Are Michigan National Guard members participating in the ongoing war in Iran?
The Michigan National Guard referred this question to the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
A spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, said any personnel questions had to be forwarded to the Pentagon, or more specifically, the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
However, the OSD stated in an email that it had, “nothing to provide.”
When asked to elaborate, the spokesperson said by phone that the office did not have the information needed to answer the question, referring the inquiry back to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.
The same spokesperson from that agency that WMUK talked to initially then provided the following statement:
“The Michigan National Guard remains ready to answer the call, both at home and abroad. Over the past several years, our Soldiers and Airmen have deployed around the world, including to the Middle East, in support of multiple operations. In each mission, they have demonstrated unwavering commitment, professionalism and strong partnerships alongside our active-duty, reserve and coalition forces.”
The statement does not shed any light on the current status of state National Guard members deployed to the Middle East, and no follow-up statement was provided.
Senator Gary Peters' office said it did not have information to share, and Senator Elissa Slotkin's office did not respond to a request for information.
Michael Symonds reports for WMUK through the Report for America national service program.
