CBS Sunday Morning: Can Pentagon's Stop-Loss Be Stopped?

[Hissyspit]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/07/sunday/main4652633.shtml

Can Pentagon's Stop-Loss Be Stopped?
The Military Returns Troops To War Zones After They've Completed Their Tours, Even After They've Left Active Duty
Dec. 7, 2008

(CBS) The Pentagon announced plans this week to recruit more foreigners residing in the U.S. into the ranks of the U.S. military. At the same time, many of those who've served their tours in the armed forces are finding it difficult to leave because of a provision known as "Stop-Loss." Our Cover Story is reported by Tracy Smith:
On a cold December evening, some folks go caroling. Others hold anti-war vigils.

Every Wednesday night for the past two years, Anna Berlinrut has been out on this same New Jersey corner handing out fliers, talking about the war, and about stop-loss - a policy that's keeping her son in Iraq this Christmas.

"Do you think the average American knows what stop-loss is?" Smith asked.

"No, they don't, they really don't," Berlinrut said.

The term stop-loss refers to the policy of keeping combat units together, sometimes even after individual soldiers' enlistments are up.

Right now, around 12,000 troops are under stop-loss orders.

"It is a necessary part of war, unfortunately," said Mackenzie Eaglen, a military analyst for the Heritage Foundation.

"Stop-loss allows a commander, in Iraq for example, to freeze in place a trained unit and deploy them as a team."

"And the advantages of it are what?" asked Smith.

"It generally helps prevail in conflict and avoid the further loss of life," said Eaglen, "because as a trained unit, this group has functioned together, they've lived together, they've fired weapons together, so they will in theory be a more effective fighting force."

It's all in the enlistment contract, the part that says, "In the event of war, my enlistment in the armed forces continues until six (6) months after the war ends."

- snip -

Anna Berlinrut's son - a Marine sergeant on his third tour of Iraq - was supposed to be coming home in a few weeks. But now he's been stop-lossed until April … or later. They're just recycled over and over and over again until they're totally used up.

- snip -

"Is there any way to explain what that's like for you as a mom?" Smith asked.

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[Mari333]

1. kick

bring them all home now, from both occupations.

[annabanana]

2. My blood started boiling when they brought that Heritage chippie

out to justify the practice...

Unending war means unending deployment, apparently. And she's "ok" with that.

[BOSSHOG]

3. A chippie

who has never served in the military, nor would volunteer to take the place of a "troop" in Iraq or elsewhere. And based on her comments this veteran can say that she is full of shit, knows not of the subject matter, and as a loyal heritage foundation member is more concerned with the future of her political party then our country. Cohesive units adapt, improvise and overcome bitch; that trumps stop-loss everyday which is a tool used by failed politicians.

Hi Anna, My bitch reference was to the "chippie" not to you My Dear.

[ACTION BASTARD]

4. Well, it could be a way for O to get the troops out from their endenture slavery

little by little. Without actual boots on the ground, the military will start to come up super-short, and have to curb the amount of time they put our people on patrol. The less time they spend in hot areas the less chance they get killed.

Getting rid of stop-loss is a good thing for our people.