Post by Bret Walker on Jan 7, 2004 13:11:18 GMT -5
Army Stops Many Soldiers From Quitting
Now, I was in the service in 1990 when they instituted the last stop-loss during the Gulf War. I knew quite a few soldiers who were held in their positions because of the stop-loss, including my motor sergeant who was scheduled to retire in March of 1991 but wasn't allowed to retire until after our unit returned from Kuwait in December 1991.
Of all the people I knew in the military who were affected by this, none complained much. There was some grumbling and griping but for the most part, the soldiers accepted the fact that they'd have to be retained until the Gulf War reached its conclusion, and even beyond until we were circulated back to the states.
As much as I feel for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it seems like there's so much more sympathy-seeking going on right now. When I was a soldier, we did a job, and we just did it, and that was that. Now it seems as though every single soldier becomes a human-interest piece. My daughter was born a month and a half premature while I was over in Saudi Arabia. I didn't find out that she was born until two days later. Did I bitch and moan about my situation? Was my story featured in the local Gazzette? No, because I was doing a job and that job required things of me that I knew about going into it.
Shit happens. End of story.
Now, I was in the service in 1990 when they instituted the last stop-loss during the Gulf War. I knew quite a few soldiers who were held in their positions because of the stop-loss, including my motor sergeant who was scheduled to retire in March of 1991 but wasn't allowed to retire until after our unit returned from Kuwait in December 1991.
Of all the people I knew in the military who were affected by this, none complained much. There was some grumbling and griping but for the most part, the soldiers accepted the fact that they'd have to be retained until the Gulf War reached its conclusion, and even beyond until we were circulated back to the states.
As much as I feel for the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it seems like there's so much more sympathy-seeking going on right now. When I was a soldier, we did a job, and we just did it, and that was that. Now it seems as though every single soldier becomes a human-interest piece. My daughter was born a month and a half premature while I was over in Saudi Arabia. I didn't find out that she was born until two days later. Did I bitch and moan about my situation? Was my story featured in the local Gazzette? No, because I was doing a job and that job required things of me that I knew about going into it.
Shit happens. End of story.
