Joe Galloway: A desperate Army is scraping the bottom

[babylonsister]

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/16903393.htm

A desperate Army is scraping the bottom
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
McClatchy Newspapers

An Army already stretched painfully thin is now being asked to find the additional 25,000-plus troops to man President Bush's escalation in Iraq and, it's now obvious, prepare for additional combat rotations next year.

All the easy sweeping up of manpower already has been done. All the obvious moves to rob Peter to pay Paul have been carried out just to keep this unending war going.

Now comes the hardest part: Units that are completing their second or third yearlong combat tours are being extended for another four or six months. Other units, now home for their promised 12 months with their families, are being told they will go back to combat sooner than that.

Army National Guard units that'd already served the maximum time on active duty, in combat, are being told that the rules have changed, and they're again being called back for Iraq service.

It doesn't matter that those Guard units were ordered to leave virtually all of their equipment in Iraq and have had none of it replaced so that they might actually train for the eventuality that has befallen them. Nor does it matter that there may not be equipment and vehicles waiting for them in Iraq when they get there.

Nor does it seem to matter that, four years into this war, there still aren't enough sets of body armor to provide one for every soldier sent to Iraq in this escalation.

more...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. And repukes

won't back Murtha's call for training and equipment before deployment--they just yell "support the troops". Wonder if they even know what that means.

[Monkeyman]

2. When Joe Writes people should read

[babylonsister]

3. This is so sad and makes me so damned ANGRY!

:cry:

[Rydz777]

6. Depressing and dangerous

You are absolutely right. Bush has wrecked the ground forces, both Army and Marines, both active and reserves, of this country at the cost of lives and limbs. People and equipment are simply worn out - and nothing to show for it. It will take years to recover from this debacle. It's both depressing and dangerous for the country.

[theoldman]

4. I really enjoy Joe's columns.

Galloway is a straight shooter if there ever was one. Where are the Republican Galloways? To my knowledge the are none.

[AnnieBW]

5. Maybe they'll actually start admitting gays now...

Right after monkeys fly out of my ass.

[babylonsister]

7. Whoa!

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

8. .