Retired and Discharged members called up!

Here is the beginning of the draft if you ask me.
www.cnn.com...



"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army is preparing to notify about 5,600 retired and discharged soldiers who are not members of the National Guard or Reserve that they will be involuntarily recalled to active duty for possible service in Iraq or Afghanistan, Army officials said Tuesday."

Read the entire story at the link above.

wow !!

Sort of makes me glad to have my medical discharge, but on the other hand, if called to duty, I'd go fight for my country.

Any ATS'ers that get the call, please let us know.

I just can't believe their pulling in people who are done with their service, and have a life for themselves now. Talk about a whack in the back of the head. "Drop everything your doing, your job, and everything to come back for the US Army!" That just doesn't seem right to me, these men have served their time and payed their due to our country, it just seems like their taking advantage of them, I dont know.

My father's been retired for about 4 years. I really hope he won't be called over.

It does seem like they are taking advantage of them...more horrible things. They have served, let them rest! What is the U.S. coming to? Or what has it arrived at I should say...


-wD

I think the point is... there's not enough troops to go around. They need 'support staff' in Iraq and Afganistan (according to the news report on cable tonight). I guess this is the pre-draft solution.

Poor guys, though. Can you imagine? I wonder how many of them thought they were home 'scot free' and have lots going on in their lives. I wonder if any of them are offered 'outs' if they are needed at home by their families or their businesses?

Sign of things to come. If a weapon of mass destruction were unleashed on the military in those countries - thousands of troops could be wiped out.. and then what?

Would all of this been solved if they listened to Shinseki in the first place?

Originally posted by Cattlespy
I think the point is... there's not enough troops to go around. They need 'support staff' in Iraq and Afganistan (according to the news report on cable tonight). I guess this is the pre-draft solution.

I think you hit the nail on the head! I think we are so short on troops and they are spread so thin and pretty soon Bush is going to get us somewhere else that they need all the troops they can get.
Next is the draft...AFTER the elections is Bush wins!!

This is an example of HORRIBLE planning, and it would seriously tick me off if I were in the shoes of those reservists. However, these people signed up for this. When you enlist in the US Military you sign an 8 year enlistment. Your first 4 years are either regular or active reserve. The next 4 years are "inactive reserve" (Inactive hits a raw nerve for the army, so they call it "individual ready" even though most of them are fat, socially entangled, and not ready anymore.)

Anyway... now I think I know why the Marines haven't sent me a DD-214 yet. I'll remember to say goodbye before they call me up .

IRR = Individual Ready Reserves. YOU SIGN UP FOR IT!!!

This means after active obligation and reserve obligation you can opt to stay IRR. You are required to notify your branch/center of you whereabouts every year at least! No obligated drills or anything else......UNTIL THEY NEED YOU! It is all in the fine print.

Typical of people, just like the thugs in prison, want all the benefits without paying off the cost. Give me, but don't make me keep my obligation.

Besides, just because I have done my time active/reserve. Don't think that I don't put it past them to dig me up if needed. After all what could a FMF Corpsman/OR Tech do?

As with the prior poster, if called would go. It's an honor thing that is not taught much anymore.

Originally posted by morven32
IRR = Individual Ready Reserves. YOU SIGN UP FOR IT!!!


Typical of people, just like the thugs in prison, want all the benefits without paying off the cost. Give me, but don't make me keep my obligation.

I am so sick of hearing this. Just because you sign up for the military, doesn't mean you agree to to the poor decisions of your leadership. In the military, your superior can't say, "Shoot yourself in the head." Millitary members are bound not to do anything illegal or immoral. They join with the expicit quid pro quo that thier leadership will take care of them when they sign thier life over to them. So when the leadership fails them, they didn't sign on the dotted line for that. Don't blame the soldiers for being lied to or mistreated, blame the ones who broke their obigation to watch over them.

It makes me wonder what will happen to morale and sicipline in the forces. Drugs are now a huge no no in the armed forces were years and years ago it was sorta tolerated to some extent. Will they take back people who smoked pot after their service etc... ANd since this is no longer a volunteer force we have what will happen?

This really upsets me to no end. While I surely hope none of these fine people would mind serving yet again, I have very large problems with starting a draft and using those who have done their part before using those who never have in an effort to save face and win elections.

Bush admin is truely stepping on the backs of our heroic veterans by recalling them instead of doing the truely right thing and drafting new people because he wants to win an election.

Right is right and wrong is wrong and this shows and immense moral wrongness in the Bush admin judgement in my opinion.

Unless I get an alternative, I am voting for Kerry only to remove the current President.



[edit on 30-6-2004 by Xeven]

Originally posted by Jalengrma

Originally posted by Cattlespy
I think the point is... there's not enough troops to go around. They need 'support staff' in Iraq and Afganistan (according to the news report on cable tonight). I guess this is the pre-draft solution.

I think you hit the nail on the head! I think we are so short on troops and they are spread so thin and pretty soon Bush is going to get us somewhere else that they need all the troops they can get.
Next is the draft...AFTER the elections is Bush wins!!

This is sad news indeed. Will this move prevent the need for a draft for the U.S. Military, or will it simply delay the inevitable? I hope things don't get so bad in the war on terrorism that the U.S. has to institute a draft...

OK, let's look at how things are being run right now. So the U.S. is building 14 permanant bases in Iraq? Why not just one large permanant base? Or perhaps two medium sized bases? I don't understand the logic there.

