Orders were issued. Soldiers were told to pack up and get mission ready. They were mobilized to the U.S.-Mexico border to — they were told — deter crime.
For all of them, their lives and professions were paused. But for some of them, their sacrifices were greater than anything they could've imagined.
Gov. Greg Abbott launched Operation Lone Star (OLS) on March 6, 2021. It has been at the heart of his focus on the border, and it has received support from and praise by former President Donald Trump and other conservative leaders.
However, since OLS began, at least 17 Texas National Guardsmen have died from a multitude of causes - including a drowning in an attempt to save migrants, negligent discharge of a personally owned weapon and suicides.
Officials with the Texas Military Department (TMD) disclosed the death toll during a hearing of the Texas House Committee on Defense & Veterans' Affairs on Aug. 20.
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