Army Plans Involuntary Call-Up of Thousands

[ze_dscherman]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army is planning an involuntary mobilization of thousands of reserve troops to maintain adequate force levels in Iraq and Afghanistan, defense officials said on Monday.

The move -- involving the seldom-tapped Individual Ready Reserve -- represents the latest evidence of the strain being placed on the U.S. military, particularly the Army, by operations in those two countries.

Roughly 5,600 soldiers from the ready reserve will be notified of possible deployment this year, including some soldiers who will be notified within a month, said an Army official speaking on condition of anonymity

More: http://news.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5536118

[DemFighter]

1. And a draft too.....

If you are age 18 to 36 be ready to get drafted if Bush wins in November. The neo-cons want to invade and occupy every country in the world. They will needs lots of troops for that.

[rocktivity]

4. And they're building 14 permanent military bases in Iraq

to use as a home base for their takeover of the Middle East.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Langtree]

12. I think we're working ourselves up over something unlikely ...

to happen. The draft would be political suicide for any President. And the expense of invading and occupying so many countries seems untenable.

[Ironpost]

15. Read my lips, GW bush*

[Dhalgren]

16. Even though it would be Bush's first election win,

if he wins in November, he can't "legally" run again - so, no "political suicide" there. If he becomes Doctor President-for-Life Iddy George Bush, then again, no "suicide". The costs of the ongoing conquests are irrelivant - when you are the living embodiment of God's will on earth and only waiting for the rapture, it doesn't matter how badly you wreck the economy.

[jedicord]

2. My husband was a Marine in the first Gulf War...

he fulfilled his obligation (reserve) after he left. He's 36. My heart has stopped - is there any way he could be called back up?

He was a mortarman, no civil specialist or whatever.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. From what you say, no

If it makes you feel any better, they'd have to draft you before coming back to him.

[jedicord]

9. No worries there, I'm 43 (whew!)

n/t

[rocktivity]

6. Stay on your toes, Jedicord--this is the BUSH regime we're talking about

I remember seeing some stories around here about recruiters calling people like your husband, telling them they HAD to re-enlist and giving them a "choice" of picking their own duty station or having it done for them.

I also remember reading that the Bush regime has employed IRS records to track down people like your husband who haven't received a paycheck from the military in years.

:headbang:
rocknation

[jedicord]

10. Good Info

What would happen if he doesn't re-enlist? Do you know the legalities?

He was worried, because he had heard that they would be looking for people with Gulf experience. He had 10 months of it, and that was enough.

Ironically, I have this Marine agreeing to move to Canada if they do start a draft. While my husband is gung-ho Marine, he refuses to have his son fight in an unnecessary war such as this one. Now that's a strong statement, IMO.

[yellowcanine]

3. We effectively now have a draft - it's called "stop loss retention" and

"mobilizing the ready reserve." What the heck are we going to do if Canada and Mexico form a "Coalition of the Willing" to invade us and get rid of the WMDs?

[SoCalDem]

7. Hmmmm. "Involuntary" call up....would that be a.....a.......a....

D R A F T ????????

[teryang]

8. there are so many catch 22s

If an officer is passed over for promotion, he is involuntarily separated from active duty (unless stop loss prevents it). If he wants separation pay he must agree to serve in the IRR for three years. Yet if he has a service connected disability he won't get compensation for it unless he pay's the separation money back.

So the separation pay is used as consideration to obligate you for a further three years. But if you are disabled you must pay it back. Last but not least, you can get called up involuntarily anytime you are in the IRR, even after your extended obligation expires. So the government gets you three ways.

Since most serve without pay in IRR even after their extended obligation expires, they are exposed to this risk. If you are in the IRR and not obligated and not yet ordered to be mobilized you can request to be discharged.

[Langtree]

11. Is it really involuntary if they are reservists?

Not to split hairs or anything, but they did sign up whatever their original reason for doing so was. It seems disingenuous for some to say that they didn't know they could be called up.

[jedicord]

13. I'm no military genius here, but...

from how I understand it, once you've served, even if you've completed inactive reserve, they can call you back in times of national emergency.

Using the phrase "reserve" is a good cover.

[Sinistrous]

14. If a person is forced to report for duty against his or her will

that is, by definition, involuntary. Only the most tortured spinning could even attempt to make it otherwise.

[Langtree]

18. If you are countering that ...

Someone who joins the reserves has a "choice" about whether or not to serve if called up, then you've got your head in the clouds. We can talk about whether or not it's moral to call a reservist up, but you assertion is patently unrealistic.

[Dhalgren]

19. These are IRR - they didn't "join the reserves".

This is absolutely "involuntary". These are all people who have already fulfilled their obligations and now may be called-up in cases of "national emergency". You are confusing the two types of reserves.

[Sinistrous]

20. Obviously you have no military experience.

Once a military member fulfills the basic obligation, assignment to the IRR is considered a formality. Nobody in the IRR expects to be called back. Recalling those in the IRR who don't want to go back is, as I said, involuntary by definition. Stop polluting the language.

[havocmom]

17. And it is involuntary when you have fulfilled your required time and they

implement Stop Loss so you cannot muster out at the end of your enlistment.

If someone serves their time (unlike what bush* did by just sorta going off the radar for nearly a year) but there is a Stop Loss order, that person cannot go home and get a civilian job or go to school like they may have planned. It would seem that person is now serving involuntarily. They did their stint, they had other plans for the months after the period of their enlistment and the malAdministration says 'Not so fast, there, Soldier Boy, you are staying at the front with your rifle in your hand and eating whatever we send you'. Sounds like a back door draft to me.

[Moderator]

21. Duplicate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=653108