Apparently, US troops are going to have their tours extended - so, instead of being in active combat for a year, they’ll be there for 15 months. Worst part? Those who’re ALREADY deployed are having this change applied to their terms.
So, if you made a baby with your wife the day you shipped out, instead of that baby being 3 months old when you came back, it would be half a year old.
Not much more to say than what some of the US politicians have said:
“I think this will have a chilling effect on recruiting, retention, and readiness. We also must not underestimate the enormous negative impact this will have on Army families,” Skelton said.
“This Administration keeps asking our troops for more–do more without the right equipment, spend more time on deployment even as our generals say there is no military solution to the war in Iraq,” Kerry in a statement. ” … This is the latest sign that the Bush Administration continues to overextend our military to the breaking point.”
It will be interesting indeed to see how enlistment rates are affected in the next 5 years…
I understand that you may need to increase troop terms; but to do that to people who’re in the field already? You made a commitment to those people; they should have an option as to whether they want to stay or not - I can’t believe how demoralizing this would be. It’d be like telling a 12 year old that Christmas is being pushed back 3 months because Santa was out drinking and broke his leg. Except, you know, the kid’s getting shot at until Boxing Day.