Well this sucks. I got a call from my old army recruitier saying to come down to the office today at 12:00pm EST. Well i thought that he just wanted to talk to me about my army service or something like that.

When i get there he hands me this piece of paper saying that i am being sent to camp Lejeune(sp) North Carolina. Now i served for 4 years in the Us Army ( i joined when i was 17 graduated high school early to join) and was discharged with honor, but now it is saying after i complete advanced training i will be sent to IRAQ........ i feel the need to say that again........IRAQ.

Now Camp lejeune i think is a marine corps base, and i was never in the marines i was in the army. So that is F up.

I thought he was joking with me. You know like a cuerl prank, but it is for real. And when i asked him why did they pick me he said "they need people with experiance" Now i have never been in combat and i went to Germany during my overseas tour of duty. So that pissed me off.

Now i mean if they needed troops that bad they could have asked and i would have probably rejoined, but this way is f***ed up. i Mean just out of the blue.

But i guess some good can come out of this. I might be able to get online and tell yall what is really happing from a soilders point of veiw.

Wow. I have been dreading that. I am sorry to hear it. I know so many people that were called backed after being out for years...

I have been out for going on 11 years now, so I am not sure exactly where I stand.

I have friends who I went through basic training with who have already called back and are in iraq right now.

People don't want to admit how short handed the Army is in this conflict; they are going after retired commisioned officers...

There is just not enough soldiers to get the job done and it seems to be getting worse...dang...

I guess we all should start jogging and doing push-ups in our spare time.

Its little things like this that make me want to move every now and then . My stance on the war is this : if America is under attack , I will gladly fight for my land . If the president wants to pull a pre-empitive strike and expects people like me to suddenly Jump up and down in glee ready to die in a war I barely agree with ( Id say my agreement with the war on terrorism lies on very thin Ice . ) then he is an idiot .

The point is defense . Offense does not equal defense .

Well i was only out for about a 2 years, but there is an odd feeling of relief after i got out of the recruitment office. I mean you being a solider you must know how it is not knowing if you are going to get called back up or not and now i know i am going to iraq.

My wife would just kill me if I got reactivated...we work together and live together. We are side by side 24 hours a day and absolutely addicted to each other. If I get a contract where I have to be out of the house for a full day, my wife is just about in tears...I don't want to be the one to tell her that I am going to have to leave for one to two years...

After she passed out she'd shoot me. I know it...

Hell i still don't know how i am going to break this to my family. I have told my brother, but i really don't know how to break it to my parents. I mean i would never do anything to hurt my mom or dad, but this is just gonna break there heart. And i cannot do anything to stop it.

It just makes you feel helpless.

It's tough. A lot of the time I feel like I should be there. I have friends that I served with who are still there...guys that I served with in Desert Storm...these guys just can't seem to get out of that country...

If it were just me; I might have gone back in; but now I have a wife and a business...I don't know.

It would be nice to help out...There are a lot of things I miss about the Army...getting shot at isn't one of them; but helping people feels good. I was a 91B10, Medic...I got to help a lot of people...actually probably more Iraqis than Americans...it was wild...completely different than it is now. We had people surrender to our Ambulance...guys starving and in horrible shape...

This really makes me angry...

You guys signed up, and did your duty serving your country...a lot of Americans on this site claim to be "proud to be American", but you guys are the ones, not them, who've actually gone out and risked your lives for it.

After that, after you've been allowed to get back to your lives, in comes the "Oh, sorry, but Bush has really screwed up how we've gone about this war, and it turns out we don't have the manpower for it afterall...we're going to rip up your lives now, and send you into combat."

Bleh....

I can understand that...I think if you just come out and tell them straight out so that they know what is going on is the best way. The truth is always the best...

How long are you training for before you ship out? what was your MOS?

Well i have never been in real combat before, but i have a feeling that i will be seeing alot of that.



Yea i had some good times in Germany. Infact so many i probably couldn't name them all.

