Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star (OLS), founded in 2021 to, in Abbott’s words, deal with the border “crisis” ignored by Washington, has experienced the death of 17 OLS soldiers (Texas National Guardsmen), according to officials with the Texas Military Department (TMD).
Numbers Made Public
TMD recently made the death toll of OLS soldiers public during a hearing of the Texas House Committee on Defense & Veterans’ Affairs on Aug. 20. Those 17 OLS soldiers died in multiple ways, including a drowning in an attempt to save migrants, negligent discharge of a personally owned weapon and suicides.
A statement from Gov. Abbott’s office read: “The loss of life for any National Guard member is one too many, and our hearts are with the families and loved ones of these heroes.”
“There’s just a lot of concerns about how these troops have been treated in Operation Lone Star, in addition to serious questions about the effectiveness of the whole operation,” said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, who has fought OLS since its inception, calling it a “rogue operation” and a “show horse” for Abbott.
Multiple Guardsmen have spoken to media outlets under the condition of anonymity about their personal OLS experiences. Complaints about their living conditions and lack of protective equipment were just two of several issues mentioned.
Lack of Family Compensation
After Guardsman Bishop Evans drowned in the Rio Grande while attempting to save two migrants, and his family didn’t receive any compensation, an outcry led to the passing of the Bishop Evans Act. That act made National Guardsmen on state missions eligible for a $500,000 lump sum payment in the event of their death.