From Daily Kos: Backdoor Draft horror stories

[tblue37]

"The Army Erosion - Reliance on IRR and The Back Door Draft"
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/28/82045/1606

[ourbluenation]

1. That is just something else - I have no words. Somebody has to pay for this. n/t

[tblue37]

2. Would you mind kicking this? I think everyone needs to see it. (eom)

[ourbluenation]

3. 10-4

:kick:

You might want to think about posting an excerpt.

[atommom]

4. Damn, these people are evil.

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is where they put people awaiting their 8 year obligation to finish. For officers, you remain in the IRR indefinately unless you proactively resign your commission, regardless of any obligation you may have due to school, West Point etc. Once people leave the military and go into the IRR, they conduct no training or any sort of military operational work and are kind of a "just in case" force sitting around. The talk always had been, "They won't call the IRR back unless it is World War III".

In Desert Storm up to 20,000 were called back for very limited duty and almost all of it was special skills to backfill active duty soldiers going to war. For example, an active Army doctor from Ft. Campbell deployed to the war zone, an IRR doctor was put in his place in Ft. Campbell to continue taking care of families etc.

However, George Bush and his cronies changed all that when in the summer of 2004, they recalled about 5,400 IRR soldiers to not backfill active army but to actually deploy to the war zone for a period of 1 year and to train for 1/2 a year for a total recall time of 545 days. This was ridiculous. Many recalled had been out of the Army for over 10 years and a lot were over 40 years old. Many had financial obligations and family obligations which had been built but the Army did not care. They had 30 days to report. An article in the USA Today about how the IRR Recall put Lives in Disarray explains how poorly this recall was carried out. This blog reports on a 43 year old mother who had been out for over 20 years being recalled.

This operation started an uproar in the media and it was discussed on many talk shows. It is when I started the Command T.O.C. blog which has become the meeting place for IRR soldiers. This has become such a big part of how the Army is manning itself that Ft. Benning actually has a location and web site for IRR and Retired Recall Center (BTW, Recall means involuntary).

The noise died down pretty fast when the Bush administration took a page out of its pre-war playbook: It lied to the American people. It told them that the IRR call ups were under review and that people who did not have more than 1 year to go before their end of obligation data was met, would be discharged. Ah, but they continued to call them up and it was up to you, the IRR person, to fight it.

[w8liftinglady]

5. Ok.I am composing yet another"Bush supports the troops" LTTE.

K & R

[ourbluenation]

6. This is the part that makes me steamed.

A very sad story of Michael Mundell, 47 years old and had been out of the Army for over 12 years was killed. He was another Armor officer who was quickly reclassed in a "shake and bake" training to a CA officer. Killed. The full story is here.

So, you now see that the military is continuing its Back Door Draft with a vengenance. Publicly they say it is because of the "unique skills" we have in the IRR but as I have proven, many are being reclassed into skills they are untrained for. And, in the end, good men and women are dying.

Once they run out of these soldiers, which will be very soon, they will come after your sons and daughters in a full draft. It is only a matter of time unless you do something to stop it.

[ourbluenation]

7. K and R eom

[shadowknows69]

8. Another story of one man

<http://journals.democraticunderground.com/shadowknows69/53>

[tblue37]

9. The one that horified me most was the 43-year-old single mother with a teenaged son,

who was called up and sent to Iraq even though she had been inactive for 20 years and had no training.

[w8liftinglady]

10. my ltte regarding this..they should print it Wed.

As our military,under the leadership of President Bush,prepares to send another 20,000 of our servicemen to Iraq,I wanted to educate the supporters of this fiasco of a few things.
1.The Government has been actively calling up soldiers and Marines from the Individual Ready Reserve.The Individual Ready Reserve reflects the time that the soldier remains available to call up after their active duty deployment.Depending on their MOT,some of these soldiers can be called up 10-20 years after their active duty days are done.There are multiple cases of these soldiers being retrained out of their area,redeployed for a year,and killed and wounded.These soldiers are not being deployed so other soldiers can rotate out,but rather to supplement the troops already there.
2.The 20,000 soldiers being sent are nowhere near adequate.Visualize a quarter of Cowboy Stadium trying to tamp down Dallas and Ft Worth.It is yet another recipe for failure from a failed leader.
3.The word "Veteran" was not mentioned in the President's State of the Union speech.
At the same time,our wounded and sick Veterans are having to fight for their health benefits now,with backlogs and denial of benefits.25% of all homeless are veterans.70% of Iraq War veterans become divorced.The problems will only escalate as the President's war continues to suck our treasury dry.
The Bush Administration prides itself on supporting our troops.How do these practices support our troops?How do they support those men and women who have given their all for our country,including my father, son,and uncles?Do YOU support these practices?Are you willing to sacrifice your loved one for this fiasco?
see it here...hopefully.
http://www.thedailylight.com/

[tblue37]

12. Excellent! (eom)

[tnlefty]

11. K & R - one more should get it some visibility.

I honestly have no words to describe how I feel about this.