EDIT. Well the only thing i know is i go to Camp Lejeune on Feb, 7th. I was in the infentry and got all the way to the rank of corporal, but i really don't know if i will be an infentry when they send me off though.

fixed quote

The guys that I know that were called back went to a nearby base for 3 or 6 months of training before shipping out; depending on their job. Most of the guys I know put on about 25 pound or so, and hadn't gone running since getting out so they were in horrible shape ...I myself have done maybe 10 pushups in the last decade...

The sent some of these guys through basically "fat camp" to get them back into shape while they were retraining them and getting recertified on all of the weapons.

They had a good amount of time to get ready to go to Iraq. The toughest part for all my friends was the change in pay. It is tough to go from making 60 or 80K a year and having mortgages and car payments to getting your E-5 hazzardous duty pay of 3 grand a month...that'll put a dent in your finances...

Thank god i stayed in shape then. The army might be scewed up in some areas, but i tell you the shape they get your body in really will get the girls to look your way. only reason i stayed in shape.....for the ladies.




God i hope they haven't gotten rid of the M-16 for that plastic gun. For i seen it on that show Mail Call.




Well i never made 60k in a year my entire life, but i do raise fighting chickens and i have no idea what i am going to do with all of them. I mean i could sell all of them, but i would have to sell them for half of there value just so i could get them sold in time.

fixed quotes

I am in so much trouble if I get called back. I haven't gained any weight, but I haven't gone running for years...

I guess I could do it...I don't look forward to it...

I wish you the best, and if you need a pen pal and a good supply of home made cookies let me know, I can set you up...

hey man all i can say is thank you.

Hey Lochness, I'm real sorry to hear of your call back.
I didn't even know they could do that, I just thought once you were out you were out.
Ditto on the penfriend, if you want to write you know where you can find me.
Just come straight out and tell your parents, they'll probably sense something is going on anyway.
You make sure to take care of yourself out there.
Tia

Lochness_hunter, All I can say is best to ya and keep your head down. I think it's a real raw deal, you did your time, you kept your part of the bargin. This really sucks.

Rummy: Sir, we need more troups, we are pretty thin in Iraq right now.

Bush: We can't have a draft, I promised.

Rummy: It won't be the first time you broke a promise, remember bin Laden?

Bush: But I promised Rummy.

Rummy: We have it under control. We are going to recall every one who has ever worn a uniform, including girl scouts.

Bush: That's a great idea!!! That way the Democrates can't say I lied. Glad I thought of it.

Rummy: Errr..... right sir.

You all know this country is in trouble when they call me up to serve. (Wonder if I can get armour plating for a wheelchair)


Best to you man, we'll keep you in our prayers and thoughts.

stillcrazy.

This is the thing I'm dreading... Canada has a small army, and I'm joining the reserves. I dont want some kiss ass PM to get elected who will follow the US into every war, and thus need to reactivate retired soldiers.

awwww lochness, if u want an english penpal, look no further, i'm sorry to hear this, and fluffy i hope u'll be ok,

lochness i'm sure u'll be fine, i'll keep u in my thoughts,

i would say rude things about bush, but i wont

I'm really sorry to hear that man. *shacks head* Glade I live in Canada. Good luck.

oh no...be carful..if anything hapenens everyone would miss you......wel it will be an experience...as long as you try to stay safe if thats even possible..

This makes me so friggin angry for you. Hasn't Bush done enough damage already, jeez this war has turned into an absoloute farce.

Were you still in the IRR when you were reactivated?

ETA: And why are they sending you to Camp Lejeune?

oh man, that sucks... big time.

My best advice: Don't let anyone make you do anything stupid, don't think too much, just enough to know which direction someone is shooting you from and where to go...

Hopefully you won't see combat.

Blessings be with you.

To Lochness Hunter:
May u return as swiftly as u got reinstated, and i would like to say Thank you.
I say thank you Becuause many of my family has served in the army, Im very proud of them. I say thank you becuase i dont have the guts to go and inlist on my own. SO be very careful, America has lost too many of her sons and daughters allready. i admire u sir.

Go with god and return home safe.

