Pentagon Expects to Call Up More Reserve Support Troops for Iraq Duty Next

[Judi Lynn]

Pentagon Expects to Call Up More Reserve Support Troops for Iraq Duty Next Year
By Robert Burns The Associated Press
Published: Oct 17, 2003


WASHINGTON (AP) - As Pentagon officials put together a plan to call up more National Guard and Reserve forces to serve in Iraq, some members of Congress are calling for units already there to return home.

"If we don't ease the burden on the Guard and Reserves, we're going to have retention problems," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said he is becoming uneasy about how much the units are called on to serve.

"You have to have some sort of rotation scheme for the men or women that are over there that's a limit to how long they'll stay. Then you have to bring in other people, other divisions or other National Guard or whatever," Lott said. (snip/...)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/10/17/national0402EDT0452.DTL

[Don_G]

1. I Think Its Too Late

Not only are half the troops not going to re-enlist, but the GI's that will be rotated home have all kinds of stories or their families and the largely uncontrolled media in the US...just in time for next year's election.

[saigon68]

5. I see a lot of this

Very few veterans I know will support another never ending war IRAQ-NAM.

There is no reason to be there except for the oil.

The returning troops are going to harpoon the rich/privileged AWOL types, with their stories.

This IS Viet-Nam folks and the little weasels who try to convince you otherwise are in a state of deep denial!!!!

[Iraq_Vet_For_Peace]

16. Stop loss

is really saving thier butt right now. Once it is lifted(if it ever is) people are going to be heading for the hills. Got a question, stop loss is being used for the war on terror, which is like saying the war on drugs or poverty, did you ever hear of a stop loss based on a broad category rather than a specific enemy?

[ze_dscherman]

2. If new forces are called in and old ones not replaced,

could this be the slow build-up of another invasion/threat?

[Dookus]

3. I don't see how...

we don't have the troops for another invasion.

The whole goal of the military for the last 30 years was to be able to fight a two-front war. We're already in one.

Lacking a draft, I just don't see how it will be possible. And, as was posted earlier, with the lack of re-ups, we're pretty much stuck. This is why, in my opinion, N. Korea is acting up now. They KNOW we don't have the human-power to do much about them. God help us if China catches on.

[izzie]

4. I read some place we are usinfgmore than 50 % now

I would not put it past Bush to do anything to get the nest election in his ball park and doing something to keep Iraq in a good light. I think he is digging a bigger hole but I am just an every day person. We are having an arms race with our selfs now. It is crazy.

[Kitsune]

13. So we bug out of Afghanistan

Forgive the utter lack of attribution, but A) It's early and I haven't had my tea yet and B) I really have no idea where or when I heard it, but I do recall seeing an article suggesting we might pull most of our forces out of Afghanistan.

Even if this supposed article is only the result of early-morning caffeine widthdrawl, the fact remains that pulling out of Afghanistan would free up a lot of troops that B*sh could then throw at Syria or Iran or whatever nation he feels like. He can call it "Afghanistization" or some other very awkward word.

Of course, this completely ignores logistics, morale, etc, but the BFEE seems quite adept at that already.

[Aidoneus]

7. I think with morale as it is being reported,

that's be the start of a mutiny. :shrug:

[Aidoneus]

6. this just proves how well things are going there!

don't ask questions, go out and shop, God Bless the brilliant plans of Dear Leader W, etc...

[teryang]

8. Operation Sweeney? You betcha...

Rotate out three active duty divisions and replace them with Guard and Reserves? What a learning curve. I'll bet Herr Rumnitz is concerned.

The veterans return home to tell the relatives the horror going on right now instead of the "positive story." Two, over fifty thousand civilians get ripped from their families, businesses, and jobs to participate in the death lottery which has no prospect of ever ending.

They are trying to stall until after the Christmas and new years holiday season to avoid wide dissemination by word of mouth of what is going on over there. According the Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott, "People are getting both legs blown off, that's what the American people need to know."

But they don't want to wait too long for the second cycle because if it is too close to election time, the upswing in American casualties resulting from raw replacements will have considerable political blowback. They will exhaust each phase of the rotation before finally relenting.

<2,200 Marines aboard the USS Peleliu, went ashore in southern Iraq to assist a campaign to halt the smuggling of oil and fuel.> Halliburton will not tolerate crooked competition. Marines get to work! This is what Marines are for isn't it?

