Citizen soldiers report long tours, little support

USA Today ^ | Thu Jan 16, 2003 | Gregg Zoroya

[BruceS]

Long article, but a great salute to those of the Reserves & National Guard who have had to put life on hold to protect this country. I used to think that the 2 weeks every year was an imposition. 2 weeks at Ft. Lewis was nothing.

Thank you to all those serving, active and reserve, and especially to their families.

That said, when I was in, there were noises about forming support groups, etc. in case of mobilization. What happened? Did someone decide it would cost too much to support our citizen soldiers?

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[ThinkingMan]

Very good story- my first year of marriage, I was out at sea for 10 1/2 all said and done. I missed the birth of my first son. I was a stranger to him when I got home.

I would not trade my military experience for anything, but it can be hell on families.

God bless our troops.

[ventana]

This brings tears to my eyes that any of our men and women here and abroad are so alone as they defend our freedoms! What the FREEP can we do? V's wife.

[TSgt]

Wonderful article and very true of today's Guard and Reserve. I'm with the Ohio Air National Guard and I can tell you that the days of one weekend a month and two weeks a year are gone. We are now asked to do 90 day AEF rotations every year and then some. We were PSRC'd in 99 for 4 months in Kuwait and have been back every year since. I don't mind the high tempo that much and am proud that we are competent and able enough to perform like, and in some cases outperform, our active duty counterparts but I sure could use help with my employer. Maybe give them some kind of tax cut thus allowing them to pay the difference in my military pay for 6 months or keep my medical benefits going.

And Sears... They think that they are exempt from the SSCRA but that is another story.

[ThinkingMan]

Thank you for your service. I cannot tell you how much you are appreciated.

[Paratroop]

I feel bad for these families and troops. The DOD needs to get off their butts and start using different troops. I've been in the Guard for 13 years, and my unit has never received "the call" and my unit is considered an extremely high OPTEMPO type unit (Airborne Infantry). I also think we need a support group for all of us other Guard / Reserve guys WHO HAVE NOT GOTTEN THE CALL. We want to serve and train extremely hard, now when there is a war and we don't get the call we feel like "what the heck have we been training so hard for, they're never going to use us".

[KineticKitty]

BUMP

[Johnny Gage]

This is worthy of a Freeper Canteen version of my:

. . . . . . . Johnny Gage MEGA PING . . . . . . .

Freep mail me if you want off my list

[MudPuppy]

I'd like to know why she feels she has no support. Manassas is not far from Quantico and Ft Belvoir. It's a military dense area here and she must not be making the right connections.

Why didn't family members of the reservists form their own support groups (USMC has Key Volunteers)?

Jump on Free Republic and we'll give both her and hubby lots of support both via internet and in person if they so desire.

We Support Our Troops and their families!
Semper Fi!

[Junior]

Long separations have been a fact of life for Navy folks for years. It does tear families apart (my first wife ran off while I was deployed). You just have to work your way through it with a little help from the Almighty.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the ping Johnny. Bump

[cherry]

I think the National Guard and Reserves carry about 50% of the military capacity of the entire military...at a drop in a bucket of the budget....

I am still wondering why retired guardsmen have to wait til 61 to draw ANY pension at all...skimmed down as it is.....

its a pension that is only proportional to the time they put in, yet the retired guardsmen get nothing until 61..

I can say that as a retired guardsman wife...that it is much more than the weekend and the two weeks in the summer...its really full-time readiness at part-time pay, without the benefits such as medical, dental, vacation pay, etc etc.....

but its the retirement that really is galling....

[HiJinx]

Johnny, thanks for the ping!

V's wife, there are several things we can do. You've been to the FR USO Canteen before, I believe. Come again, and use Tonk's links for sending e-mails and care packages. We have a Valentine's Day project started to send packages to troops next month...check Wednesday's Canteen thread for details.

Ask around, I'll bet you find the family of a Guardsman or Reservist in your neck of the woods...let them know there are people out here who are willing to lend a hand if they need it.

[ventana]

Thanks will do! Just sent my friend an e-mail asking about her newborn grandson: Her son is off now in the Middle East and had to leave three days after his baby was born. He will be gone a year. I wanted to know I was thinking of her and her son and keeping them in my prayers. Just a start. But will follow your other advice! V's wife.

[HiJinx]

God Bless you...
My brand new daughter-in-law (1/11/03) has packed her bags awaiting a call. We don't know what's going to happen, but we're ready.

[etcetera]

''And most other Americans don't have a clue.''

This was also said during the Vietnam War. Life continues on back in "the world". Guess it's true no matter which war you're talking about...

[larryjohnson]

My year in Viet Nam,my wife and kids also left CA and lived in NYC with her parents. She had more support than I had since they were all anti-war. The drive back to CA with my family was healing. LAAFB was not a place that had real support since us actives there were scattered over 4 counties,commuters really.

[BruceS]

Bump

[GatorGirl]

Hi Johnny, thanks for the ping. "Real Life" has intervened and I haven't been around as much as I'd like to be lately.

It is true that it is sometimes difficult to live with one foot in the military life and one foot in the civilian life. On active duty, when a battle group deploys, there are literally thousands of other families dealing with the separation along with you. In my husband's Reserve unit, the families don't know each other at all and I have no other friends who are dealing with a mobilization. Everyone I knew well had their husband come home at the end of their year. Mine did not.

However, the woman in this story should probably keep her gripes and frustrations to herself. That is the last thing her husband needs to deal with when he is in harm's way. She needs to grow up. We all VOLUNTEERED for this.

I can honestly say that I have not experienced one second of anger or resentment that my husband was called up. I am sometimes lonely and sad that we are missing out on every birthday, holiday and anniversary for two years, that my children who are only six and four have been asked to live a huge portion of their lives without their father's daily involvement in their lives, and of course I am often very, very tired.......

I have learned that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself, after, of course, the Lord. Yes there was tons of support in late 2001 when the country was gripped by a wave of patriotism, but all these months later, people can't be expected to continue to worry about me or drop everything to meet my needs. My in-laws complain to my husband that I never ask them for any help, yet they were the ones who planned a three month vacation knowing I'd be alone with my kids. I accept help and support thankfully and graciously, but I in no way expect it. I prefer to remain pleasantly surprised when it comes my way.

I have also learned that the people who pay lip service to supporting the troops and their families are many but those who actually put their professed support into action are very few (and are very much appreciated ;-). Thanks to you, Bruce S. for posting this, but the miniscule number of replies to this article is very telling.