Army Extends Tours Despite 1-Year Pledge

Yahoo News ^ | Wed, Apr 14, 2004 | ROBERT BURNS,

[Kaslin]

...and don't you know we didn't go to Iraq to liberate the Iraqis from a dictatoral regime. We only went there for the oil

[GraniteStateConservative]

I was most certainly aware this could happen. I was just explaining that it was unnecessary. We have far fewer troops available than we should. That is by choice. I think we should spend the money to have a more robust troop level. The world isn't getting less dangerous, so why do we have fewer troops than we need? As a result of current policy, we're stretching service members thin. That's not good for morale and it makes them less effective. This isn't rocket science. It works the same way in the business world. You eventually reach a point of diminishing returns with forcing employees to work overtime. Their home life suffers and the relationships there suffer, their mental sharpness dulls, their frequency of sickness increases, etc. This makes them worse employees, not better.

[xzins]

How would you do that?

How would you do that if the country he is in won't let you in nor indicate where he's at?

[boxerblues]

I remember when Clinton promised us we'd be out of Bosnia by Christmas. That was in 1995

My son got stuck there in 1999-2000 for a year.

[Bombard]

You talk as though being in the military is like the average job. As one who has been in the armed forces (USN) I can tell you that it is not like the average job. You are trained to break things and kill people. It is a 24/7 job that is very demanding. You spend a lot of time away from home and family and when all is said and done you never know when you will be back. Its all part of the job. As far as enlarging the military. It is not so much about adding more men and women to the armed forces it is more about reorganizing the people we now have to reflect the 21st century war we are fighting. All things take time and getting the military to change is no small matter. I understand what your friend is feeling as I have been extended on deployment when I was in the USN. I lived with it as part of serving my country and I dare say that your friend deals with it in much the same way. I pray for all these guys every night and thank then everyday for keeping the USA and my family safe.

[mystery-ak]

Anyone know where I can get a breakdown of the units extended?

[af_vet_rr]

And yes, at least consider bringing the draft back

That won't happen, Rove would fight that one all the way. There is no way he'd allow GOP leaders to hurt the party like that (Rove has more power than people realize).

[mystery-ak]

Forget my above request...just found out my hubby's unit, 106AVN Chinooks has been extended.

[wtc911]

I know you get it Rev. This is for those who weren't listening the other night. Our President is a dyed in the wool Neo-Con in Foreign Policy. He revealed this a couple of times on Tuesday. His statements about changing the map of the ME and changing the global paradigms that have existed for decades are straight from the NC playbook.

The map of the ME will never be as it was pre-Iraq War. How long did it take us to ramp up and what nations' approval did we need in the region? Look at how the Turks screwed us even after the multi-billion dollar bribe offer. Now we have a base of operations in the belly of the ME beast, unsteady as it may be at present.

The cycle of violence born in the ME and increasingly directed at us would never be broken without historic changes. Initiating this change is what Iraq was always about. And, it will lead eventually to a safer world. Unless certain Americans who don't understand either what is at stake or what the big picture strategy is get their way.

[xzins]

You'd chase Bin Laden, and then you'd declare us safe, huh?

LOL!

[xzins]

So, are you saying that your plan to chase OBL would NOT make us safe? You said you'd spend your resources chasing OBL.

Now you've added AlQ.

Despite what the media says, everyone has to be someplace, otherwise you're no place at all.

The same with AlQ. They require safe haven. I suspect they have it now in Iran. In fact, Iran just might be their last haven.

But, the President was correct. You take out the havens of the terrorists, and it's like you've exposed the roaches to the light. They have no place to hide.

Iraq needs to be taken out of their grasp.