Differences In National Guard Weapons Raise Concern

Thursday, May 31st 2007, 7:38 pm

By: News On 6

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) -- National Guardsmen in Ohio and other states, including Oklahoma, are not being trained with the same rifles, Humvees, night-vision goggles and other equipment they will use in Iraq and Afghanistan until just before they are deployed.

That's raising concerns about the soldiers' confidence to deal with the dangers.

Ohio Guard spokesman Mark Wayda says that while in Ohio the soldiers must train with M-16 rifles instead of the lighter, shorter-barreled M-4s they would use in Iraq. M-4s are often used in urban settings because they make it easier for soldiers to get into and out of vehicles quickly.

Wayda says the biggest problem is that soldiers learn a set of skills that aren't exactly transferrable.

Oklahoma Guard spokesman Lieutenant Colonel John Altebaumer says his unit has a shortage of body armor, M-4s and night-vision goggles, and no up-armored Humvees.

He says regular Humvees have canvas doors or none at all, while the others have heavy metal doors.