Survey: More reserve officers saying no to deploying

[MGD]

WASHINGTON — Only about one-fifth of 10,000 veteran officers in the Army's Individual Ready Reserve say they're willing to be deployed overseas, an Army survey shows. It suggests souring attitudes within the military toward U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The rest of the officers are either quitting, retiring or being let go for failing to respond to Army questions about their readiness to deploy. The Army provided the survey results to USA TODAY.

The Individual Ready Reserve is one of the last resources the Army taps for manpower. It consists of former active-duty, National Guard and reserve soldiers who have moved into the Ready Reserve and lead virtually civilian lives. They neither drill nor train, although they remain part of the Army.

The Army mailed letters to the officers last year seeking firm commitments. Half of them did not respond, and they will be discharged, says Army spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty. Of 4,500 who answered the letters, more than half elected to quit or retire from the Army.

Only 2,123 chose to remain and risk mobilization. "We thank these soldiers for their service to their nation," Hilferty says.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Iraq | Afghanistan | Army | Reserve | Lt. Col | Bryan Hilferty | Jim Martin | Individual Ready Reserve
The Individual Ready Reserve consists of 87,000 soldiers. The Army letters targeted 10,000 veteran officers in the group who were voluntarily serving beyond their obligated term of service, which is usually eight years. Many were officers planning to remain in the Army until retirement. The Army wanted to know whether they were willing to risk mobilization.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-18-military-ready-reserve_N.htm?csp=34
Before 9/11, the Army rarely used the Ready Reserve. However, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have intensified the demand for troops. Since then, about 11,000 of these reservists have been called to active duty. About 6,000 have been deployed, mostly to Iraq or Afghanistan. The rest either received exemptions or their deployment is pending.

More than 200 enlisted soldiers in the Ready Reserve have defied orders to serve and are being discharged, Hilferty says. Others have complained about, resisted or ignored orders to serve. Some officers reported that they didn't realize they were still in the Army, Hilferty says.

Many factors contribute to the low response from Ready Reserve officers, including negative feelings about the war and the Bush administration, says retired Army colonel Jim Martin, an associate professor at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania.

"What it does say in the end is that it's not a very good (reserve) system," Martin says.

Enlisted members of this reserve group are typically soldiers trying to complete an obligated term of service, usually of only a few years.

Hilferty says the Army will begin screening all members of Ready Reserve to make sure they are prepared for deployment.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-18-military-ready-reserve_N.htm?csp=34
Posted 1h 48m ago

[MGD]

1. 4 out of 5 reserve officers agree, this war is some fuckin' bullshit. nt

[ShortnFiery]

12. Yes, and overall within the Military there is a shortage of

Company Grade Officers (Lieutenants and Captains).

I don't see those ranks getting filled anytime soon.

My few years as an active duty Lieutenant paid for my Masters Degree via the Veterans Educational Assistance Program (VEAP). That money was a blessing and I took full advantage of that program. But that was during Saint Reagan's reign when we were living with a much preferable COLD War.

Now, I'd advise any acquaintance to NOT encourage their college age offspring to either apply for an academy appointment nor join R.O.T.C.

You can't make much use of the Current G.I. bill if you're DEAD. :(

[MGD]

13. Yeah, being dead has very definite draw backs like that.

:(

[IndianaGreen]

2. They should all claim they are gay, and be done with it!

None of them expected endless war, and none of them deserve such fate.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. folks in case some miss this

the bottom of the barrel is here

What is left... draft

[Monkeyman]

4. Hate to say it yep draft is coming

[MGD]

5. They can go a step further before the draft. they can call up prior service members

via an executive order. I think they'll do this before they'll go for a draft but, either way, they're out in 2008 so, unless Hillary or Obama or whoever fucks us all, the draft ain't happenin'. God help us all if we don't pick up the White House though.
edit for drunken spelling

[Cobalt-60]

8. We'll have to fight the neocons here

so we don't have to fight them there.

[atreides1]

14. Not Really

We'll have to fight the neocons here, because they won't be there!!!!

[Cobalt-60]

16. well it sounded cool anyway.

[Akoto]

7. That's a popular assumption, but highly unlikely.

The draft is one thing that the President can't simply have with the stroke of a pen. It requires the complete approval of Congress to enact. Considering our party holds the majority right now, and we're already working to scale back this mess, a request for draft mobilization would be the final nail in the war's coffin. Probably of Dubya's presidency, too.

[ronnie624]

11. Don't be so certain.

All that would be required, is one more major "terrorist" attack in the U.S. If such an event was traumatic enough, an intensive propaganda campaign would see Congress promptly falling in line behind an expansion of this "war on terror".

[tiptoe]

23. The Neocons are "alcibiadizing" the troops...They intend to stick the Dems with need for draft.

[soothsayer]

9. ..and drafting foreigners with promises of citizenship...! watch, it'll

happen.

[rebel with a cause]

18. In happened before

and it will happen again. If it already isn't on the sly. If we had secret prison overseas, why not secret recruiters. :shrug:

[silverweb]

6. Good.

"What if they gave a war and nobody came?

I want to see the whole fucking military refuse to deploy for wars of aggression.

It could almost be happening.....

[AndyTiedye]

22. That Was My Favorite Anti-War Poster from the 60's

[Captain Hilts]

10. They get a choice? nt

[AnneD]

15. "What it does saying the end...

is that it's not a very good (reserve)system," Martin says.
Unmitigated BS.:mad:
What it says is that the IRR is tired of being used and abused. I was in the IRR just before the first Gulf War. I had served my time and fulfilled MY contracted active duty time. I honoured my end of the bargain. As of late the military has not been honouring their end of contract by extended tours of duty and stop loss measures. Now, if you knew you had already honoured your end of the contract and you knew these guys were abusing their end of the deal....WHY IN THE HELL WOULD YOU LET THEM KNOW WHERE YOU WERE. Once they had you in their mitts, they would only abuse you. No, I think these Reservist are exercising sound judgment. If this country (and politicians) are too chicken shit to do a draft and continue to abuse their volunteers-this is the end game....something that us old salts have been warning the Pentagon.

I support these guys right to decline service. It's a 2 way street.

[rebel with a cause]

19. I agree about the BS!

I don't know anything about the military, so I will take your word on the rest. (If I had a salute smilie, I would use it here):-)

The refusal of the military is another of my predictions from 2001 as is the oil corporations (Haliburton)relocating to the middle east. This is getting scarier to me because I may be right about the future. :scared:

[bamacrat]

17. If we are tapping into our last troop reserves and they dont want to go I guess only one things left

the draft. THe only reason a draft might be somewhat beneficial is because it would then give the large amount of "W" supporters a chance to stand up and support THEIR president, and it would give the more enlightened minds of my generation a reason to protest, march, demonstrate. Imagine how huge the hippie movement in the 60s was, now imagine it with the internet. All we need is a spark.

[rebel with a cause]

20. With bush giving the rich the tax breaks he did,

do you not suspect that he will find a way to draft only those that he thinks should go. Like the children of the poor and/or liberals. I just don't see him/them hurting their base. :shrug:

[raccoon]

24. Many of those "W" supporters would change their minds quickly

about the necessity of these imperial wars if they or their kids or grandkids were subject to the draft.

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[heatstreak]

25. kick

[Thor_MN]

26. Declare war only by vote of military aged people...

The only ones able to declare war should be those eligible to be called up. A yes vote doubles as your enlistment papers, not voting puts you in the second draft and voting no puts you in the third draft. Vote not needed in case of invasion, obviously. We would not be in Iraq if this were how it worked, old chickenhawk neocons couldn't push others to fight a war for them.