Repeated tours leave midlevel void, Casey says

[unhappycamper]

Repeated tours leave midlevel void, Casey says
By Tom Vanden Brook - USA Today
Posted : Wednesday Feb 20, 2008 11:29:10 EST

WASHINGTON — The stress of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan is beginning to show in the declining quality of Army recruits, retention of midlevel officers, desertions and other factors such as suicide, the Army’s top general said Tuesday.

Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, said his primary concern is the loss of captains. The Army invests about 10 years to develop them. An effort in the fall of 2007 to entice 14,000 of them to extend their commitments fell short by about 1,300, he said.

“People aren’t designed to be exposed to the horrors of combat repeatedly, and it wears on them,” Casey said. “There’s no question about that.”

Casey commanded U.S. troops in Iraq from 2004 to 2007. Since taking the Army’s top post, he has spoken about the stress of repeated deployments. He highlighted some trends that show deepening strains.

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• Recruiting. The Army has met its goals in recent years. Even so, Casey said it hasn’t met its target for recruits with high school diplomas. The Army wants 90 percent of recruits to have diplomas; this year, records show, only 79 percent do. Furthermore, it has accepted more soldiers who require waivers for felony convictions.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/gns_armystrain_080220/