Army Proposing Extending Duty For Everyone In Iraq

[Gold9472]

ABC News: Army proposing extending duty for everyone in Iraq

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/ABC_Ne...duty_0410.html

Published: Tuesday April 10, 2007

The following report from ABC News' Senior National Security Correspondent Jonathan Karl aired this evening on "World News with Charles Gibson."

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Introduction: NEXT, WE TURN TO IRAQ AND THE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO ARE SERVING THERE.ABC NEWS HAS LEARNED THAT THE ARMY HAS PUT ON THE DEFENSE SECRETARY'S DESK A PROPOSAL TO EXTEND THE TOUR OF DUTY FOR EVERY ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER IN IRAQ BY THREE MONTHS. ROBERT GATES COULD HAVE A DECISION ON THAT PROPOSAL LATER THIS WEEK OR EARLY NEXT. HERE'S OUR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT, JONATHAN KARL, AT THE PENTAGON. JON?

Karl: THIS IS A PROPOSAL THAT WOULD AFFECT EVERY ACTIVE-DUTY SOLDIER IN IRAQ. THEY WOULD BE REQUIRED TO STAY LONGER, IN LARGE PART, BECAUSE THE SURGE OF FORCES THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO BE EXTENDED. UNDER THE PROPOSAL, ALL ACTIVE DUTY ARMY UNITS IN IRAQ WOULD HAVE THEIR TOURS OF DUTY EXTENDED FROM THE CURRENT 12 MONTHS TO 15 MONTHS.

General William Nash, Retired: THESE SOLDIERS HAVE PAID THE PRICE FOR THIS POLICY FOR FOUR YEARS. NOW, THEY ARE BEING GIVEN AN ADDITIONAL BURDEN TO BEAR AND IT WILL BE A CAUSE OF CONCERN FOR THE SOLDIERS AND EVEN MORE SO FOR THE FAMILIES.

Karl: THE STRESS ON THE ARMY HAS BEEN COMPOUNDED BY THE SURGE OF ADDITIONAL FORCES THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY -- A SURGE IRAQ COMMANDER DAVID PETRAEUS WANTS TO EXTEND. SENIOR OFFICIALS TELL ABC NEWS THERE'S CONSENSUS AT THE PENTAGON AND THE WHITE HOUSE THAT PETRAEUS IS RIGHT, THE SURGE NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO WITHOUT EXTENDING THE TOURS OF THOSE ALREADY IN IRAQ, OR DRAMATICALLY CUTTING THE TIME SOLDIERS SPEND BACK AT HOME.

THE ARMY IS PROPOSING THIS, IN PART, BECAUSE AN ACROSS-THE-BOARD EXTENSION SEEMS MORE FAIR THAN PIECE-MEAL EXTENSIONS ON INDIVIDUAL UNITS. IT WILL ALSO ERASE UNCERTAINTY. SOLDIERS WILL KNOW AHEAD OF TIME HOW LONG THEY'LL NEED TO BE IN IRAQ. THIS PLAN WOULD BE UNWELCOME NEWS TO SOLDIERS WHO HAVE ALREADY HAD TWO AND SOMETIMES THREE DEPLOYMENTS IN IRAQ. BUT OFFICIALS AT THE PENTAGON SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE A SILVER LINING. WITH THIS PLAN, THOSE SOLDIERS WOULD BE GUARANTEED TO HAVE AT LEAST 12 MONTHS BACK AT HOME BETWEEN THEIR DEPLOYMENTS. CHARLIE?

Gibson: JONATHAN KARL, AT THE PENTAGON, REPORTING ON A STORY THAT WILL AFFECT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN FAMILIES.

[Chana3812]

Little toy soldiers - - - our f*cking pretzel president thinks of the military as his little toy soldiers in his illegal game of war.

[PhilosophyGenius]

damn that sucks

[beltman713]

BUT OFFICIALS AT THE PENTAGON SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE A SILVER LINING. WITH THIS PLAN, THOSE SOLDIERS WOULD BE GUARANTEED TO HAVE AT LEAST 12 MONTHS BACK AT HOME BETWEEN THEIR DEPLOYMENTS. CHARLIE?

I guarantee they'll break that guarantee when the time comes.

[AuGmENTor]

What's sad is, they have no choice (by contract anyway). It's right in the fine print that they can do this to you. You'd be surprised what they can do to you (enlisted people) under different circumstances. Cracks me up that alot of the people so against this have no idea just how many of their own rights have been taken away. Why can't they look at this situation and see how their own lives are right behind it. You don't hav to be in the military to get screwed by the government...