What’s next to get enough troops: lowering the age limit to 12? Criminals (ala Dirty Dozen)? Politicians kids? Whoa! Can’t go too far with this.
The Army is ordering injured troops to go to Iraq
“This is not right,” said Master Sgt. Ronald Jenkins, who has been ordered to Iraq even though he has a spine problem that doctors say would be damaged further by heavy Army protective gear. “This whole thing is about taking care of soldiers,” he said angrily. “If you are fit to fight you are fit to fight. If you are not fit to fight, then you are not fit to fight.”
As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.
Jenkins, who is still in Georgia, thinks doctors are helping to send hurt soldiers like him to Iraq to make units going there appear to be at full strength. “This is about the numbers,” he said flatly.
Some were injured on previous combat tours. Some of their ills are painful conditions from training accidents or, among relatively older troops, degenerative problems like back injuries or blown-out knees. Some of the soldiers have been in the Army for decades.
My sister has had an experience similar to this, having just been deployed with her unit to Baghdad about a month ago now.
To echo Andy Rooney, when the USA goes to war the draft should be activated. The draft ensures a broader skill set and better qualified soldier while ensuring a better cross section of Americans fight for or represent the country abroad. Had automatic draft activation been a part of the run up to the Iraq war, I believe America would have more closely examined the logic and motivations for going to Iraq in the first place.
While I generally do not agree with the idea of having a conscription force outside of a necessity to fight a war on our own soil, any draft would have to eliminate all exemptions or deferments for non-medical reasons if it would ever hope to have my support. If we must resort to involuntary military service, then nobody should be exempt.
For those of you that are proposing a draft.
We aren’t fighting WWII. The skills and technology needed can’t be taught in a 6 week basic training.
the draft will always have short-cuts. as for the public at large paying more attention to the logic and reasons for war, I doubt it.
the sad thing about all this; is that 10-20 years from now if a similar dumb-a** war comes up, most people will just shout support the troops and kick (insert name of freedom hater)’s butt.
#3 People should be exempt from military service though if they are they should be required to serve in ways that are beneficial to humanity, or at least the part of humanity that exists within the human made boarders and under the government to which they are a citizen or resident of.
#4, fire-team and squad level tactics for bullet catchers hasn’t changed much over the years.
Problem: Dysfunctional and overflowing military hospitals.
Solution: Empty the hospitals.
Problem: Injured soldiers needing life-long medical care.
Solution: Send them to a war zone, so their long-life potential is reduced.
Unless we’re going to suck oil out of there for free, it’s time to get the heck outta this situation. Establish Empire, or let it go.