McGeehan

CHESTER – Five times Delegate Patrick McGeehan has introduced legislation seeking to keep West Virginia troops from seeing overseas duty when no act of war has been declared by Congress — and he’s going to try it a sixth time in 2020.

McGeehan, R-Hancock, said he will reintroduce “Protect The Guard” legislation when the West Virginia Legislature returns to action next month.

Currently, the authority to activate the National Guard rests with West Virginia’s governor.

“A declaration of war is constitutionally important,” McGeehan said. “It is our duty — if we are going to take oath seriously — that the constitution be followed before we relinquish our guard into combat.

“No war, no guard troops.”

McGeehan is a graduate of the Air Force Academy who previously served as chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security Committee. His bill was passed out of the committee during the 2019 session, but House leadership tabled the legislation.

McGeehan was successful in calling for a vote to have the bill discharged and brought before the House and read a first time, but it did not progress from there.

McGeehan spent much of the session at odds with House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, and he isn’t certain what will happen this year.

“We’ll see,” he said. “If they don’t want to work with me, I can make the floor of my house my committee.”

“I think there is a growing number of guys and gals in the rank and file that see what is going on.”

McGeehan said he is expecting over 20 other states to introduce similar legislation this year, and he is hoping the “Bring Our Troops Home” coalition will expand to more than 25 states.

“We have a window of opportunity here to bring these endless wars to a close, and enough conservatives who understand endless wars can’t be waged. … If we don’t put something in place, Washington won’t do it by themselves.”