U.S. struggling to find replacement troops

SanLuisObispo.com ^ | 7/18/03 | Joesph L. Galloway - Knight Ridder

[TheAngryClam]

Draft?

[RightWhale]

There are plenty of replacement troops right there. Iraqi. Worked for Alexander, will work now. Hire them.

[snooker]

<<< ... draft >>>

No need, the recruiters are turning away applicants. Clinton cut the Army to 10 divisions. Looks like that was another of his unwise decisions.

[Support Free Republic]

50,000 people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out. A refund is then due. The team is about to mail refunds when the Congressional Democrats stopps them and decrees that they send out refund amounts based on the Democrat National Committee's interpretation of fairness. After all,if the refunds are made based on the price each person paid for the tickets, most of the money would go to the wealthiest ticket holders. That would be unconscionable!

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[dixiechick2000]

The last I heard, we have 9,000 former Iraqui soldiers on the payroll. I don't know what they are doing, if anything, to earn their keep, though.

[JRandomFreeper]

There is no need for a draft. There are 6-7 of us in my small reserve unit that have volunteered to be replacements. It's the burro-ocracy that stops us. Them and their funding "buckets".

/john

[AntiGuv]

[RightWhale]

9,000 former Iraqui soldiers on the payroll

Still Iraqi. That number needs to be augmented considerably, the quicker the better. Two benefits: frees up American enlisted men for other duty; and puts Iraq further along the road to self-rule.

[squidly]

Well, I'm 33 and been out of the service for six years, but I'm single with no kids so hell, I'll go if they want me.

[Lijahsbubbe]

An article I read quoted one of our soldiers as saying the Iraqi police are too scared to patrol!

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for the pic!!!

My heart goes out to those who serve today on foreign shores. GodSpeed, and thanks to x42 for decimating our force strengths and sending them to Haiti, Kosovo, Bosnia in perpetuity.

Time to pull most our troops out of Germany, Korea and elsewhere. What a waste!

[dixiechick2000]

At this point, there may be more Iraqis involved.

I agree with you, totally, on the benefits of such a program. It would be nice to make them self-sustaining ASAP, and start giving our guys some much needed R&R. Plus, it appears our guys may be needed in other parts of the world...maybe soon.

[zingzang]

Rotating troops is only part of the answer. The men and women over there certainly need a break, but the reservists and national guardsmen need better laws to protect them should they get mobilized. The soldiers/sailors relief act is woefully inadequate.

[dixiechick2000]

"...the Iraqi police are too scared to patrol!"

I don't blame them. In some parts of Iraq they have been subject to threats, and attacks. The Fedayeen and Ba'athists don't like to see them cooperating with us.

[mikenola]

Only problem is that the Iraqi soldiers have almost zero credible military training or soldierly discipline. Perhaps they can re-doctrinated over time, but for now consider the Iraqi former military a dead letter.

Seems to me a good solution would be to draw replacement troops from Germany and Bosnia/Kosovo. If the Europeans don't give a hoot about our security and won't help us with troops in Iraq, then piss on helping them in Europe.

[BonnieJ]

When Clinton shut down all those bases and cut back divisions, didn't anyone see this coming?

[JoeSchem]

It seems one of the biggest mistakes of this war was mobilizing for so long in advance of the actual invasion. I realize the mobilization was a tactical ploy to get Saddam to back down, but it also carried a cost that we are bearing right now -- our troops have been on station for long months and are very tired.

[RightWhale]

consider the Iraqi former military a dead letter

Sure, recruit the youngsters, train them, and set them up. It would put the youth to work doing something productive, and get them off the street. Double bonus.

[CPT Clay]

I Sense someting is comming for the National Guard. The Bosnia and Sinai Missions are already Guard. Kosovo and Afganistan will be soon. International troops are in Afganistan. Why are Bosnia,Kosovo not NATO missions. We should be excused from these because they are a European problem. Anybody seen that Jpeg showing a vehicle in Iraq with a hand made sign saying " One weekend a month My ass"???