Citizen-soldiers fed up

Rocky Mountain News ^ | 3/17/2004 | Dick Foster

[T-Bird45]

Hate to post and run but the golf course awaits. I can understand the frustration of employers and spouses but duty sometimes requires more than we would like to give. I especially feel for the man that lost a marketing business due to deployment and the community that lost a PA that was their primary healthcare resource.

This is a Clinton legacy coming home to roost -- peace dividend, my foot.

[sopwith]

When I signed up for the reserves (1982 @ 17) I knew what I was signing.
whats the problem

[CheezyD]

What is with all these people? Why did they sign up? They just wanted the GI Bill and the snappy uniforms? I'm a vet and knew when I took the oath that I could go anywhere at anytime. I understand that the military life is not for everybody but damn it when you take the oath that's supposed to mean something. I'm sick of the whiners who are "shocked" to find out that the military actually expects them to be soldiers and is not Club Med funded by the government.

[Coop]

It's tough duty, no doubt about it. I really feel for the folks from a financial perspective, but they all volunteered.

I hate to say it, but another 9/11 attack here (because we eased up the war on terror) would take care of any future recruiting problems.

[EverOnward]

This is a Clinton legacy coming home to roost -- /

How so? Is Bush beholden to Clinton in some fashion?

[geedee]

If folks want to "PLAY" soldier, they should call Mattel. If they want to "BE" a soldier, they should do their duty and stop whining just because their gravy train has momentarily changed directions.

There's a reason you have to be an adult to sign the contract to enlist . . . if they signed up for more than they can handle, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Thank God we didn't have such whiners serving in World War II. We'd be speaking German and eating sushi for breakfast.

And for those who think the War On Terror is not comparable to World War II . . . I say "you're right. The War on Terror will be far worse and last much longer." We had identifiable enemies during WWII. We're battling religious, fanatic zealots who don't think twice about murdering women and children now.

There is no room for whiners in this war.

[Mr. Bird]

"The whole idea is they are not active-duty soldiers. They're citizen-soldiers and this is not their full-time job"

So we should never deploy our reserves? Then why have them?

I had a college friend enlist in the reserves his junior year in college. Senior year he was called up for Gulf deployment ('91). Thanks to the swift ass kicking, he only spent six weeks in San Diego getting ready to go; he came back to school without going over. He never complained, though, because he knew what he was doing when he signed up.

[amigatec]

Also these Reservists draw 4 days pay for 2 days 'work' at drill.And they are now collecting 365 retirement points a year instead of 75.

They need to quit whinning.

[68skylark]

I think your comments are misdirected. A few reporters are trying to whip up doom and gloom. Don't fall for it! Talk with actual NG and Reserve soldiers, and you'll get a far different picture. Don't believe the lying, liberal press.

[mass55th]

If the Greatest Generation had been this worried about the time they spent on active duty, we'd be speaking either German or Japanese.

[68skylark]

I think your comments are whining are misdirected. The press is doing most all the whining -- by finding a few people and blowing their gripes up into something its not. Talk with actual soldiers, without a media filter, and you'll get a far different perspective.

[didi]

'They' join up for that "weekend a month" on the television commercial and the $$. You knew what you were doing. The fellow who had been active duty should have known, I would imagine he knew the possibility, but didn't think it was likely, and then when the unlikely happened, didn't "like it".</p>

My husband is active duty. He is in a career field that will most likely keep him CONUS, especially at this point in his career. While large groups from our area have gone, and a few from his group, the only effect on our family life has been very long working hours and stateside TDYs, and supporting our friends here who have deployed members. Well now that I think about it, it has had a big effect, but not nearly as bad on us personally as knowing he is in a war zone would be.

[A. Pole]

The War on Terror will be far worse and last much longer." We had identifiable enemies during WWII. We're battling religious, fanatic zealots who don't think twice about murdering women and children now. There is no room for whiners in this war.

9/11 was not done by Iraq and Saddam Hussein was a staunch leftist secularist (that is why he was supported by US in war against Iran). Would you attack Korea after Pearl Harbour just because Koreans look similar and have similar religion to the Japanese?

American troops are stationed in more than 100 countries and the number is growing, when will it end - with the ultimate victory or with the collapse?

[68skylark]

If these soldiers were called up for some left-wing meals on wheels mission, you'd hear nothing about glowing accolades in the papers about how happy they are to be serving. But with a mission that the press doesn't like (like liberating millions of people from a psycho and his goons) they want you to think the military hates the mission. I'm surprised how easily some freepers swallow this nonsense -- I thought people here were more sophisticated.

[geedee]

I hate to say it, but another 9/11 attack here (because we eased up the war on terror) would take care of any future recruiting problems.