Man, that truly sucks. I think I'll probably just be echoing what everyone else has already said, so stay alert and come home safe.

man...

OMG I AM NOT GOING TO IRAQ. this is great.

I called my army recruiter and told him to get my records and visted him at his house. After looking over all of my records, and it clearly said that i was honorably discharged.

After seeing this he said he would take care of it. So it is a sure thing that my service to my country was completed.

Yall do not know how much this has relived me. God i really figured i was heading for iraq on the next ship out.

This could also be the reasoning for them to send me to camp lejeune too.


I guess it was just a human error. THANK GOD

I can tell most people here have never served in the military. When you are discharged you are placed on an inactive reserve roster for a certain number of years based on your time of service. At any point while your name is on that roster the military can reactivate you. You know this when you get out and also know how long your name is on the roster. Reason being it is cheaper and quicker to reactivate soldiers than train new ones.

lochness: I wouldn't count on you not being reactivated unless you got a medical discharge. My dad was honorably discharged after 20 years and spent the next 5 to 10 on the inactive reserve list after retiring.

Yep, stuff like this happens. Over here in Canada, as a reservist, when I quit, I'm gonna still be listed as an inactive reserve for 5 years after. And theres also been stories, I've heard, of retired soldiers being reactivated 8 years after they got an honorable discharge. One of them was 46, out of the military, and couldnt run, and he was being reactivated.

I have to admit, I'm a little bit confused....

I thought once you had done your 'duty' unless you were in the reserves you couldn't be called back. I don't get it.

Fluffybunny,

Could you explain to me how this is the case? How can one be called back when they have completed their tour of duty and have been honorably discharged and are not in the guard or reserves? Please explain...I am really confused by all this.

Take care and I wish you well.
*Big big Super-Size Hug from Texas*
I'm sorry you have to go.
Thank you.
Thank you very very much

I live 25 minutes from Fort Hood

I can only speak for the army, but in your enlistment contract, you are committed to at least 8 years in the Individual Ready Reserve from the time of your initial enlistment. So for example if you serve the army for 4 years, you are still in the IRR for another 4 years. At the end of 8 years total you would get an honorable discharge in the mail.

Hi joc,

The legality of the matter is that all of us that signed up for duty signed up for an 8 year term whether we knew it or not.(To the surprise of many)

When you sign up you have a minimum number of active years(2, 3, or 4) to do, but beyond that there will be a period of time(To a total of 8 years) where you are part of the IRR(Individual Ready Reserve) which is the first group to get called up in case resources run low(as they have in Iraq). I don't know the exact numbers off the top of my head, but there have been thousands of IRR soldiers activated.

In my particular case I am beyond the 8 years of the IRR as I enlisted back in 1987 and re-enlisted in 1991(for Operation Desert Storm). My IRR was over in 1999/2000, but as I am in a rather important job(Combat Medic), recruiters have been contacting many soldiers who are out of the military who were in critical role jobs in order to ask them to come back to help.

I posted a thread a few days ago where retired soldiers where being called back to help out, I fall into more of that classification(Although I never "retired"). If they ask me and make it worth my time, I will go. I have already contacted a local recruiter to see what the odds are of me being needed to go back; as although I disagree with the war on principle, My friends are there and I will not leave them hanging, they mean too much to me to let them continue to risk their lives without me helping...

Im curious, fluffy... they dont delete your records after 8 years do they? So in the event of something big, they could call you back after the 8 year term because you've had military training, couldnt they?

Well, it certainly surprised me! I never knew that. I thought once you were done, you were done.



Good Luck Lochness Hunter. Do you have to go do any 'training' or do they just ship you off? Geeez.....be careful man! Send us back the scoop.

Thanks Fluffy!

Meh, I find this war patheticly pointless. And when I say patheticly, I mean it.

Now about getting back in shape...: What if, after you were done, you ate a lot, let your body go and you turned into well...a fatass, so to speak. You know, a 300lb monster that can't support his own body with his legs. How do they call him back? lol.

I think he said he wasn't being reactivated after all. Although I may have misread.