[tblue37]

13. I need one more recommendation so others on DU can read

these stories--anyone care to recommend?

[w8liftinglady]

14. I already rec'd...but I'll kick :)

[tblue37]

15. Thanks. (eom)

[Breeze54]

16. TY for bringing this to everyone's attention!!

It's bullshit!!

Back Door Draft and Stop Loss...

and that asshole in the WH calls them "volunteers"... :wtf:

:grr: :nuke: :grr:

[tblue37]

17. This is what those who squawk that we have to

"support the troops" are really supporting--abuse of the troops, present, past, and future.

[Breeze54]

18. I do support the troops but not for this BS!

Not for them to be abused and used over and over and over again!

I think most of America is getting that point now.... only 20% support the moron now,
except the 40 Pro-War idiots that were deomonstrating in DC on Saturday! :sarcasm:

We absolutely need to put a stop to conscription! :grr:

[tblue37]

20. Supporting the troops should mean not wanting them to be misused

and abused. But the squawkers are the ones who try to use the "Support the troops" phrase as a way of shutting down all discussion of how we are to bring them home.

I support the troops, but I do NOT support this war or the administration that is abusing the troops.

[Breeze54]

27. No shit!

My son was one of the abused/stop lossed. :grr:

The true supporters are the one's that want them home and away from a lie of a war!

"I support the troops, but I do NOT support this war or the administration that is abusing the troops."
Good! Then help with the Virtual March on Washington!!

Massive Virtual March on Washington!! Be there!
Click the link and sign on!! Stop the Escalation! Give it a kick too! ;)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x76005

[Cerridwen]

19. K & R...n/t

[w8liftinglady]

21. I'll kick once more...speak out,DUers

[Crowdance]

22. kick n/t

[salin]

23. these are discussions that have to be had

I hate the idea of a draft - but I also understand that a national dialogue needs to be had before such large commitments -ala is this important enough that we would be willing to serve? Would we be willing to let our children and grand children to serve? Instead, as a population we are given the idea that all we have to do is keep voting GOP and maybe put a yellow ribbon on the car - while some are asked far, far more than was ever expected per contracts and agreements when LONG ago they made a contract with the DOD.

Prayers for those (including family members) who have been recalled and who could be recalled. And it is all done "in our name."

:cry:

[Breeze54]

29. I'm on pins & needles.....

"Prayers for those (including family members) who have been recalled and who could be recalled.
And it is all done "in our name."

From all the military families at DU!

[Marrah_G]

24. This is absolutely happening

I remember bringing my brother to logan airport, my 6 week old daughter, his first niece in my arms as we kissed him good-bye. He was heading to the gulf. It was the first week of October 1990.

Then Somalia.

Then in the mid 90's he retired. He got married to his best friend and fellow Naval officer's sister. They had 4 boys and finally 2 years ago had my very first neice. After his job was out-sourced he went to work for an aviation firm and life was good. At the beginning of December he was told he had a month to prepare for a 1 year deployment to the Gulf. He has been there for a couple weeks now. His wife is home, stuggling with 5 young children on her own. Who knows if his job will be there when he gets back. At this point, who knows if he will come back.

Ten years retired.... one month notice to get his affairs in order.

I am sure there are many more out there.

If you are an officer and you have expertise they need they own you....for life.

I just pray every day that the Gods send him back to us safe, because the world without him in it would be a lesser place.

[tblue37]

25. When he returns he needs to resign his commission, because

otherwise they really do own him for life.

[Marrah_G]

26. He will never do that

He is proud of his Naval career and so are we. One more year after he gets home there will be a Democrat in the white house and hopefully this mess will start to turn around. I personally want men and women with integrity to stay in the military, otherwise think about their replacements. We need the best. I just keep telling myself.....two more years.

[tblue37]

28. Well, I hope that he gets home safely and that we get out of Iraq

very soon. My nephew is due to go on his second tour in May.

[Breeze54]

30. True!!

[tblue37]

31. But as the other psoter pointed out,

this means that decent, honorable people would be driven out of the officer ranks of the military just for basic self-protection against the worst forms of misuse and abuse.