Okay, so my experience with stop-loss is pretty simple, the unit that I went to Iraq with filled two of its positions with Stop-Lossers, one from Florida, one who was from Philadelphia or something. Im not quite sure how they were picked or anything, but they went along with us, and in all honesty, I didn't even think about them as Stop-Loss. I really didn't even know (because they were in a different platoon) until about four months into the deployment.
Firstly, lets get it out of the way. I don't neccessarily support the war, not to hard to tell from my blog title. But I did my job, and I feel I followed in the traditions of Jefferson and other Patriots of Liberal Persuasion. However, doing my duty, and agreeing with it, are two different things totally. Suffice it to say, though, I saw some sense in it, on some level.
Okay, as for Stop-Loss, yes I think it sucks. I mean your chilling on the couch one day, and the next thing you get a letter telling you that you've been re-activated with the sole intent of sending you into a combat zone. Or maybe, if your lucky, of filling in for a leaving unit on a post for a few months. That would actually be quite kosher. I wont lie, I saw that movie Stop-Loss and identified with it in some respects.
However, Stop-Loss, while it does suck, is apart of the contract. Maybe you weren't aware of it when you signed, but it shouldn't take long for you to learn about it in truth. Thats about as much as you can say about Stop-Loss, that it sucks.
A backdoor draft? No. At one point in time they had been of the mindset to agree to the contract, the contract stipulated stop loss policies, and was available to be read. So thus a person signs into stop-loss.
Do I believe that there is a bit of misinformation? Certainly. Im sure right now there is some young kid signing his contract without fully realizing anything about it. But it happens all to often, and the best you can hope, is that he learns his lesson, and learns from it.
Thats as much as I have to say for it. Yeah it sucks, and yeah if you ask me if I feel bad, I will say yes. Do I think its the same thing as a Draft, or Similiar to it? No. It has more to do with demographic recruiting than it does with the draft.
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Don't worry about being a liberal dude.
ReplyDeleteAs far as stop loss... When my Cal Guard unit was about to deploy us to Bosnia, they said I was on stop loss (I already had over 13 years in active duty and guard) and I re-enilisted anyway.
They kept loosing the papers, and I re-enlisted 4 times--- which was ok because I got a fucking coffee cup each time the dumbass AGR lost the papers.
Half way throuhg my Iraq deployment, the re-enlistment idiot NCO came over and told me my enlistment expired 5 months before I got to Iraq so I should re-enlist (at that point it would have been 6 re-enlistmens in 2 years) or I wouldn't get paid while I was in Iraq.
I looked at that NCO and told her in front of everybody she was about the most retarded human I had ever seen wearing sergeant stripes...and if for any reason I didn't get paid I was going to hold her responsible as I showed her all the fucking re-enlistment paper work for the last 2 years.
Now as for stop loss I have some really good stories....later.
Oh definately. I can't wait to read 'em.
ReplyDeleteI just like the attitude some of our SL guys had. They were like "What you gonna do, kick me out the army?" I mean they weren't acting stupid, just really smug.