There are over 25,000 US troops in South Korea alone, while the US forces in Iraq are being given extended deployment.
Actually, we don't.
The American people don't understand how the military is being used with the resources it has.
Do you think that every unit in Germany or Japan is just sitting around and has never been over to Afghanistan, or Iraq, or the UAE, or some other God forsaken place?
The odds are that they just returned - from 15 months or more, and are now retraining and getting sparse time with their families.
If you are Navy, you are at sea for months at a time in most units.
If you are Air Force aircrew, say C-17, F-16, or KC-10 - you life is not your own and never has been. Even if you are stationed in Germany flying C-130s, your unit is rotating to the Area of Operations (AOR) just like everyone else.
Don't think for a moment any unit is lolly gagging around.
The sad truth is this country expects a very small military to perform a plethora of missions with about 3% of the GNP (a historic low).
“IMHO, he has fulfilled his duty. We have a lot of troops in Germany, Japan, and other areas we can rotate in.”
IMHO he will have fulfilled his duty when the Army tells him he has fulfilled his duty.
It’s tough, I know — I had a couple of combat tours myself some years ago — but, active duty personnel don’t get to negotiate their orders, they follow them and like it. He knew the rules before he took the oath.
I'm not so sure.
He fulfilled his duty? You’re kidding right?
Oh, so the individual decides, screw the military and his country? His contract means nothing? So let’s everyone come home, disband the military and wait for our Beslan and Shariah.
But you know what, I wouldn’t want him back there at this point... and his brothers still there deserve better.
When I first began reading this story I was leaning towards this man’s point of view. Then I read the part about his actual time in the “sandbox” and he lost me. Up to that point I was thinking that he’d spent way more time than most soldiers (thinking wrongly that four tours would mean at least four years). Now I only view him as a “crybaby pee pants” who is trying to get out of fulfilling his obligation to his country (he did, after all, voluntarily enlist). Sorry, I cannot find sympathy for this man while my son (and many others) has served nearly continuously for the past 12 months with four months remaining before I see my son again. There have been soldiers and Marines who have actually served multiple tours (up to four) for at least 9 months for each tour (and up to 15 months) without crying about being sent.