Army to recall former military members

Post by **Apoptosis** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 2:09 pm

I'm not sure if this impacts any of our forum members, but a number of you are in the military or have ties to someone who is!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Army is preparing to notify about 5,600 retired and discharged soldiers who are not members of the National Guard or Reserve that they will be involuntarily recalled to active duty for possible service in Iraq or Afghanistan, Army officials said Tuesday.

It marks the first time the Army has called on the Individual Ready Reserve, as this category of reservists is known, in substantial numbers since the 1991 Gulf War.

The move reflects the continued shortage of troops available to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to fight the ongoing war on terrorism as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Full Linky

I'm not at all thrilled that our government is involuntarily recalling members of our society that have all ready put their time in.

Bio-Hazard · Post by **Bio-Hazard** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 10:01 pm

I'm sitting waiting for my recall..........what I heard from a friend of mine that is active duty, they are looking for people with my job skills.........

Not a big deal for me though, I would get a promotiom to 1st Sgt and a huge pay raise if they called me back......... :D But I think I'm to crazy for them to call me back up................

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 10:10 pm

Well keep us up to date if you do go we will send you care packages of IC chips and MOSFET's so you feel like your at home.

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 1:18 am

It really isn't a big deal. how it works is:
When you sign up2-4 yrs,there is a clause in the contract that reads you have an 8 yr actual commitment. If you serve 2 yrs, you have 6 yrs of inactive reserve, 3/5, 4/4, etc. Say you serve 4 yrs, you still have a 4 yr commitment during which you can be recalled. If you serve more than 8, you have nothing to worry about. This mostly affects lower enlisted. The military has all the ssenior enlisted they need, how they accomplished that was by frezzing soldiers within 6 months of ETS. Bio, you shouldn't be called back unless you volunteer. I talked to my brother who is on terminal leave, and he told me they are really needing boots on the ground, and armor boys.
It isn't a shock, it isn't the draft, everyone who enlists knows about it, and it is a time of war.
My problem with it is we are already stretched too thin. If the Frogs and Russians, etc don't want to help in Iraq or Afghanistan, the we should let them deal with the crap in their own yards (Chechnya, Bosnia, etc, and also withdraw troops from other worthless places like Korea and Egypt. I also think we need to do a better job rotating guys in and out. Hopefully as we start to phase out alot of the guys in Iraq, we can concentrate our efforts on Pakistan... I mean Afghanistan.

BTW, great to see you back safe and sound Grunt

grunt · Post by **grunt** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 11:38 am

It is a big deal, I think its wrong.. You guys wouldnt believe how tempting it is to just move to canada or somewhere else... Now that soldiers can be sent to trial for how unfairly those pieces of **** are getting treadted and now OUR US SUPREME COURTS have ruled that prisoners can take OUR soldiers to court? Im ready to hand over my rights and tuff it out in Mexico drinkin coronas for half price since our gov't taxes it so much.... Sorry, there are a lot of issues that have got me steaming....

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:05 pm

I think we would all rather you vent here than at work. we dont want you to be too pissed of at our government and the people in charge while your in Iraq. While i dont like the fact that they are calling up the inactive reseves i have to say i aggree with capper. When you sign up you sign up for 8 years active or inctive. I just feel bad for all the guys that did their active duty and then tossed all their gear. now they have to leave there jobs get back into shape and buy new BDU's. I also think that it sucks that the governemnt will not let you give up your citizenship and move to another country. If i dont want to be an american any more thats my choice and the govenment has no buisness telling me otherwise. Especaly if some other country will accept me.

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 12:59 pm

I do see your point, to an extent. We have groups like the NAACP, etc to blame for alot of this BS. I also feel that our Supreme Court, and basically our whole justice system is a joke. I tell you that alot of this abuse stuff is a load of crap, depriving combatants of sleep, etc to gain intel is not abuse. what would you have us do serve tea and cookies? Those horror stories you see and read about are rare exceptions of idiots and people under alot of stress, and people not trained for what they are doing, alot of those guards are actually mechanics, etc. When a person is deprived of sleep for 24 hrs, their judgement is impaired and one out of every three decisions they make is wrong, after 48 hrs it jumps to three out of four. If you try to gain info from people you are at war with, they are going to give you false information, try to stall etc. Our soldiers are taught the same techniques and are supposed to use them if captured. Sorry it isn't as simple as name, rank, SS number. I spent six weeks in Spec Ops SERE school, the last 9 days of which were spent in a POW enviroment. I went 5 days without sleep and 8 days without food. I rmember hallucinating badly, I remember the horrible music, physical exhaustion I remember interrogations where I got my ass kicked, and I'll tell you what, anyone can be broken, we rehearsed our story for a week solid before the POW camp, and they broke everyone of us by catching us in mistakes and lies because we were all exhausted and beaten down..
I'll also argue that we were treated worse than any of these POW are being treated. After finishing the course, we all had to be under observation for 48 hrs by a shrink. I left with a broken finger and alot of bruises. But I have to say, while it was the toughest course in the Army, you learn alot about your makeup, both physical and mental. CNN ran a sanitized version of the course on one of its programs, they didn't show half of what happens, mostly because it is heavily classified.
As to giving up your citizenship, thats an individuals choice, not some governments. People like Madonna and Jessica Lange have no trouble moving to Europe, why should anyone else. I'm of the opinion that there are enough patriotic people out there willing to fight for what they believe, I don't want to be on a patrol with someone who doesn't believe in what they are doing or want to be there, they put me and themselves at risk. Like I've said before, let those people work in the rear, give them an education, let them live their lives.
Okay enough ranting......

