‘Political pawns': Morale among California National Guard and Marines deployed in LA is underwater, report claims
The 4,000 California National Guard troops and 700 US Marines sent to Los Angeles in response to the ongoing anti-immigration raid protests are reportedly suffering from low morale, according to members of the veterans community, amid allegations of a chaotic initial deployment and widespread concerns of the military being drafted into domestic law enforcement.
'Among all that I spoke with, the feeling was that the Marines are being used as political pawns, and it strains the perception that Marines are apolitical,' Marine Corps veteran Janessa Goldbeck, who runs the Vet Voice Foundation, told The Guardian. 'Some were concerned that the Marines were being set up for failure. The overall perception was that the situation was nowhere at the level where Marines were necessary.'
'The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn't the kind of national security we signed up for,' added Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative in an interview with the outlet.
Controversy has followed the deployment since President Trump first federalized the California National Guard and ordered the state troops into Los Angeles on Saturday and a battalion of Marines was activated two days later.
California has sued the Trump administration over deploying the Guard, alleging the decision has 'caused real and irreparable damage' to both Los Angeles and the state's larger sovereignty.
Governor Gavin Newsom has also accused the White House of sending in thousands of troops without adequate provisions or training, sharing photos obtained by The San Francisco Chronicle of guardsmen sleeping head-to-foot on bare floors.
'You sent your troops here without fuel, food, water or a place to sleep,' he wrote on X. 'Here they are — being forced to sleep on the floor, piled on top of one another.'
'This is what happens when the president and (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) demand the National Guard state assets deploy immediately with no plan in place … (and) no federal funding available for food, water, fuel and lodging,' a source involved in the deployment told the Chronicle of conditions during the early stages. 'This is really the failure of the federal government. If you're going to federalize these troops, then take care of them.'
U.S. Northern Command later said the photo showed soldiers who weren't current on a mission in what were only temporary accommodations due a 'fluid security situation.'
When asked for comment, a spokesperson for U.S. Northern Command pointed to a website for Task Force 51, which is coordinating the protection mission in Los Angeles.
'The Soldiers and Marines have contracting for billeting, latrines, showers, handwashing stations, food service, full laundry service, bulk ice, and bulk fuel,' the website reads, in regards to troop conditions. 'While awaiting fulfillment of the contract, Soldiers and Marines have adequate shelter, food, and water.'
Federal officials say the military members in Los Angeles will not be formally arresting protesters, though they might temporarily detain individuals to stop threats or interference against federal agents, and they have authorization to provide security to federal buildings and operations.
U.S. Northern Command shared a photo Thursday showing Marines training in non-lethal tactics with riot shields, and the military has said the troops could deploy within the next 48 hours.
President Trump has faced larger criticisms for allegedly politicizing the military in response to the protests, including upset over a campaign-rally style speech about the crisis in front of jeering troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
Base officials reportedly screened the crowd for those who disagreed with Trump and asked them to alert their superiors so others could be put in their place during the speech.
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His execution was once again thrown into doubt this week after his attorneys argued in a last-minute appeal that Hanson didn't receive a fair clemency hearing last month. They claimed one of the board members who denied the appeal was biased because he worked for the Tulsa County DA when Hanson was prosecuted. A district court judge this week issued a temporary stay halting the execution, but that was later vacated. Like Price, Hanson's attorney, Callie Heller, blasted Hanson's execution as 'an act of pointless cruelty.' Heller claimed that Hanson has autism, and that made him more susceptible to being manipulated by his 'dominating co-defendant,' Victor Miller. But not all of Bowles' relatives were against Hanson being put to death. Her niece, Sara Parker Mooney, called for reforms to death row practices in an interview with USA Today, insisting Hanson should've been executed years ago. 'Capital punishment is not an effective form of justice when it takes 26 years,' said Mooney, who travelled from Texas to Oklahoma to witness his death. 'Respectfully, if the state is going to continue to execute individuals, a better process is needed. 'This existing process is broken.' Jacob Thurman, the son of Jerald Thurman, who was the witness killed by Hanson and Miller, also celebrated Hanson's death. 'I feel like now we can finally be at peace with this,' he said. 'I feel like we have some closure and our families can pick up the pieces now and move forward.' Thurman gave specific thanks to US Attorney General Pam Bondi for ordering Hanson's transfer so that 'Oklahoma can carry out this just sentence.' Hanson did not request anything special for his final meal on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections said. He was served what all of his other inmates received: chicken pot pie, two rolls, carrots, and two fruit cups. Before being administered his lethal dose, he told those gathered to watch his final breath: 'Just forgive me and peace to everyone.' A spiritual adviser stood close by, reading from a Bible as the execution began. Hanson could be heard snoring when the Department of Corrections chief of operations announced he was unconscious, USA Today reported. During his clemency hearing last month, Hanson expressed remorse for his involvement in the crimes and apologized to Bowels and Thurman's families. 'I'm not an evil person,' Hanson said via a video link from the prison. 'I was caught in a situation I couldn't control. I can't change the past, but I would if I could.' Hanson's attorneys acknowledged he participated in the kidnapping and carjacking, but said there was no definitive evidence that he shot and killed Bowles. They painted Hanson as a troubled youth with autism who was controlled and manipulated by the domineering Miller. Mary Bowles was returning to her car at the Promenade Mall in Tulsa on August 31, 1999, when she was ambushed by Hanson and Miller at gunpoint. The two men forced the elderly woman into her own car and drove to an isolated dirt pit near Owasso. The owner of the pit, Jerald Thurman, saw the car pull in. Miller got out and shot Thurman four times, including once in the head, as Bowles watched on helplessly from the backseat, court records state. She asked the two men, 'Do you have kids or anyone who loves you?', prompting Hanson to punch her in the face. Moments later, Miller stopped the car. Hanson forced Bowles out and shot her at least six times, court records say. Thurman's nephew was on the phone with him just before the attack and found his wounded uncle still alive shortly after the shooting. Tragically, Thurman, 44, succumbed to his injuries two weeks later. Bowles' 'significantly decomposed' remains were found on September 7, 1999, more than a week after her abduction. Hanson and Miller, meanwhile, continued on a five-day crime spree, robbing a bank and a video store, before Miller's wife turned the two men into police, following an argument. They were eventually captured two days after Bowles' remains were found. Miller was sentenced to life in prison while Hanson was sentenced to the death penalty. Later, Miller bragged that he was the one who'd shot Bowles, not Hanson, court records say. Hundreds would turn out to mourn Bowles' death. She volunteered at numerous local organizations, including at a local hospital where she'd logged 11,000 hours in the neonatal unit caring for critically ill newborns.
