Guard may move north of border Small towns upset about loss of revenue if troops are shifted to Canadian lodging Related stories

John Craig - Staff writer

Washington National Guard troops protecting border crossings in northeastern Washington may soon be doing it from the Canadian side.

Twenty-six guardsmen now lodged in Colville, Republic and Omak are to be moved to motels in British Columbia that are closer to the border stations where they are posted. The plan is being pursued by the U.S. Fifth Army, which now has control of the Washington guardsmen, as a safety measure.

At present, the servicemen are driving as much as 50 miles to and from motels on the U.S. side of the border, said Lt. Col. Stephen Nolan, chief of public affairs for the Fifth Army, based at Fort Sam Houston, near San Antonio. He said the soldiers sometimes are driving at night on deer-infested country roads, after putting in 10- to 12-hour shifts.

"You really don't need to put them in that predicament if you don't have to," Nolan said.

He said no final decision has been made on relocating the guardsmen, but "there's a very good chance that it's going to occur, and occur soon."

That doesn't sit well with some business people in Republic, where seven guardsmen have made a noticeable contribution to the struggling local economy since they were assigned in late March.

"It's helped the community all around," said Kathy Ciais, who has housed the soldiers in her Northern Inn. "I know it's only seven people, but it makes a difference in a town like Republic. For me, it's quite a bit."

She said the guardsmen dine at Esther's, the Mexican restaurant her brother Ron operates, and other local restaurants. They also shop at Anderson's Grocery, have their uniforms cleaned at the local laundry and buy gasoline, Ciais said.

Besides that, she said, the guardsmen are model guests who have earned the respect of Republic residents.

"They're very friendly," she said. "They go out of their way to help you."

One guardsman even answered her telephone while she was cleaning rooms, Ciais said.

"The other thing is that we get to see our people in action, protecting our country," said Bret Roberts, a former city councilman who is the chairman of the Ferry County Republican Party.

Roberts objects to spending U.S. tax money to lodge soldiers in Canada even if the effect on U.S. communities is slight.

"I am just `anti' spending any of our money in a foreign country when we can do it here," Roberts said.

But Nolan said moving the seven guardsmen in Republic, seven in Omak and 12 in Colville will reduce travel by at least three-fourths -- to 10 or fewer miles.

"The bottom line is safety," he said.

Canadian communities likely to receive the guardsmen are Rossland, Grand Forks, Greenwood and Osoyoos. Those in Republic would be split between Grand Forks and Greenwood, to be nearer the Danville and Midway crossings in northern Ferry County.

In that case, Roberts said, why not put them in the newly remodeled Curlew Motel in the northern Ferry County town of Curlew. They'd be within 10 miles of the Danville crossing and 13 miles of Midway.

Col. Rick Patterson, public affairs officer for the Washington National Guard, said the housing issue is an example of why Gov. Gary Locke and Gen. Timothy Lowenberg, commander of the Washington Air and Army National Guards, opposed federal control for the border duty.

"These are Washington guardsmen, and Washington guardsmen can better be cared for by the leadership of the Washington Guard," Patterson said.

Washington guard leaders also might have decided to lodge the soldiers in Canada, but they would have had a better understanding of the issues involved, Patterson said.

Spokesman Ed Penhale said Locke objected to federalization of the guardsmen in testimony Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

Locke said they should have been "federal status" while remaining under state control -- like the guardsmen assigned to airport security.

"The governor is gravely concerned about the decision to federalize the National Guard for border duty, and about the decision to have the troops serve unarmed," Penhale said.

"The governor believes that posting unarmed troops at the border places them in unnecessary danger."

He said Locke hadn't considered the question of where to lodge the soldiers.

But, Penhale added, if the guardsmen in Republic need to be nearer the border for safety, "maybe the Fifth Army should look into housing them at the Curlew Motel."

-- Anonymous, April 13, 2002