Posted on 11/29/2007 2:53:29 PM PST by frankenMonkey
The Army is prioritizing 37,000 soldiers for assignment to units heading downrange after a records review showed that four in 10 on active duty have never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan
...But after scrutinizing Army personnel records, Human Resources Command officials in Alexandria, Va., have identified 37,000 soldiers who have yet to deploy and have no reason not to serve in combat.
...Other areas where records indicate never-deployed soldiers tend to work are operations support, particularly in the fields of space operations, foreign area officers, nuclear and counter-proliferation, signal, telecommunication systems engineering, strategic plans and policy, simulation operations and information systems management.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
Sounds like a sensible plan.
Some guys have done 2 or 3 tours while these guys have done none.
About time - the troops need some help with the heavy lifting
Curious, does experience on the ground make a Soldier safer in a hostile environment?
Or are these never deployed soldiers trained well enough for Iraq and Afghanistan Duty?
I have no idea which is which and what would be better for all involved.
What suprised me was meeting senior NCOs and Field Grade Officers on their first tour this last time I was in Iraq. I got bounced around units just to deploy, and yet NCOs and Officers with 13 years or more in the Army were just deploying fo the first time. I found that amazing. 37,000 soldiers that have never deployed and without any reason. WOW!!! But, not so suprising.
Basically, to borrow a phrase from the Navy, it’s “all hands on deck.” With airman and seamen pulling patrol duty in Iraq, there’s no reason for others not to join in.
Dude,
these aren’t REMFs, since REMFs make it to the war theater. These people are at echelons above reality.
My buddy works at one the listed jobs. He has had officers he supervises that have volunteered to go over.
Even though there are some who do not have to deploy, they do their part and volunteer.
I wonder how many soldier over 10/15/20 years have never been to a combat theater.
Prior to 9/11 most female cops or any cop on that matter had more ‘combat’ experience than most of our military.
WEll, golly gee, if not trained well enough, they could through the same extra training the boots on the ground went through -
I’d go.
I know they’re not really REMFs, just trying a bit ‘o humor.
They are prepared for their mission before they ship out, just like the men and women before them who went into the combat zone for the first time.
Oh Saigon, oh Saigon, what a wonderful place...
But the organization’s a G**D*** disgrace...
We’ve got Captains, and Majors, and Light Colonels too...
With their hands in their pockets with nothing to do...
From a song called “Saigon Warrior” sung to the tune of “Sweet Betsy From Pike” which is a variant of a World War 2 composition which could be used to complain about base camps, training establishments, or headquarters anywhere in the world.
My daughters boyfriend is coming home in February after two tours. Praise be to God!
(BTW, I was at NTC for train up to this deployment and alot of the training made me laugh as well as angered me. I was getting ready for my third rotation to Iraq and the training was being conducted by a mix of leaders that had deployed and a mix of trainers that hadn’t. Some of the stuff that they insisted on, like indirect fire drills, were straight from the “If Russia Attacks” handbook. In Iraq, you rarely spin up for indirect fire because it’s always poorly aimed potshots mostly numbering no more than one or two rounds at a time. We had a saying “If you hear the alarm, you’re OK.”)
The fight and the battlefield is constantly changing, too. Just eight months ago only one Brigade Combat Team was fully implementing Counter Insurgency principles into their operations. Now, all the BCTs are able to do it as a result of the surge and the intent of senior leaders in Iraq. So, a seasoned soldier that is redeploying after being out of Iraq for 12 months will be walking into a new fight with new principles, and a very different battlefield. Not to worry, though, they won’t go in blindly. There in a handover period where the incoming guys are teamed up with the outgoing guys in order to learn the dynamics of the AO as well as what works and what doesn’t.
Wonderful news! God bless him for his service!
Thanks raynearhood.
np
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