Posted on 11/22/2006 7:18:21 PM PST by bnelson44
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The new Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday that the longer than anticipated pace of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is putting an unacceptable strain on his troops.
Gen. James Conway said the service is unable to meet its goal of giving Marines twice as much time at home as in a war zone.
He said unless the demand on the corps eases, he may have to propose increasing the size of the force.
The Marine Corps is the smallest of the Pentagon's military services. The Coast Guard, which is even smaller, is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
Currently there are 180,000 Marines on active duty and about 40,000 in the active reserves. Marine units serve seven-month deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Conway, who led Marine units into Iraq in 2003 and served on the Pentagon's joint staff, said his troops should get 14 months of relief before they are sent back.
Typically, however, they get only seven or eight months home before being returned to combat, he said.
Assuming the Marines' top job little more than a week ago, Conway told reporters at a Pentagon roundtable discussion that he sees two ways to alleviate stress on troops.
"One is reducing the requirement [of a set deployment time]. The other is potentially growing the force for what we call the long war," Conway said.
Some units are serving their fourth tours in Iraq, and the strain on their families has raised concern that Marines will start leaving the service when their enlistments are up.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
BTW, Happy Thanksgiving guys.
And a happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
Losing the war, which can easily be done before the 2008 elections, (and then blamed on the Republicans by the Rat and the MSM anyway), is not worth worth losing the war, creating real bloodbath to make what happened when we came in Second in the Great Southeast Asia War games look like just a minor incident. Then of course this enemy will come to us, since we would remain "The Great Satan". No thanks I'd rather win the war and lose the 2008 elections. If we can recover from 8 years of the Impeached One and his co-president, we can recover from whichever 'rat would win the election. Of course if we win the war, the 'rats aren't so likely to win the election ayway.
Besides it'll be a lot easier on whatever US cities would otherwise come under attack by the Jihadies, should we lose.
I'm not sure what "Feeds" you mean, but in my mind they are all *my* troops, regardless of the color of their uniform.
FWIW, I'm Captain USAFR(ret).
And I'll bet you were good at it. If you were, then the Air Force made a pick, regardless of wether *you* thought so or not.
I've a cousin who was probably about 5'6", a bit on the stocky side (but just a bit, and mostly in comparison to his brothers who were rail thin) who was an MP. He said he could swing his truncheon with the best of them. :)
Not really, as long as they go in and out as units, not as individuals. Even in WW-II, units were not kept "on the line" for the duration. WHile some of the same Marine units may have fought at say Guadalcanal, Saipan and Iwo, they often rotated back to Hawaii, or Australia for rest and reconstitution between times. Today we can bring 'em back to home base for that.
I'd prefer light tanks or just Bradleys. You wouldn't get me in one of those under armored RPG magnets. (although the slat armor helps, at a cost in mobility, particularly in narrow city streets).
I agree with your point....nothing gets in the way of winning the war...especially politics.
BTW..I just came from kristinn's thread...I just couldn't even post on it..
I am glad kristinn posted it...I am just really surprised by a lot of freeper's opinions re: the war in Iraq.
I certainly can understand the ones that feel we need to do more..less PC perhaps...
But, the questioning of how important that war is, is what boggles my mind.
btw, how is Miss Victoria??
I do not understand the pertinence of your R&R anecdote which has no relationship to the commandant's complaint about short turn-around time between unit deployments.
Recently I met Marines just back from Iraq who told me that they can't shoot to kill unless the target keeps coming to within 50 meters - and that they feel the Marine Corps is just waiting to burn them for something.I've been in favor of the Iraq war from Day One. And remain so. If I ever switch over to the cut-n-run camp, it will be because of things like this. If we don't let our soldiers and marines fight the war, then we shouldn't be in the war.
We are talking 1967, if you counld walk and chew gum and speak in complete sentences at the same time the AF would take you.
And I'll bet you were good at it
Let me put it this way, I was never court martialed.
After I made the initial statement. I realize I confused you with Gucho. Guess this old brain is starting to get old. But a big Semper Fi for your services to your country. The color of the uniforms due tend toward transparency. So many have served this great land with honor, hard work, and personal sacrifice. I salute all that have served.
I would have thought the AF could afford to be more selective in '67, since so many were joining the Navy and Air Force to avoid being drafted into the Army. Maybe not as much so as '68-72, but still....
Let me put it this way, I was never court martialed.
I knew it! You were good at it. :)
The draft IS a good and necessary idea in a time of war.
I am glad that you are not incharge. I am surprised that you say this. We will have gang members, anti-military people who want to do harm in the military amonst many other problems. I hope this does not happen.
I was responding, not ot the General's complaint, but to the comment that the 7-month deployments were the problem, which I took to imply that 7 months was too short, knowing that Army unit deployments, and those of many individuals serving in support roles, are at least a full year. Perhaps I misinterpreted?
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