We Could Have Saved Lives
Sgt. Dan McKnight / Bring Our Troops Home

(September 30, 2024) — Your fellow Americans are in urgent need. Hurricane Helene has devastated Appalachia, from Georgia through Tennessee and North Carolina and up through West Virginia.

The city of Asheville, North Carolina is completely underwater; entire road systems have been washed away, and it’s unclear whether areas will ever recover.

There are people on the ground in desperate need of supplies and funds. I implore you to seek out organizations — properly vetted, where the money goes to locals and not oversized NGO budgets — and chip in financially.

When your fellow Americans are in need, we all have to step up and do our duty to one another. That’s the spirit that built this country and continues to keep it alive.

Once you’ve contributed to help the immediate crisis, it’s just as important that you give to mitigate future crises.

Right now, there are thousands of Tennessee National Guardsmen providing assistance to the disaster areas. Unfortunately, they’re not operating a full strength.

Just two days ago, 750 Tennessee Guardsmen began their deployment to Kuwait as part of the Global War on Terror. These men and women are now on the frontlines of combat operations (and will be for a year) that were never declared by Congress.

These states have just suffered hurricane damage that was previously considered unthinkable. Don’t you agree that this is a situation where all hands should be on deck?

I do. And I tried to stop it from happening.

Last year my organization Bring Our Troops Home successfully pushed for the introduction of S.B. 2750, the Defend the Guard Act.

This bill would have prevented the deployment of the Tennessee National Guard into active combat zones unless Congress has officially voted to declare war, which is their job.

 

National Guard troops prepare for deployment in Kuwait.

Our legislation was introduced by State Senator Rusty Crowe, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, and was supported by local veterans like American Legion Post 81 in Cleveland, Tennessee and Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, whose city was in the part of Hurricane Helene.

Despite this vocal support from veterans and other local patriots, the Defend the Guard Act did not move forward. But now we’re left asking: if it had passed in February, could it have saved lives this September?

I believe the answer is yes.

That’s why my organization is doubling its efforts going into 2025. We’ve gotten this legislation introduced in almost thirty states, and we’re not going to rest until it’s passed in all 50 and Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution has been restored to its full authority.

So once you’ve given aid to those afflicted by Hurricane Helene, I encourage you to go the extra mile and help veterans prepare for the next natural disaster.

My team and I can only succeed as much as you allow us. And that takes resources.

So please, become a supporter of a movement that ensures our consistent funding over the next six months as we enter legislative season—not just in Tennessee, but across the country. Don’t wait for the next disaster to decide that you should have acted now.
Sgt. Dan McKnight is Chair of Bring Our Troops Home.

BringOurTroopsHome.US is an organization composed of veterans of the Global War on Terror and their civilian allies who are dedicated to ending American involvement in our endless wars in the Middle East and bringing our troops home. We insist that the Constitution of the United States be respected and enforced, requiring a formal declaration of war by Congress before U.S. military forces are deployed into combat overseas. And we are committed to returning to a foreign policy befitting a limited government republic, one that puts “America First.”

To achieve these goals, BringOurTroopsHome.US will utilize public education, political action, and legislation, including passing “Defend the Guard” bills in state houses across the country.