Gov. Roy Cooper meets with a Hurricane Helene first responder (Pool photo/Paul Barker-Governor’s Office)
America’s military is an indispensable part of our country’s response to disasters like Hurricane Helene and Milton that are becoming more frequent as oceans warm. Partnering with federal, state, and local first responders, military personnel conduct essential, hard, and often dangerous tasks—from rescuing people to opening roads to providing food and water—and whatever else is needed.
As a veteran and former Secretary of the Navy, I know many of North Carolina’s nearly 100,000 active duty service members, 680,000 veterans, and their families have been affected by these storms. Whether it’s their communities being hit hard, or an unexpected deployment for disaster response, the impact is direct and real.
When disasters strike, it is critical that our nation’s leaders recognize the vital role that all parts of our military play in our homeland defense and recovery. They must know that disasters are a time for unity and working together to help fellow Americans who face life-altering tragedies. They also must understand the importance of giving truthful information to those affected: disasters are not a time for politics.
Tragically, former President Trump has shredded the bipartisan, apolitical approach by spreading outright lies, which continued this week when he visited Asheville. The lies are discouraging storm victims from seeking federal assistance, while sewing distrust that led a Rutherford County man to allegedly threaten federal relief workers. Lying about disasters is not leadership, it is not patriotic, and it is putting lives at risk.
With election year politics firmly inserted into hurricane response, Vice President Harriths has been thrust into the unenviable position of debunking Trump’s false claims, while underscoring the need for an apolitical response. Similarly, Republican governors and senators have praised the administration’s response, while North Carolina’s senior U.S. Senator Thom Tillis and state Senator Kevin Corbin, have called out conspiracy theories the former president continues to amplify.
“I started my career as a prosecutor, and…I never asked a witness or a victim of crime are you a Republican or are you a Democrat,” Harris said in a recent television town hall. “Sadly we have seen over the last two weeks since Hurricane Helene and in the immediate aftermath of Milton, where people are playing political games suggesting that resources and support is only going to certain people based on a political agenda, and this just is not accurate.”
Cooperation is key when disaster strikes, both in the early days of a response and the long road to recovery. I will never forget the courage and sacrifice of some 50,000 National Guard members deployed from across America to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana and my home state of Mississippi. Their actions saved hundreds if not thousands of lives, and they stayed for weeks until their part of the mission was finished.
The actions of the National Guard’s citizen soldiers are helping people recover from these disasters again today. Governors have not only called up the Guard to help in their home states but also have long stepped up and given other states a helping hand. For his part, Governor Walz has sent the Minnesota National Guard to help communities record from these latest storms, as well as wildfires and floods in Louisiana, Washington, Oregon, and North Dakota. None of those deployments were viewed through a political lens—nor should they be.
The active duty military also is called upon during these terrible disasters. I saw first-hand how crucial the American armed forces are in our response. Just one example—the first help to reach New Orleans after Katrina was the Navy amphibious ship, USS Iwo Jima, bringing search and rescue, medical help and supplies to that embattled city.
Whether it’s a Marine from Camp Lejeune or a National Guardsman from down the street, helping Americans after disasters is a core mission for the United States military. All our military, active duty, Reserves and National Guard, deserve our respect and support always, especially when it is other Americans who are bearing the brunt of these calamities. These are the times when our country must pull together to provide for our common defense. As a veteran who has had the honor to work with thousands of our finest in uniform, I know that military service members feel the same way.
When our fellow citizens are suffering, it’s imperative that our leaders put people over politics, while respecting our military and the citizens who soldiers seek to help and protect. Defending Americans from disasters is as much a part of national defense as any other mission that the military undertakes—and when service members respond, they deserve our best.