From @TAPSorg: “Captain Douglas L. Hickok is the first United States National Guardsman to lose the battle with COVID-19. After attending training, he fell ill and passed away in a Pennsylvania hospital on March 28....
2/ “... Because of his Guard status, Hickok& #39;s family is currently ineligible for the full government benefits that would normally accompany Active Duty military status.

“TAPS has now taken up arms to advocate for legislative change...
3/“... to ensure that National Guard troops who pass away while serving during the COVID-19 crisis received the same death benefits as any other Active Duty Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman or Coast Guardsman....
4/“... There are currently over 41,600 Army National Guard troops deployed in the fight against COVID-19 with 713 testing positive for the virus as of April 22.”
5/ Here’s a letter on this from the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chair @JerryMoran and ranking Democrat @SenatorTester

https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/1/">https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/_c...
Are you a Guardsman or Guardswoman adversely impacted by this and you need help? Let me know.
You can follow @jaketapper.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled: