WHEREAS, the Legislature strongly supports the men and women who serve in Iraq and recognizes the sacrifices that each of them with their families are making; and

WHEREAS, in October 2002, the United States Congress adopted a Joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces in Iraq based on information that was not true, and in fact there was no immediate threat to the United States by Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction, and Saddam Hussein was not involved with the attacks on September 11, 2001; and

WHEREAS, the majority of Americans have been troubled by the direction of the war in Iraq and support the withdrawal of United States troops, but there has been as of this date, no exit strategy; and

WHEREAS, the costs involved with the deployment of Army and Air National Guard from Hawaii have been significant, and Hawaii has met the call by having the highest ratio of reservists and National Guard soldiers on active duty of any other state in the Union; and

WHEREAS, the costs to our Hawaii o`hana have been great, with the removal of needed firefighters, police officers, nurses, mechanics, teachers, doctors, dentists, pilots, lawyers, legislators, and working people in all segments of our society, many with families; and

WHEREAS, it can be argued that the use of Air and Army National Guard in the Iraq War constitutes a cost-savings to the federal government as injured Air and Army National Guard personnel are not provided the same medical care opportunities; and

WHEREAS, the costs to our Hawaii o`hana are being played out in lives lost, damaged bodies, psychic trauma, family disruption, financial hardships for individuals, families, and businesses, career interruptions, and the tearing apart of the civic life of many communities in Hawaii, and with long-term consequences; and

WHEREAS, these are costs that would be understood rationally and suffered willingly were there a credible threat to our nation, but which are not tolerable when there is no such threat; and

WHEREAS, many people in Hawaii joined the Army and the Air National Guard thinking that they would be serving their neighbors and community in the event of an Hawaii-based emergency, absent a danger to the United States requiring transfer to active duty; and

WHEREAS, stop-loss orders violate the mutual understanding between Hawaii residents in the Guard and the State and nation they agreed to serve; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is the most isolated archipelago on the planet, far removed from exterior emergency relief; and

WHEREAS, there are strong reasons to believe that the federalization and deployment of Air and Army National Guard members have rendered the remaining Guard force unable to carry out its state activities effectively should there be a hurricane, tsunami, volcanic eruption, or other natural disaster, a terrorist attack, or a health crisis such as avian flu; and

WHEREAS, Pentagon officials have announced that in 2006 the National Guard's role in the war in Iraq and Afghanistan is to be reduced from over fifty per cent of the forces committed to twenty per cent; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Governor of Hawaii is called upon to ensure that the President and Congress take immediate steps to withdraw all Hawaii Air and Army National Guard troops from Iraq now; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the President of the United States, and each member of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.

Report Title:

Irag; withdrawal