Busy Times for the Military

Busy times continue for the United States military, with an increasing role for active duty forces in the wake of the natural disaster in the Gulf Coast. Though the role of the National Guard and the active duty forces are raising lots of questions about force structure and allocation, a more basic and uplifiting point should be made as well.

We have an amazing collection of adaptable talent at our disposal in the form of soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen. While the country debates whether the response was too slow, too little, too tepid and the like, there can be little doubt that we are lucky to have these folks on our side:

More active-duty troops are joining the Hurricane Katrina relief effort than originally planned, and a senior commander said Monday they likely will be needed for months, not weeks.

Although the Pentagon said Saturday that 2,500 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were being dispatched to the New Orleans area, a spokeswoman for the division said Monday that 4,700 would be there by Tuesday.

Also going are combat and support forces from the 1st Cavalry Division and 13th Corps Support Command at Fort Hood, Texas, plus about 2,000 Marines. The Pentagon originally said the 1st Cavalry was sending 2,700 soldiers, but division spokesman Capt. George Lewis said Monday that 1,700 were going, plus 100 support troops.

Thus the total for active-duty ground forces would be about 8,500, up from the 7,200 announced on Saturday.

Twenty-one Navy ships also are participating, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman off the coast of Mississippi.

The Air Force said Monday that its aircraft have flown more than 1,000 missions, including helicopter crews that have rescued more than 3,600 people and evacuation flights that have moved 2,600 medical patients.

Good luck and godspeed to them all.