[Bombard]

Yes it is tough that your friend will not be coming home when he and his family thought. But that is what can happen when operational needs change. I can tell you have never been in the military or you might be more aware that things like this can happen.

[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.