Half of IRR call-ups seek delays, deferments; hundreds are no-shows

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26656

Half the Individual Ready Reserves members given orders by the Army to fight the war on terror have asked for either a delay or an exemption to the order, and Army officials are approving the majority — 66 percent — of the requests.

Hundreds of other IRR members, meanwhile, simply have failed to show up at deployment stations when ordered to do so.

And instead of declaring the scofflaws as “absent without leave,” or AWOL, the Army is choosing to give these people “the benefit of the doubt,” Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, an Army spokeswoman in the Pentagon, said in a Tuesday interview.

The combination of IRR deferments and no-shows is slowing the Army’s effort to fill critical slots in deploying units.

“It would be fair to say there’s a delay,” Hart said.

[katinmn]

1. If this is the official word, reality must really bite for the hawks

right now.

[Robbien]

2. Six months ago they were only claiming 30% were no shows

and deferments if I recall correctly.