Commentary by: Staff Sgt. Tamara Dabney, Texas Air National Guard

Texas National Guard members serving away from home on the Texas-Mexico border enjoyed a home-cooked holiday meal last week thanks to their partners at the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Since July, nearly 1000 Texas National Guard members have been serving alongside DPS, in support of Operation Strong Safety in an effort to secure the Texas border. Their mission is meant to help safeguard the lives and property of Texas citizens, but it has also brought many DPS employees and Texas National Guardsmen closer together.   

“We’re a family here at DPS and now our family is growing, because of Operation Strong Safety,” said Jose Rodriguez, DPS Regional Commander. “This operation has allowed me to work side-by-side with Texas National Guard members. We are glad to see the Guardsmen here with smiling faces and full bellies!”

Through the unique military capabilities of the Texas National Guard, DPS has the advantage of nearly one thousand extra pairs of eyes watching the border.

During the luncheon, DPS Commander Jose Rodriguez expressed appreciation for the service of Texas National Guard members who observe and deter criminal activity along the Texas border everyday.

“The amount of criminal activity on the border has come down significantly”, said Rodriguez. “Our mission is to detect criminals on the front line…so having the National Guard here is a definite plus.”