Posted on 09/18/2004 11:17:47 PM PDT by neverdem
FORT DIX, N.J. -- The 635 soldiers of a battalion of the South Carolina National Guard scheduled to depart Sunday for a year or more in Iraq have spent their off-duty hours under a disciplinary lockdown in their barracks for the last two weeks.
The trouble began Labor Day weekend, when 13 members of the 1st Battalion of the 178th Field Artillery Regiment went AWOL, mainly to see their families again before shipping out. Then there was an ugly confrontation between members of the battalion's Alpha and Charlie batteries -- the term artillery units use instead of "companies" -- that threatened to turn into a brawl involving three dozen soldiers, and required the base police to intervene.
That prompted a barracks inspection that uncovered alcohol, resulting in the lockdown that kept soldiers in their rooms except for drills, barred even from stepping outside for a smoke, a restriction that continued with some exceptions until Sunday's scheduled deployment.
The battalion's rough-and-tumble experience at a base just off the New Jersey Turnpike reflects many of the biggest challenges, strains and stresses confronting the Guard and Reserve soldiers increasingly relied on to fight a war 7,000 miles away.
This Guard unit was put on an accelerated training schedule -- giving the soldiers about 36 hours of leave over the past two months -- because the Army needs to get fresh troops to Iraq, and there are not enough active-duty or "regular" troops to go around. Preparation has been especially intense because the Army is short-handed on military police units, so these artillerymen are being quickly re-trained to provide desperately needed security for convoys. And to fully man the unit, scores of soldiers were pulled in from different Guard outfits, some voluntarily, some on orders.
As members of the unit looked toward their tour,...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I want the truth of the situation reported, because I believe in living -- as an individual and as a nation -- according to facts, not fantasy. And the truth is that the Guard is being strained by the burdens being placed on them. read post 35, above, apparently by a guardsman. It's not that I thhink it's "great" that the media is reporting the truth - it's that we need to know the truth, and not sugar-coat hard situations, so that we can form policy intelligently. This is a democracy, and in a democracy, the people must be told what's going on. If you'd rather not know what's going on, then you might feel more comfortable in an authoritarian country.
I know what "BS" means, and CWO is the only poster I've encountered who - like a sufferer from terret's syndrome - uses it persistently. I'm not impressed. If you are, then I'm not impressed with you, either.
I will definitely concur that the reserve - strike that - NG officers and the NCOs have a lot of answering to do in regards to this issue. There was a definite lack of discipline in this crowd. Having drilled reserves for a time, I can safely state that this is easily lost in monthly drills if it is not constantly reenforced. It doesn't take much to let things start to slip and it is a much harder road heading in the other direction.
My trips to Yokota were few - spent more time in Rappongi - or at least I think that's what that haze was. ;)
But I have to give your side credit. Earlier today, while you were indisposed, there was a thread showing one of your sides latest flyer's. A scare tactic draft lie with a photo of stacked up dead U.S. servicemen. You might want to consider tracking that picture down and using it with your own scare tactic draft lie threads. Visuals add impact to the lies and I seriously doubt you would be despised any less.
I know people in the Guard who've told me things that square with this article. Obviously different units - and different individuals - report different experiences. I'm not saying everything's the same everywhere and with everyone, but everything isn't coming up roses.
I don't honestly care what you think of me, churchillbuff.
Listen, I'm just telling you - you don't know anything about CWOJackson, and there's no reason why you should, I suppose...but you make a fool of yourself when you presume to know more about the inner workings of this war than he does.
But, snipe away. You're obviously on some kind of anti-Bush mission, and I have confidence that very, very few people on FR are listening...and the majority of them are onto you.
Me? I'm going to bed.
And poor saps like me that were booted from the reserves for failure to promote are still not allowed to serve due to the restrictions. Well - just have to be a citizen soldier and buck it up.
Please don't get me wrong about reserves or NG troops.
The only reason I worry about them is that they did not plan on being on active service this long. Many have mortagages and civilian jobs/businesses. Whereas regulars have base housing (yes I know they all don't) and their focus is being active military.
I am not trying to impune them at all. I just want the best for them. They are being asked to do more than any reserve/NG units since WWII. I hope after the election we will raise a few more combat brigades, to ease the burden on the reserves and NG.
Have a pleasant evening.
You seem to think it bothers me being unpopular with those freepers who can't stomach different points of view. Give me a break! If being unpopular because of my convictions was a problem for me, I wouldn't have picked the moniker I did - because Churchill was wildly unpopular during the 1930s for dissenting from the Conservative Party line on foreign policy. It takes a lot less courage for me to endure your childish rants - in fact it obviously doesn't take any "courage" at all, because you provide amusement by making yourself look foolish, because you're so inarticulate - grunting "BS" instead of offering facts and argument. Sweet dreams. I'm headed for some shut-eye.
Thank you...and I know I've told you this many times before, but thank you for your lifetime of service to our nation.
You have a good night too.
You really must be drunk tonight. What would give you such a ludicrous idea. No one in their right mind would come back day-after-day to post blatant lies about the draft, receive the response you do, keep coming back and be bothered. Indeed, I'm sure you revel in the attention you get. Some people are into it...I'm glad it works for you.
Then there will always be those few who are in the service for other reasons and have no commitment to their oath.
They are sorted out and the rest keep on doing what is asked of them.
Priorities are the problem. Land based units do not have the support that the fly boys have. An armored infantry unit is the bulwark in Iraq but unimportant in the scale of the super power. The power to punish is more highly regarded than the power to control. With the upper echelon in the Pentagon being oriented to air power, the land forces have been allowed to deteriorate in numbers. This cannot last for long. The numbers of guard and reserves opting out should be a wake-up call. Stop-loss orders and extensions of time in service are just adding to the problem.
His word is gold.
Our men are doing a great job over there, very under appreciated due to the MSM. This is one area I disagree with Rummy on, lets get more regulars. Two divisions would be plenty. Take the load off of the NG and Reserves. Actually I bet you could raise a division from the reserves and NG if you gave them a sign up bonus for a two year tour.
We have to accept we are in a long term war with both terrorists and the ChiComs.
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