No, your records are permenant. They stay available forever...As in the article I posted earlier about the retirees being called back; that is how they come to figure out who they want to get...They look at who would be a good resource and ask if they would be willing to help out.

If you were too big, you wouldn't pass the physical to get in. If you were justy a bit out of shape(as many folks are) that is what the 6 month period of activation is for before you get sent back to a combat area, you work your butt off(litteraly) to get into good enough shape to be able to do your job and be safe...

Thats what I thought. here you are, in the world, a retired soldier...and a huge war starts. Massive casualties, to the point of needing a draft. You're hired, either just before, or during the draft!

Edit:

Good thing is that any further WW will end up being nuclear, which is the ultimate deterrent.

We are a ways away from needing a draft, but they are already starting to poach retired soldiers in highly needed MOS's. It wouldn't take a huge nuclear war to get to the point where they began calling back everyone that they could get a hold of as it is much easier and cheaper to send someone through training that has already been through the process...

Last year the US already began taking soldiers from bases all over the world to consolidate troops for availability in Iraq; there isn't much use for having combat trained soldiers in Germany(I don't think it is going to flare up anytime soon...) when they could be helping to relieve soldier that are already on their second tour in Iraq.

I think that people sometimes forget how many of the soldiers that are in the military are really support soldiers for the fighting troops; we have a boatload of soldiers, but only a small percentage of those soldier are combat trained and ready. You can't just grab some guy from the Kitchen and hand him a weapon and expect him to be able to perform.

Well, not in the Navy anyway...but I thought Army Guys were ALL trained in combat during boot camp. And I thought all Marines were lean, mean, killing machines regardless of their profession. And all Medics were.......well we all know what Medics are...wouldn't be much of a war without them now would it?

Well you are right joc, the idea is that all soldiers are combat ready in that they can shoot a weapon or throw a grenade, but as in any specialty there is a fine line between being able to do something and being able to do something well.

I can make a really good hamburger, but that doesn't mean that I could run a kitchen that serves thousands of meals a day; it would be pretty ugly until I got it figured out. being combat trained is very much the same thing; you might be able to fire a weapon if need be, but you probably do not know all of the tactics, nor are you in nearly as good a shape as you should be to be running about getting shot at and shooting back.

I was attached to a combat unit for a couple of years, it was a far different job than when i worked in the Hospital at Brooke Army Medical Center. Carrying a 60 pound medical kit along with your own gear while running around in the woods was quite challenging.

Once a soldier, always a soldier, heh.

Good point. I see what you mean. Many are indeed specialty trained: tanks, infantry, special ops, etc. In your opinion do you think we will see a draft in this administration or perhaps in the next?

I wish all of those who are called up the best of luck. I received my call back letter about 2 months ago. Lucky for me, I have a newborn son, and I flunked the drug test.
(did that on purpose)

I dont think those being call up now will be going to Iraq. Think Iran.
Dont know about the rest of ya but checking news and other resources, looks like the U.S. is shifting troops from the middle of Iraq to the western border. Wonder whats next.


(thinking seriously about moving to Canada)

All I can say is:

1. Welcome to the forum!
2. We might all be better off with you in Canada.

Whats that supposed to mean?

He's calling him a coward. Joc have you ever been in a combat situation for your country? Or better yet, how can you judge this man? Maybe he doesnt have a wife, maybe he has dieing relatives. You dont know, so why make a comment like that? Its all nice and fine for you to gloat around that you would fight for your country, but until you do it that means squat.

No. I don't call people names Novo. I haven't been in a combat situation, but I was a Corpsman in the United States Navy. While serving our country, Iran took several dozen American hostages and we believed we were going to war with Iran. Had that happened I would have been with the Marines and I would have never 'seriously considered moving to Canada'. Seeing as you aren't even out of high school, you haven't the foggiest idea of combat yourself. I have never gloated about fighting for my country. I served. I commented as such because I believe a strong America is better than a weak America and those who aren't willing to fight and die for the freedoms we all have ...especially for the freedom of their children...might as well leave. That's my opinion. If you don't agree with it fine.