Speaking of such, I also think that the U.S. is spreading itself out too thin. Doesn't the U.S. need to start consolidating its forces? Instead of having lots of little military bases all over the world, couldn't the U.S. have fewer, but larger, bases? Wouldn't this simplify things greatly? For example...

...the U.S. has military bases in the U.K. and Germany. Why not just choose one or the other?

...the U.S. has military bases in Japan and South Korea. Why not just choose one or the other?

...the U.S. has military bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. Why not just put them all in Iraq now?

I know that we need a certain level of redundancy so that our military can't be wiped out in one large, devestating attack -- as the old saying goes, "Don't keep all your eggs in one basket!" -- but I don't understand how the military makes these kinds of decisions...

Originally posted by curme
I am so sick of hearing this. Just because you sign up for the military, doesn't mean you agree to to the poor decisions of your leadership.

Millitary members are bound not to do anything illegal or immoral. They join with the expicit quid pro quo that thier leadership will take care of them when they sign thier life over to them. So when the leadership fails them, they didn't sign on the dotted line for that. Don't blame the soldiers for being lied to or mistreated, blame the ones who broke their obigation to watch over them.

Um.. which force were you in? I was in the USMC... it stands for U Signed the Motha-f'in Contract. I was in the infantry in fact. The term infantry originated with the French, who coined it for the child-like obedience of the troops. We used to count pushups by 4-counts. 1-2-3-1 1-2-3-2 etc. But for the fourth, we ALWAYS said This-is-what you asked-4! That's part of the culture- you volunteered to fight, and now you have to live with it.
I rarely recieved stupid orders, and if I addressed the situation properly those orders rarely stood. I NEVER recieved an immoral order. Some people aren't fit for the business of killing the nation's enemies. I understand that. I just think they need to find a way of separating those people out. I'm not saying they should hit recruits, and I'm CERTAINLY not suggesting that my DI ever did or ever would hit me or any other recruit. He ESPECIALLY wouldn't deliver a round-house kick to my hamstring that took me off my feet, and then tell the platoon it was a spontaneous martial arts demonstration. But whatever they do... they need to find some way of finding out who the men are, and getting rid of the boys.

EDIT: Since i'm in such a peaceful and pacifist mood, I'll promise right now that if I do get called up (which would make me happy in a really conflicted sort of way) I'll try to limit the graphic nature of the pictures I take, although if I frag a camel with a 203 round (which I hear is awesome) I WILL be posting evidence in the phone came area as soon as I get home. Anyway, I'm more than likely going absolutely nowhere.

[edit on 30-6-2004 by The Vagabond]

i gotta girlfried out there now. she visited in march and last august briefly. both times she was out with us, (her friends of 8 years), she talked about how she would NEVER rejoin, and was scared to death of going back. she saw so many horrible things shed often cry trying to talk. she was among the first troops in irag(3rd infantry). shes been back in iraq for 2 months now.
shes been out there 2 months and no one has heard what her address is...tho a month ago she said she would be sending it shortly.
there are a lot of soldiers out there who are terrified...a lot who dont know what they are fighting for...and they all want to come home.
they all should come home. oil isnt worth it.

Let's not blow this out of proportion now... It's not a general call up of all IRR soldiers...

The Army has been reviewing its list of 118,000 eligible individual reservists for several weeks in search of qualified people in certain high-priority skill areas like civil affairs.

I'm curious about some of the assertions in this thread about troop morale and support. Anyone ever seen a poll of troops and how many of them support the war in Iraq?

I already did my time.

My full obligation ended in June of 99, IRR and all. I did 4 years active, 2 years reserve, and 2 years IRR, so, for the most part, Im done.

If they started grabbing all prior service, even non IRR, Id tell em throw me in #ing jail.

I already paid my dues. They already got 4 years of my life. Id not change those 4 years for anything. But niether would I return. For many reasons.

For starters, I aint dying or putting my ass on the line to make Bush and Cheney richer. Im having a hard enough time making my own money. Iraqi Freedom and and oil aint #in worth it.

Plus the current state of the military, which hasnt changed much from when I got out, is very sorry. No Morale, no discipline. How can I fight with a bunch of kids who aint on the same sheet of music as me? it aint gonna work.

Call me up when Smerica has a REAL emergency. Call me up with a bunch of Chinese commies are sailing our way or lobbing a nuke at us. Call me up when Canadians invade Seattle.

But dont call me up because Cheneys Haliburton porfolio needs stimulation.

Let me add this, they CANNOT legally force you into service. Most people do not know this! They can cajole you and intimidate you, but only YOU have the power to enter the service.

They will ask the recruit to step forward to take the oath. DO NOT STEP FORWARD and DO NOT take the oath.

However, we are talking about BUSHCO. and his fascist regime. They've made it clear they are above and beyond the law, so who knows. Anyone who knows better and refuses might just be hauled off to the Gulag. (There's one out there in Washington Skadi - North of Spokane, if I'm correct.)

South America's lookin' good to this ol' soldier.

South America? HA!!!!!

Canada is still an option! Look how poorly our border with canada is guarded! If people can sneak in, people can sneak out!

This really makes no sense. I spent 11 months in Iraq and just got deployed to Germany for some R&R.. my brother's division, has yet to be deployed and from what he's told me, has no orders to be deployed in the near future.

Why is the gvt recalling a measly 5k soldiers from retirement when they have thousands of soldiers already in active duty sitting on fence posts doing nothing?

Could the US gvt just be preparing the nation for a possible draft? Making it seem worse then it really is?