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 1:17 pm

Good solid rant though

LVCapo · Post by **LVCapo** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 2:29 pm

bastard!!!

Hey, how bad was that case? you know I put $300 insurance on it? I'm really sorry, I was kinda stoked I was helping you out

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 2:58 pm

it was bad but dont worry about it its inspireing me to realy put sometime into it. looks like they droped it a few times, the feet bent up the bottom and the PSU had a resistor knocked off. and there is a small dent in the rad's exit barb. the good thing is that all can be fixed the only thing i will need to replace is the front, it looks ok but the plastic clips that hold it on are trashed. Like i said this will motivate me to mod the box.

Mr. Chan · Post by **Mr. Chan** » Thu Jul 08, 2004 4:36 pm

infinitevalence wrote:I also think that it sucks that the governemnt will not let you give up your citizenship and move to another country. If i dont want to be an american any more thats my choice and the govenment has no buisness telling me otherwise. Especaly if some other country will accept me.

I totally agree! Did you know, for example, you can become a citizen in Japan, but you are also a citizen of the U.S. because it forces dual-citizenship on you and does not give you a choice...I love the country I'm born in (usa), but I don't understand how forced citizenship is important anymore...a lot of people would love to have this citizenship and I'm grateful, but a lot of people don't necessarily deserve it...like foreigners who come from, say, the middle east and then have nothing good to say about the usa...i know from personal experience, they detest everything except their paycheck - talk about hypocrisy!

Then you have the Hispanics where I am, most of them work their tail off and half of them illegal on the farms, even the women work and what do they get...they have to struggle just to get an education, yet "African-Americans" are so intent on forcing the fact they're a minority down our throats they don't even care about the Hispanics (and then you have the people who don't care about anyone at all!) and it kinda makes you sick to see people working so hard for literally nothing almost...and they can't even get in the country legally to try for citizenship sometimes, heh :(

A10Pilot3 · Post by **A10Pilot3** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:33 pm

As long as there is a military thread I'll post here.

I just got news that one of my friends was wounded really bad. Don't know any details but it sounds like an RPG attack, since he got shrapnel in both legs, and the right side of his body was really bad. You know how the military is though, can't tell you the truth if the future of our country depended on it. He's in a hospital in Baghdad in surgery right now and then he will be sent to Germany, then back to the States... if he is going to make it. And he better god damnit.

Bio-Hazard · Post by **Bio-Hazard** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 10:50 pm

Sorry to hear about your friend......

..........Seems to always hit when you least expect it. The military has really good medical care these day tho, so I'd say that if he's made it past the 24 hour mark, he stands a pretty good chance.
I agree with you that the military doesn't let alot of info out about what's going on, most of the everyday soldiers don't know either...........

That's just the way they are, and for a good reason, if everyone knew what was going to happen, so would the bad guys, and we wouldn't want that would we.
Anyway, keep us posted as to how he's doing and I hope all comes out for the best. I'll keep him in my thoughts and prayers.

A10Pilot3 · Post by **A10Pilot3** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:10 pm

Bio-Hazard wrote:Sorry to hear about your friend...... ..........Seems to always hit when you least expect it.

Yea, especially when he's been in-country for 3 weeks and he's one of what, 1 or 2% of our forces over there that get seriously injured. What are the chances??? jeez

And thanks Bio-Hazard for the support.

A10Pilot3 · Post by **A10Pilot3** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:17 pm

Bio-Hazard wrote:The military has really good medical care these day tho, so I'd say that if he's made it past the 24 hour mark, he stands a pretty good chance.

Oh and no it hasn't been 24-hours. My brother's girlfriend called him around 4 (he is my brother's girlfriend's brother). I don't think they've heard anything since. He was supposed to get out of surgery between 11 and 12, and he is allowed a call home. Right now it's 12:15 and we haven't heard anything

Bio-Hazard · Post by **Bio-Hazard** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:08 am

It takes a bit to wake up and all after surgery. I know waiting is the worst part. Not knowing is almost as bad. I lost several good friends during the main part of the war and there were also several wounded also. It really hit the families and close friends the hardest. All you can do is pray and hope for the best.

infinitevalence · Post by **infinitevalence** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 8:16 am

A10Pilot3 wrote:Don't know any details but it sounds like an RPG attack

Well i for one will always help out and support any action agains RPG's and the players, i never liked thoes damn Dungeon and Dragons kids any way.

sorry for the humor i know this is searious and i will do a little prying for you and your friend, but i could not resist the chance to bring a little geek light to a dark subject.

A10Pilot3 · Post by **A10Pilot3** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 8:21 am

Still haven't heard any news. Damnit I just want to know if he's gonna be ok

Post by **Apoptosis** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 9:18 am

I'm sure you'll get some good news soon ;)

A10Pilot3 · Post by **A10Pilot3** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 9:26 am

Nope unfortunately not. His Grandma died today. Man isn't that family suffering enough?