Citizen-soldiers fed up

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

[Coop]

Our sincere thanks to your family for serving our country!

[Coop]

9/11 was not done by Iraq and Saddam Hussein was a staunch leftist secu

Pearl Harbor was not done by Adolf Hitler, who was a Nazi. What's your point?

[Core_Conservative]

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

The Clinton Legacy is garbage as far as I'm concerned. I must (gag, puke, choke) defend the @ss on this one though. GHB and Cheney of all people, started the major downsizing of the military. The democraps were more than happy to oblige, but the military itself and the President went along with it, said we needed to downsize and they did a great job. In fact, Rumsfeld is still trying to downsize our active military. I think we need to voice our opinions about this.

[Coop]

I'm surprised how easily some freepers swallow this nonsense -- I thought people here were more sophisticated.

I can't speak for everyone else, but I have no doubt the press is magnifying this to no end. I view any negative comments as being directed at those whiners highlighted by the press, not at the reserves and Guard as a whole.

[Coop]

Awesome post! Many thanks to your son for protecting our freedom, and to you for raising such an impressive young man.

[TheBattman]

When signing up for Guard or Reserve duty, it is quite clear that there is always the possibility of being called to active duty. The first Gulf War prooved that in a big way.

I can certainly empathize with with families who really miss their loved ones, but this is part of the obligation associated with this service.

These folks are free to not "re-up" when the time comes. It's just a shame that they would feel that way about serving their country.

Maybe it's time to boost our "full-time" troop strength. We have grown to overly depend upon our part-time military for full-time duties. If the US continues to be the World's police force (particularly considering the ineffective roll of the UN), then we must have the soldiers available for the duty without having to call up so many citizen soldiers.

But we know that if Kerry were to win the election, we can count on a SMALLER regular military.

[Coop]

The official purpose of the mission was to fight terrorism and to dismantle the weapons of mass destruction.

You need to become better acquainted with our reasons for going into Iraq.

[verity]

If you can't use them, why have them?

On a more serious note, any article quoting a Brookings expert is immediately suspect.

[Coop]

You bring up very valid points about the challenges of being a "part-timer." I don't argue with you saying there are important issues to be addressed. I just have a problem with those servicemembers and families that run whining (and I do mean whining) to the press. They are in effect selling out their colleagues via depressed morale/public support. Those issues should be handled internally.

God bless you and yours. Your service is greatly appreciated!

[cookcounty]

It was a mistaske to disband all those active divisions after the Cold War (Thank you. Bill Clinton).

The Army needs another 3 active-duty divisions with support. Marines should add some people as well.

[Coop]

The Clinton Legacy is garbage as far as I'm concerned.

Not to me. The BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) commission did meet in 1991 for the first time (and with good reason, IMHO), but its work was accelerated during the reign of the Impeached Rapist. Not to mention the sleazeball couldn't even keep his trousers up while deploying troops (probably to deflect attention from his numerous domestic problems).

[didi]

God bless you. This is more like what I hear,

[LoudRepublicangirl]

We have become a nation of whiners. God help us all.

[CheneyChick]

It's not 1982 anymore. The world is a very different place.

[Tallguy]

Recruiting & Retention rates run in cycles. I suspect that when employment picks up in the civilian economy the R&R rates will begin to drop. Of course the idiot Media will point to that and say "See, it's all about the foreign deployments!" This is the theory that they are working on with these stories, and they won't drop it until the facts can be made to support their pre-cooked conclusions.

[cookcounty]

I hear you on most of what you raised, but disagree on:..

" 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). "

My experience in the Medical Corps was the opposite. The Army provides complete medical care for its gazillions of personnel (it's the largest medical services operation in the USA). The civilian medicial community spends 75% of its efforts on geriatric events. Yes, soldiers are young and healthy, that's why a much higher percentage of the care in the Medical Corps has to do with injury and trauma, rather than Alzheimers and cancer.

[CheneyChick]

You are 100% correct. As a deployed Retention NCO, these are the issues I hear over and over. My orders originally said no more than 365 days, and now they say no more than 2 years. The attitudes among soldiers are good, but the prospect of re-upping for more extended time away from their little ones and careers is a choice many will not make. It is very difficult on families and marriages. The regulars with the same MOS are not here as long as the reservists.

[Trickyguy]

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

The problem is that the US has about 1000 military bases in over 140 countries, amost none of them having anything to do with defending America. That's the problem, bud.

[PISANO]

They volunteered and KNEW what they were getting into. If, after 911, they find the sacrifice to difficult, so be it. They have the right to get out as much as the right to serve. I for one will never condemn a soldier/sailor/airman or Marine for putting in his time, doing his duty and then leaving the service. I just hope they do it with dignity and pride rather than cheapen the tremendous sacrifice made by themselves AND OTHERS by whininig about their service after it is finished.

[91B]

I don't know. What you say could be true and maybe I am biased because the docs I have worked woth are largely ER docs. In any event I meant no disrespect to regualr Army docs.