[Polybius]

Only served eight years myself but to say These Marines and soldiers should just grin and bear it is bullshit. The were promised rotation after 12 months in country.

In my 20 years of active and reserve service, I can't ever recall any orders ever being issued to me and have never hear of any orders ever issued to my wife, to my brother, to my sister, to my uncle or to my brother-in-law (who came back from his second tour as a helo pilot in Iraq this past month) or to any other sevicemember with "promises" attached.

My wife's grandfather was even called back to active duty after several years of retirement from the Navy and shipped off to the South Pacific "for the duration" after Pearl Harbor.

The five operative words that were drummed into our heads again and again and again were, "the needs of the service".

[xzins]

My orders always had reporting time and date. Pretty scimpy on details after that.

[dwilli]

My wife's grandfather was even called back to active duty after several years of retirement from the Navy and shipped off to the South Pacific "for the duration" after Pearl Harbor. Appreciate your explaining that to me. I assume he would have been in at least his fifties, inactive reserve, military obligation fulfilled to all requirements of the Selective Service System