Fact Check: Did National Guard members refuse Chicago deployment due to bone spurs?

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, DC, earlier in August and took control of the city’s police while pledging to crack down on crime and homelessness.

Since then, most of the more than 2,300 National Guard troops deployed in DC to support law enforcement have begun carrying weapons.

Recently, however, a rumor circulated online claiming that National Guard members refused deployment in Chicago due to a medical condition called bone spurs. But is there any truth to this? Let’s find out below.  

Claim: National Guard refused to deploy in Chicago, citing bone spurs

In August, a rumor circulated online claiming that the US National Guard defied orders from President Donald Trump and refused deployment to Chicago due to a medical condition called bone spurs.

An X user wrote, "I heard there was an outbreak of bone spurs. I guess it's contagious? The Commander in Chief may have impacted all members of the Armed Forces!"

The post included an image of service members in fatigues lying on the floor of a large lobby. The rumor spread across different social media platforms, including Instagram and Facebook.

One Facebook user shared a similar image and wrote, "The White House was plunged into chaos after receiving over seven thousand notes from guardsmen’s podiatrists."

Fact Check: False, the rumor originated as a satire

The claim in the online rumor is false. There is no evidence that National Guard service members refused to go to Chicago because of bone spurs, Snopes reported.

Searches on engines such as Google also yielded no credible results from any legitimate news outlets reporting on the alleged story.

The rumor originated with The Borowitz Report. According to its author, Andy Borowitz, it is “a news satire site published since 2001.” Borowitz also noted in his bio, “I’ve been writing satirical news since I was eighteen.”

An article on the site elaborated on the satirical story: “Complicating Donald J Trump’s plan to send troops to Chicago, on Tuesday thousands of National Guard members called in sick with bone spurs. The White House was plunged into chaos after receiving over seven thousand notes from guardsmen’s podiatrists, sources said.”

“At the US Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr vowed that he would get to the bottom of the bone spurs epidemic by enlisting the nation’s finest medical minds, including Dr Oz and Dr Phil,” the story added.

National Guard troops now carry firearms in Washington, DC

The National Guard troops deployed in Washington to support law enforcement began carrying weapons this weekend.

However, the troops have been instructed to use their M17 pistols and M4 rifles only for self-defense or as a last resort, two Defense Department officials told NBC News.

A defense official explained that under the rules of engagement, deadly force is authorized only “upon reasonable belief of an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.” The official added that the primary focus for guard members is to defend themselves or others.

According to the Defense Department officials, the armed troops will carry the weapons they are normally issued and trained on, typically M17 handguns and M4 semiautomatic rifles, which are similar to assault-style rifles. Meanwhile, some guard members will be carrying M9 pistols.