Filling in for Joan Esposito, William Muck is joined by William Enyart, former Illinois congressman and former commanding general of the Illinois National Guard. Enyart highlighted the dual roles of the National Guard: as a federal strategic reserve and a state-emergency force. He emphasized the financial and personal sacrifices of National Guard members, noting that a Private First Class earns $91 a day, far less than civilian jobs. Enyart also criticized the politicization of the National Guard under President Donald Trump, and warned of the dangers of misusing military personnel for non-military tasks. "Communities trust that our soldiers serve our nation, defend our nation, defend justice and democracy," he told WCPT. "They trust that a soldier's mission is to protect them, not police them. So to misuse those troops, whether we're talking about National Guard or active duty, to misuse those troops is to breach those bonds of trust, and we can't sacrifice that trust. We can't lose the soldiers' trust. We can't lose their employers' and their families' trust for bagging trash in Washington, D.C." Enyart continued: "All it would take would be one officer giving the wrong command, or one soldier making a mistake and opening up with these high-powered rifles, and we've seen what these high-powered rifles can do in schools and in a crowded situation. These are combat weapons. These are military weapons. So that very much concerns me.  The National Guard has worked decades to build its reputation. We provided more than half of the combat power in Iraq. We have been to every hurricane, we've been to tornadoes, we've been to floods, and we have aided our communities and help protect our communities, and that's the mission of the Guard. The mission of the Guard is not to be carrying loaded weapons on city streets for political purposes, because the president needs a distraction from from the woes of his administration." Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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