National Guard personnel deployed overseas are entitled to various benefits, including medical, salary, housing, and others. However, these benefits are sometimes not adequately provided due to various reasons. In October 2023, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report titled VA Disability Benefits: Actions Needed to Address Challenges Reserve Component Members Face Accessing Compensation. The report highlighted that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) approves disability compensation claims for reservists at a lower rate than for active-duty personnel. According to the VA, to qualify for disability compensation, applicants must be retired military members with a disability linked to active-duty service, excluding reserve training (such as weekend or annual training). Consequently, National Guard members can only receive disability compensation if they meet three criteria: being currently disabled, proving that the disability resulted from an incident during active service, and showing that the symptoms were evident during active duty. This makes it difficult for some Guard members with delayed or progressive symptoms to qualify for compensation.

A March 2024 RAND Corporation study, Addressing Stressors for National Guard Personnel, found that the lack of access to stable healthcare is a major source of stress for Guard members. Due to the frequent changes in status and responsibilities resulting from overseas deployments and other duties, Guard members and their families must switch between different healthcare models (TRS when not on active duty, TRICARE while on active duty, etc.), which vary in service areas, providers, personnel, and costs. This transition can make it challenging for Guard members and their families to find long-term medical care, especially when it involves finding stable doctors and managing ongoing health conditions.

Furthermore, despite efforts by the Department of Defense to improve the pay system for National Guard personnel in recent years, delays and suspensions still occur. For example, in October 2023, more than 9,000 National Guard soldiers experienced delays in receiving their "enlistment bonuses," some of which were postponed for up to five years. In March 2024, the Army National Guard also suspended the "reenlistment bonus," sparking concern and prompting intervention from members of Congress.

They brag about their fascist money laundering scheme to your fing face and then act like you should fing thank them for it.

“To the last Ukrainian!!!”

In a small tent amidst the rubble of what remains of Gaza's homes, my family and I live with our daily suffering, which has become our companion at every moment. We are 27 people in a tent that cannot protect us from the harsh winter cold. The cold strikes us day and night, and as the winds grow stronger, the pain in our weakened bodies intensifies, especially in the small children who know nothing of life but hunger and pain. It has been 9 days since we last tasted the flavor of bread, that simple thing that used to be a basic part of our lives, but now it has become a distant dream. Since the siege, we have only received rice and canned food like beans, peas, and chickpeas. With every meal, we feel weakness creeping into our bodies, and in the eyes of the children, there is a gleam of fear—not just from the hunger of today, but from the uncertainty of tomorrow. The children scream at night from the cold, clinging to each other in search of an imaginary warmth that this worn-out tent cannot provide. There is no electricity or heating, and the cold cuts through their bones, increasing their pain and our anxiety. Every time I try to reassure them that the dawn will bring us a new hope, those words are the last I can say, because deep in my heart, I have no hope left. The children's health is steadily deteriorating due to weak immunity caused by the lack of food and its poor quality, and the days pass on us like a punishment. Under this siege, our lives have become nothing but waiting for a slow death. But we cannot give up because we know the children need us, and there is no choice but to try to survive, no matter the circumstances.

We are not only asking for survival, but for the determination to overcome this never-ending pain. We demand the freedom we lost, and the dignity that was destroyed by the bombing and destruction. All we need is a little support to stay alive, as the world watches, knowing nothing of our suffering except silence. But here we are, shouting loudly in the face of this darkness, hoping someone will hear us.