So, it looks like the Yellow Elephants have been successful in their "avoidance at all costs" strategery of making sure that someone else will fight their battles for them. The Marines are now getting ready to start recalling IRR members to Active Duty, with orders to Mess O'Potamia in hand.
The U.S. Marine Corps said Tuesday it has been authorized to recall thousands of Marines to active duty, primarily because of a shortage of volunteers for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
...
This is the first time the Marines have had to use the involuntary recall since the early days of the Iraq combat. ...
It looks like they'll start by recalling about 2500 or so, and then who knows?
Is it any wonder that they're having a hard time finding "volunteers" to head to Southwest Asia? I suspect that they guys just off active duty who would not have ever left their units until the whole unit rotated home are gonna be less than thrilled to be getting another view of the camel spiders, battle with the heat and the IED's and wonder if they'll be as lucky going back to beard the lion one more time.
I hope that by the time they get around to calling anyone up again there's a Democratic congress, and an exit strategy being discussed. The sad fact is that for as long as Preznit Fails At Everything is at the White House he's never going to willingly allow a single soldier, sailor, airman or Marine to be brought home under the aegis of being "withdrawn". Given that he's failed at every endeavor in his life, except being the Ceremonial Head of State in Texas, he can't allow himself to be branded with the failure of his Excellent Mess O'Potamian Adventure too. That would lead to some real silence at the dinner table in Kennebunkport after January, 2009.
Besides, there's an intern he hasn't farted for yet...
posted by Jo Fish on 08.22.06 at 04:52 PM
Comments:
From the Co. Springs Gazette:
Tens of thousands of National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers came under the command of Fort Carson on Tuesday in a move that will mean scores of new jobs and could bring large numbers of troops for training.
The post will oversee training for more than 200,000 part-time troops from 21 states. The greatly expanded role also brought a name change for the headquarters unit now on post, from 7th Infantry Division to Division West.
I don't know about you but this looks like an easy staging area to deploy!
posted by: Seven of Six on 08.23.06 at 02:14 PM [permalink]
Imagine just how much worse it would get if the kids of Dems refused to enlist until someone comes up with a better plan. The rich kids have plenty of evidence that they'll never be required to serve in the military, nor will it cost them anything in the future to have avoided that service. They've learned that service is for someone else... they have other priorities. The Republicans will not reinstitute the draft simply because there would be a clamor that rich kids not get deferments, the National Guard is now no place to hide (although there probably exist safe units for one to belong to), and married people with kids serve in Iraq in great numbers now.
