Why are they thinking of doing that?

I thought they had trained the local police force up to be on their own, surely by now they should be free of hand holding?

When is the hand holding going to end?

They have medics doing watch tower duty.

It's some bullshit for sure.

I think most of us know why.  I hope it is not true. But I will pray for D, and hope that does not come to pass.

I thought they had trained the local police force up to be on their own, surely by now they should be free of hand holding?

The iraqi cops are getting shot at a lot.  Maybe they need new (American) targets.

They have medics doing watch tower duty. It's some bullshit for sure.

It's ABSOLUTE bullshit.  When is this ever going to end?  When are we going to say enough is enough, when is, as Jennifer said, the hand holding ever going to end?

Enough came and went months ago, IMO. 

I hope it is not true.

Me too. 

Thank you for your prayers.

I hope he doesn't have to do such duty myself.

I know why this is happening.. it's mainly because of the big loss of manpower the Army is feeling right now. The army has major need for people to fill it up, but not many are going in because of the risk. So the Army, in it's real need (it really is needed sadly) is pulling on military personell from other branches.

Not to sound Crass because I don't mean to be at all, just informative... The Navy has already been doing it's part. There are somewhere around 15000 Sailors, sleeping in the sand and dust of Iraq helping out the Army. I'm glad to at least see the Air Force step up and be willing to help their brother's in Arms also, and I highly commend them for that act.

I do though, share your worry, and hope he stays home with you and the kids. It's a shame that he is needed at all.

I know why this is happening.. it's mainly because of the big loss of manpower the Army is feeling right now.

Whilst I don't have any hard and fast stats, I CAN tell you that the AF SFS career field retainability rate is taking a HUGE hit.  I know guys who have retirement in their near future (like less than 5 years away) who are getting out because of the deployment rotations (8 months gone, 5-6 months home right now, but that's changing in the next 18 months or so - then they'll be gone for a year and home for 6 months).  It truly sucks, dude.  Truly, and it aint getting better.  

I'm not going to complain about the rotation rates right now; it's his job and that's what he's getting paid to do.  Deploying is part of military life and I know that.  However, I do take offence at my husband and his comrades being used as sitting ducks in downtown Iraqi shit-holes with useless Iraqi cops as their partners - and I think that 'useless' is a justifiable description.  I mean, if they were competent, would they really need THAT kind of backup?

 

I know why this is happening.. it's mainly because of the big loss of manpower the Army is feeling right now. The army has major need for people to fill it up, but not many are going in because of the risk.

This is not correct. The Army is meeting recruitment and retention goals.

OIF does rely HEAVILY on the Army, and it is a stress on AD, NG, and Reserves, BUT this is the way the war is being run. The Army COULD be bigger and MORE troops could be sent to Iraq.

It's not American citizens that are causing the shortage in manpower. It's the leadership and decision-makers.

I'm with Dr. Guy on this one. I will make a point of praying for both of you now and before I go to sleep.

It's not American citizens that are causing the shortage in manpower. It's the leadership and decision-makers

Yep.  I see the leadership making decisions about who deploys when and where are for how long, sending these people off, then going home to sleep in their own beds next to their wives.  They're not the ones who are sitting on some post in the middle of Iraq, getting mortars tossed at them and bullets sent their way with almost predictable regularity. 

I'm with Dr. Guy on this one. I will make a point of praying for both of you now and before I go to sleep

Thank you, Aeryck.  Sincerely.

I'm glad to at least see the Air Force step up and be willing to help their brother's in Arms also, and I highly commend them for that act.

Actually some career fields in the AF have been doing Army "slots" since the beginning. I know some logistics guys in the AF who deploy for one year at a time, but have to go for combat training for 45 days with the Army before they deploy.

They deploy to Iraq and don't even work their AF career field for an entire year....know what they are doing? Pulling security details on convoys.

Sucks all the way around.