U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie will be honored by the National Guard Association today for focusing congressional attention on the impact the Iraq war has had on the readiness of the nation's Reserve force and its family.

The Hawaii Democrat will receive the association's Harry S. Truman award for distinguished services at the association's 131st general conference in Nashville, Tenn.

The National Guard said Abercrombie pointed out that many units had to leave as much as 40 percent of their equipment, including trucks, other vehicles and radios, when they left Iraq, making “;effective training nearly impossible and crippling their ability to respond to natural disasters.”;

As chairman of the House Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Abercrombie diverted money from Pentagon high-tech weapons programs to rearm and re-equip Na- tional Guard units.