Don't worry-

<Asked about the report, Rumsfeld and Myers said there are initial indications in only one area -- the Army Reserve -- that recruiting or re-enlistments could be suffering.>

The national security of the American people depends on the Army Reserve because of our puny active duty Army - Rumnitz and Myers minimize it in every way. I estimate the total cost for a five year plan at 2000 dead, 10,000 wounded, (blinded, arms and legs blown off,etc., doesn't include mentally disabled which will be in the tens of thousands) and one Trillion dollars.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

12. Here's what they're not telling us about the casualties...

IMHO, I think the official casualty list is actually 50% of what it should be. The only casualties that are being OFFICIALLY REPORTED are those that are arriving back in the States. Think about that for a moment because we are reporting official casualties as 330+ dead and 1200-1300 wounded. Based on what reports we do receive, and those not being reported, the total number of casualties in the Middle East should be in the 2500-3000 range, and probably toward the upper end of that range. Here are some points to consider:

*Have you noticed that casualty reports from Afghanistan have dropped to zero? Out of sight, out of mind;

*Those that are seriously wounded from BOTH Afghanistan and Iraq are being shipped to our hospitals located in Germany;

*Those lightly wounded are being treated in Iraq and sent back to their units. I doubt seriously if they're being counted on the official list. There could be as many as several hundred that have been treated in this category;

*Those with serious brain injuries and other major trauma are being cared for in Germany until they either die, or recover enough to be sent back to the States. None of these casualties are on the official list. I estimate that there may be several hundred in this category as well;

*The less seriously wounded (up to the loss of limbs) are being shipped back to the States;

*Some of those that are being sent back to the states are being housed in hotels and motels close to their primary care hospital...hard to track those numbers since they're not actually being treated in the hospitals.

Not a very pretty picture is it? And since most of the casualties are taking place in Iraq, I estimate that a five-year total casualty number will be in the range of 20,000 to 25,000 to include 3,000 to 5,000 dead. Those numbers could escalate should a draft be implemented and we start sending draftees into the war.

[Bandit]

17. Is there a way to find out how many "Purple Hearts" are awarded

:shrug: That would be pretty telling. They love to award medals to keep moral up and GI's more involved. I'm sure "Purple Hearts" would be awarded for the smallest injuries even those fixed in Iraq.

[PsN2Wind]

9. If we can't get our troops out of this mess,

I hope they throw everyone in the Guard and Reserves into the rotation. I know many in the Air Guard that think the military is a Helluva a deal when you get to go home everynight. My niece, whose husband is Air Guard, thinks that we should be doing what we are doing in Iraq as long as her husband doesn't have to go. If it's a worthy cause for some it's worthy for all.
Fact is, we could get the "most bang for the buck" by calling up those who have done their twenty but are still in reserves. We're paying them a significant portion of their base pay, they are already trained and from what I see and read quite "Gung Ho". If you want to see the American Legion, AmVets, VFW, et al, drop their support for this mess like a hot rock, just suggest that that might happen.

[Mari333]

10. Yes this terrifies me beyond belief

as my son is being told his unit os being sent to the Sinai (Ya right!), and some to Camp Atterbury in Indiana...and putting a stoplock on him as he is supposed to have been discharged this month (he has served his time in the Mi National Guard)..
All I can do is call Sen Levins office and so has my son..
I dont know what he will do if he is sent...this is killing his business, and our family is a mess over it..
Im so tired of worrying.
If you want to help please tell Levin NO MORE Guard Units to the Middle East!

http://levin.senate.gov/contact.htm

[beyurslf]

11. Can't they stop people

from leaving during times of emergency? Even if their time is up and they do not want to re-enlist they can be forced to stay in as long as we are fighting, right?

[Kitsune]

14. They can indeed.

It's called a stop-loss.

[Nottingham]

15. Unfortunately I believe we are massing troops for an invasion

I think Syria will be attacked soon with Israel helping us

Bush needs this war to escalate so his polls stay high

I think these reserves are being sent not to replace troops but to increase our troops in Iraw which is getting more and more out of control

Bombing will soon be back as soon as we replenish our arsenal

:bounce:

[teryang]

18. A conventional military conflict with Syria

...will be the end of the neo con regime.