Orders were given. Soldiers were told to pack up and prepare for missions. They were mobilized at the U.S.-Mexico border to, they were told, prevent crime.

For all of them, their lives and professions were put on hold. But for some of them, their sacrifices were greater than anything they could have imagined.

Governor Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star (OLS) on March 6, 2021. It has been his focus at the border and has received support and praise from former President Donald Trump and other conservative leaders.

However, since the inception of the OLS, at least 17 Texas National Guard members have died from various causes, including drowning while attempting to rescue migrants, careless use of their own weapons, and suicide.

Texas Military Department (TMD) officials revealed the death toll during a hearing of the Texas House of Representatives’ Defense and Veterans Affairs Committee on August 20.

Little is publicly known about the lives of soldiers assigned to border areas. TMD did not respond to TPR’s request for comment on the conditions surrounding the mobilization.

‘Living Conditions’

One National Guard soldier assigned to OLS agreed to talk to TPR about his experiences, but only on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation from his superiors.

“The first few years were tough,” he said. “Just because of the living conditions. We were all crammed into… 30-person trailers… no personal space. … I know there are a lot of difficulties with the housing situation itself.”

The soldier is currently stationed at the border. He has been there since the beginning of OLS. He said living conditions have improved over the years, thanks to man-made camps from Zapata to El Paso, as well as hotels.

He said he would remain at the border as long as he was needed there—that it would be his service.

“There is a problem with open borders,” he said. “And (if) the governor believes we should be here to protect the people of Texas, then we have to do that.”

San Antonio Rep. Joaquin Castro has fought OLS since it launched. The Democrat has tried to block federal funding for what he called a “rogue operation.” Castro told TPR that the 17 deaths were devastating. He added that OLS was a “show horse” for Abbott.

“There are a lot of concerns about how these soldiers were treated in Operation Lone Star, and serious questions about the effectiveness of the entire operation,” Castro added. “The deaths of 17 soldiers are just incredibly damning to Operation Lone Star and to Greg Abbott’s legacy as governor.”

We are here to help them

Another National Guard soldier also told TPR about his experiences — also anonymously, due to the same fears of retaliation.

He said that while serving at OLS, he earns enough money to support his family. He added that he made more money through OLS — where he volunteered — than he did while on active duty.

The experience wasn’t what he expected at first. “When you go, I think, you apply, they ask you where you want to go, and they just completely ignore it,” he said. “Why are you going to ask me and, you know, probably get me hoping that I can be home and then completely ignore my requests?”

Late last year, he said, he was on a mission that kept him away from home and his children for hours. He said he had seen them grow up over the phone during his active duty and was hoping for a different experience with OLS.

But he also understood that orders are orders, whether you agree with them or not. He said he was part of the OLS, so he could make a difference.

“I want people to know that we are here to help them. We are here to improve their lives,” he added. “Some people agree with what we are doing here and some people don’t – but that is the name of the game. You have to pack up and go.”

Bryan Olin Dozier/Bryan Olin Dozier

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Reuters Agency

Deaths

Both soldiers said they knew or had heard of soldiers who had died during the border mobilization. First Guardsman said he knew Bishop Evans, a sergeant who drowned in the Rio Grande while trying to save two migrants who had survived.

“I knew him personally. He was a good friend,” the Guardsman said. “It hurt because a lot of guys liked him.”

Evans had just finished helping with a 2019 hurricane response mission and a year-long deployment when he received orders that sent him to the border. His family received no compensation after his death.

After his death, outrage led to the Bishop Evans Act, which entitled National Guard soldiers on state missions to receive a lump sum of $500,000 in the event of their death. At least 10 soldiers died before the law was passed last September. Seven more have died since then.

“I am glad that the law was passed,” Castro said, “and that it aims to provide some compensation to the families of deceased soldiers. But it is also a sign of hypocrisy on the part of state leaders and the government. It took the death of a soldier for them to actually take action, and it was completely reactive, when all this should have been prepared in advance.”

An eyewitness told TPR they were there the day another soldier was killed near Brackettville, Texas, when he accidentally discharged his personal weapon.

“When we asked to stop training because someone died … we were told to ‘shut up, sit there and get on with your job,’ like nothing had happened,” a TPR guard member said. “We applied for chest packs, trauma supplies like tourniquets — things like that. … We were told ‘there’s no need for those supplies at this time.’ So we were denied. … This was immediately after the soldier was shot in the back and died.”

“I deeply regret it”

Spc. Dajuan Townes, 19, was a soldier who died on Feb. 7, 2022, at Fort Clark Springs when his personal firearm discharged. His death was ruled accidental. not related to the missionin accordance with TMD.

Sheila Bailey Taylor, TMD’s state administrative director, told state lawmakers that of the 17 deaths of guard members, 10 claims were filed before Evans’ bill was passed. Four were approved, although one was not paid because there was no eligible family member to receive benefits. The other six were denied because they were deemed ineligible for benefits.

“As a rule, the TMD investigation is conducted in accordance with Army regulations, which I understand is a complex, detailed process,” Taylor said. “The TMD is responsible for investigating the incident and determining whether the death occurred in the line of duty.”

Abbott issues first disaster declaration 43 counties in June 2021 Abbott’s office said in a statement last year that OLS recorded more than 371,000 immigration apprehensions and more than 27,000 criminal arrests and more than 25,000 criminal charges.

Texas is engaged in several legal battles with the federal government over enforcement of immigration laws that the Biden administration says fall under the federal government’s purview.

The TPR guardsman interviewed in Brackettville also served in Eagle Pass, the epicenter of Operation Lone Star. He described leadership concerns, COVID-19 outbreaks, lack of hot meals, suicides and not enough body armor available to soldiers.

He left the region suffering from depression and PTSD. Because he was on active duty status rather than under federal orders, he did not receive disability benefits, and his health condition was deemed unrelated to his service.

He would like to devote himself to the military, but OLS changed his mind.

“I went into Operation Lone Star, doing the best I could, and no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough,” he said. “A part of me deeply regrets joining the military and participating in Operation Lone Star, because it affected me so much and changed me.”

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