes and covid. Story coming in a bit,” The Washington Post’s Alex Horton reported.
Hundreds of Guard soldiers relegated to the Senate garage, breathing in exhaust fumes and covid. Story coming in a bit pic.twitter.com/8OW4frePOh
— Alex Horton (@AlexHortonTX) January 22, 2021
“I’m disgusted beyond belief that the brave men and women of our national guard were treated like second class citizens last night,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) told The Tennessee Star by email Friday. “Those who forced them into parking garages should be ashamed over their lack of respect for our military, and should be held responsible for these actions.”
According to Breitbart, the troops were moved to the parking garage after one of them refused to put on a mask at the request of Rep. Bill Keating (D-MA-09).
Some National Guard troops were dismayed by their treatment.
“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed,” on Guardsmen reportedly told Politico.
In response to their poor treatment, several other states, including New Hampshire, Texas, and Florida, also ordered their troops to come home.
All of the National Guardsmen who were deployed to America’s capital city were forced to go through a secondary vetting process after some Democrat, including Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN-09) worried that their perceived personal loyalty to former president Donald J. Trump could be a threat to Biden.
“You know I was thinking, the [National] Guard is 90 some-odd percent, I think, male,” Cohen said on MSNBC. “Only about 20 percent of White males voted for Biden. You’ve gotta figure that in The Guard, which is predominantly more conservative – I see that on my social media – we know it, they’re probably not more than 25 percent of the people that are there protecting us that voted for Biden.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
this is the fate of the military under any democrat regime.
i’d urge anyone thinking of signing up to rethink it until dems aren’t in control
Why Didn’t the Governor bring our N G Troops home? Why did he send them in the first place?
TN Legislature please redistrict the 5th congressional district! Jim Cooper does not represent the people of the district and only promotes his brother Mayor John Cooper and his Personal interests!!! Jim is a Nancy Pelosi supporter, anti American socialists…..
Thank you Governor Lee! Please protect our brave men and women from being disrespected by the liberal, Ant-American Democrats! They don’t want to fund the border wall and are defunding the police but they ant a wall and the national guard to protect the capitol! Their own self importance is better than the Nashvillians they represent-Jim Cooper! Cooper is a Loser….
Well Governor, bring them home. Never should have sent them in the first place.
Why did Governor Lee allow them to go in the first place? And then what did you expect?
Joe Bama is Barry 2.0! What BO did to our brave men and women in the military is down right criminal! He sent them to god-forsaken places on this planet and then tied their hands with rules of engagement that are arcane and favor the enemy.
If you love your children, don’t encourage them to join the military during this current administration. And for Cohen, he needs to go! He’s making even the Party of Slavery (Democrats) look bad!
The Democrats need their own Rainbow SS.
Hey Lee, we’re very disappointed that you were stupid enough to believe the FIBs lies enough to send them in the first place. If you really believe that we are all the insurrectionists they claim, then perhaps you should step down. We stand for President Trump, not the Biden junta or DC cabal!