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.
Not much is publicly known about life for these soldiers assigned to the borderlands. TMD did not respond to TPR's request for comment about conditions surrounding the mobilization.
However, an official from the governor's office gave a statement to TPR in response to the soldiers' deaths.
"The loss of life for any National Guard member is one too many, and our hearts are with the families and loved ones of these heroes," the statement read.
'Living conditions'
One Guardsman assigned to OLS agreed to speak with TPR about his experience, but only under the condition of anonymity over concerns of retaliation by his command.
“The first few years were rough," he said. "Just because of the living conditions. We were all crammed into ... 30-man trailers … no personal space. ... I know there's a lot of hardship just with the living situation.”
The soldier is currently stationed on the border. He has been there since OLS began. He conceded that the living situations have improved over the years, with man-made camps from Zapata to El Paso, and hotels too.
He said that he would stay on the border for as long as he was needed there — that’s what he’ll do to serve.
“There is a problem with the open borders," he said. "And [if] the governor thinks that we should be down here to protect the people of Texas, then we gotta do it.”
San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro has fought OLS since its launch. The Democrat attempted to block federal funding for what he called a "rogue operation." Castro told TPR that the 17 deaths are devastating. He added that OLS was just a “show horse” for Abbott.
“There's just a lot of concerns about how these troops have been treated in Operation Lone Star, in addition to serious questions about the effectiveness of the whole operation,” Castro added. “The deaths of 17 soldiers is just incredibly damning for Operation Lone Star and for Greg Abbott's legacy as governor.”
The statement from the governor's office said the guardsmen are stepping in where the federal government has failed to enforce immigration.
"Texas National Guard soldiers work day and night to protect our country from the consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration's dangerous open border policies, and their service and their sacrifice is extraordinary for our state and our nation," the statement added.
'We're here to help them'
Another Guardsman also spoke to TPR about his experience — also under anonymity for the same concerns over retaliation.
He said while serving in OLS, he makes enough money to provide for his family. He added that he's made more money under OLS — for which he volunteered — than he did on active duty.
The experience was, at first, not what he expected. “When you go, I guess, apply, they ask you where you want to go, and they just completely don’t acknowledge that,” he said. “Why are you going to ask me and, you know, possibly get my hopes up that I can be home, and [then] completely ignore my requests?”
Late last year, he explained, he was on a mission that kept him hours away from home and from his children. He said he had already seen them grow up over the phone during his active-duty service, and he had hoped for a different experience with OLS.
But he also understood that orders are orders whether you agree or not. He said he's part of OLS so he can make a difference.
“I want people to know that we’re here to help them. We’re here to make their living situation better,” he added. “Some agree with what we’re doing down here, and some don’t — but that’s the name of the game. You gotta pick up and go.”
Deaths
Both soldiers said they knew or heard of soldiers who had died while mobilized on the border. The first Guardsman said he knew Bishop Evans, a sergeant who drowned in the Rio Grande while attempting to save two migrants, who survived.
“I knew him personally. He was a good friend,” the Guardsman said. “That one hurt because he was well liked by a lot of the guys.”
Evans had just finished helping with a 2019 hurricane response mission and a year-long deployment when he was given orders that sent him to the border. After he died, his family didn’t receive any compensation.
Following his death, the outcry resulted in the passing of the Bishop Evans Act, which made National Guardsmen on state missions eligible for the $500,000 lump sum payment in the event of their death. Before the act was passed in September of last year, at least 10 soldiers had died. Since then, seven more have died.
“I'm glad that the legislation passed," Castro said, "and that it's in place to provide some compensation to families of deceased service members. But it also is indicative of the hypocrisy of state leaders and government. It took the death of a servicemember for them to actually take action, and it was completely reactive when all of this should have been prepared for ahead of time.”
The statement from the governor spoke to the Bishop Evants Act, saying Abbott was proud to sign the bill to ensure the families would get the benefits. Officials says the National Guard provides mental health services to all servicemembers with a behavioral health teams assigned to each region of OLS.
An eyewitness told TPR that they were there the day another soldier died near Brackettville, Texas, from a negligent discharge of the soldier's personal weapon.
“When we requested that we stop training because someone had died … we were told to 'shut the f— up, sit there and keep doing your job' as if nothing happened,” the guard member told TPR. “We had made a request for chest seals, trauma supplies like tourniquets — stuff like that. … We were told that there was 'no need for those supplies at this time.' So they were denied. … This is immediately following a servicemember being shot in the back and dying.”
TPR reached out to the TMD for comment about this incident and has not heard back.
'Deeply regrets'
Spc. Dajuan Townes, 19, was the soldier who died on Feb. 7, 2022, at Fort Clark Springs when his personal firearm went off. His death was deemed not mission related, according to the TMD.
Sheila Bailey Taylor, TMD's director of state administration, told state lawmakers that of the 17 guard member deaths, 10 claims were submitted from before the Bishop Evans Act was passed. Four were approved, though one wasn’t paid because there was no eligible survivor to receive the benefits. The other six were denied because they were deemed ineligible for the benefits.
“By rules, TMD’s investigation is conducted in accordance with Army regulations, which I understand is a complex detailed process,” Taylor said. “TMD is responsible for the investigation of the incident and determining whether, in fact, the death was in the line of military duty.”
Abbott first issued a disaster declaration for 43 counties in June 2021. Abbott's office said in a statement last year that OLS has seen more than 371,000 immigrant apprehensions and more than 27,000 criminal arrests, with more than 25,000 felony charges filed.
Texas is facing several legal battles with the federal government over its immigration enforcement, which the Biden administration argues is under the authority of the federal government.
The Guardsman TPR spoke to in Brackettville has also served in Eagle Pass, the epicenter of Operation Lone Star. He described leadership concerns, COVID-19 outbreaks, a lack of hot meals, suicides and not enough body armor available for soldiers.
He left the region experiencing depression and PTSD. Because he was on state active duty and not federal orders, he did not receive disability benefits, and his conditions were deemed not-service connected.
He would have made the military a career, but OLS changed his mind.
“I went on Operation Lone Star trying my best, and no matter how hard I tried, it was never enough,” he said. “Part of me deeply regrets joining the military and being on Operation Lone Star because of how much it affected and changed me.”
Editor's Note: This story was updated on September 10, 2024, to reflect a statement from Governor Greg Abbott's office.