My nephew has, was, and is still serving in Afghanistan/Iraq and stories like this really piss him off when I email them to him. He's not pissed off at the whiners, he's pissed off at me for believing such BS.

He always, always tells me to look at the name of the newspaper and/or the area of the country from where the story emanates. He's in the Special Forces so they've interacted with all branches of the military from the cook to the generals and he swears the whiners are a DISCTINCT minority . . . even in the Reserves.

"Dammit to hell," he wrote in his last comment about this subject, "9-11 is my generation's Pearl Harbor. We won't . . . WILL NOT . . . lose this war. Some candy-ass citizens in Eugene, Oregon or Washington, D.C. might . . . just like they did during Vietnam . . . but no one will be pointing any fingers our way. We see on a daily basis how we're helping the folks in this turd-infested part of the world have a brighter tomorrow than they have today.

"Dad," he calls me Dad I explain as I start to tear up, "These folks live in 1st Century conditions, they've cooked bugs and rats over open fires, then eaten them with their fingers, they have nothing, absolutely nothing. But you know what? The lowliest of the low here has never failed to offer us food, water, and shelter. Their last grain of food, their last cup of water, their best blanket at night . . . they know what we're trying to do for them.

"I've lost seven friends here, seven brothers . . . We will not let their deaths be in vain. Now, if you're going to read the bullshit stories from the Eugene scumbags, first of all, don't believe them. I know for a fact they're lying. And for those who do believe the whining assholes, tell them from me that . . . 'Both them and the whiners can kiss my ass. We're going to do our duties in spite of them.'"

He sent me this in October, 2003. I won't be forwarding this story to him. He's just in his early 20's . . . but that boy already has more courage and maturity and dignity than I'll ever have. I think I'll take his advice.

[aardvark1]

Having spent a day or two in uniform myself, I complained and heard a few complaints once or twice. However, when the time came for duty, everyone understood the reason we were there. I agree with the gist of the comments here, everyone knows the job is dangerous when you sign up. There's no fine print.

[American_Centurion]

Your statement is dead on.

Most reservists are professionals, who "live for this $h17". Many of the longer service soldiers also spent time supporting the Balkans deployments, and all agree this is much more necessary and satisfying.

A lot of reservists take pay cuts when they're on active duty, some handle it fine, others lives are disrupted immensely by a long mobilization. I've found that most often financial reasons are the primary de-motivator in reservists lives.

As long as they serve, don't desert or go AWOL, they have earned the right to bitch about the impact this has on their lives. Whether they re-enlist or not I'm glad they were there when called on. God bless our troops.

[A. Pole]

But with a mission that the press doesn't like (like liberating millions of people from a psycho and his goons) they want you to think the military hates the mission.

The official purpose of the mission was to fight terrorism and to dismantle the weapons of mass destruction. "Liberating millions of people from a psycho" is a reason added after the fact.

[Gringo1]

LOL....My wife has been on active duty for a year, and has another year to go due to an extension and is eligible to retire next March but just re-enlisted for another 6 years.

MY wife has more guts than these crybabies and she understands that some things are just bigger than yourself and your "regular life".

Too bad these boners don't understand that, they obviously think the Guard/Reserves exist only to supply them with free education and resume padding.

[91B]

I see a lot of talk about "whining" on this thread, but I think that Freepers need to understand that reservists have legitimate gripes that need to be addressed:

1. A system that is set up without regard to the problems of reservists serving on active duty for extended periods. For instance, our leave accrued was not tracked on our LES's for 8 months after we were activated. We are told that that issue is "being tracked" by our battalion, but it would be nice to see those numbers on paper.

2. The feeling that we have been jerked around by being told one thing and then seeing another thing happen. When we were activated our orders said that we would be on active duty for "not more than 365 days." But, after we had been in theater for several months a new policy that said we would now be in theater for not more than 365 days was put into effect (and new orders were cut). I, personally, don't mind staying longer, but many people made long term plans based on the one year activation orders we were originally placed under.

3. The general concensus that regulars treat us like second class soldiers. In many cases (in the medical field for instance) reservists may have better skills than their active duty counterparts (reserve doctors may see seriously ill or injured people every day, while an active duty doc, will perhaps see a healthier segment of the population). But we are still looked down on by many regulars. And then,

4. We are being asked to preform the same duties as active duty soldiers without getting the same benefits. If a reservist is activated and sent to a stateside post for duty he can't PCS and bring his family. He can't enroll his kids in a DODDS school and he can't take advantage of other benefits, because he "isn't really active duty".

Now, you may say that that reservist may have known all that when he signed up and that may or may not be so. but he knows it now, and it seems to him like a raw deal, so he is getting out. Call it whining if you like, but to some reservists it seems like: fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.