1,200 Marines get tour extension in Afghanistan

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- Approximately 1,200 Marines serving in southwestern Afghanistan will have their tours of duty extended by 30 days, Pentagon and Marine officials said.

The Marines, most coming from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California, will come home at the end of November instead of the beginning of that month, the officials said.

Also, 200 additional support troops and several helicopters will be sent to southwestern Afghanistan to help with route clearance, engineering and additional aviation elements, officials said, citing orders that were signed last week.

The Marines have been serving in Farah province as trainers for the Afghan army. They have been repeatedly attacked by insurgents and have been seeking additional firepower.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/04/us.marines.afghanistan/index.html

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[babylonsister]

1. WTF? Wasn't it just last week the dim one was cutting tour lengths?

Sigh. I'm not surprised, but I bet these people are fuming.

[ohio2007]

3. What people do you think are fuming ?

The Taliban ?

[babylonsister]

4. The Marines. They obviously can't trust a thing their CiC says. nt

[ohio2007]

6. obviously, you know the marines inside and out.

They don't give a shit about anybody but keeping the marine next to them alive.

[babylonsister]

7. No, but I reckon if someone is on their 3rd or 4th tour and are told

the rules have changed and they might finally be able to go home, as a fellow person, don't you think there might be some disappointment if that doesn't happen?
And you're an ass. I'm not going to argue with you. My feeling is one of compassion for them and ire at the asshole in chief, nothing more.

[Angleae]

16. The army is cutting tour lengths, not the marines.

Marine Corps tours are 7 months. Army tours are currently 15 months, proposed drop to 12 months. However this is the same army that proposed to drop tour lengths from 12 months to 7 in 2004.

[elocs]

2. My 19 year old godson was just deployed to NE Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.

Afghanistan actually has a border with Pakistan--a very dangerous place. His mom his going crazy because she has not heard from him in a week.

I have seen a uTube video of some soldiers in Afghanistan who were scheduled to go home in days only to find out they would have to stay for 6 more months. Can you imagine how devastating that news was to them?

[ohio2007]

5. I would like to see that video clip

going home in a few days.....only then to find they were being extended another six months ?
got the link ?

So, is your godson in the US army? No doubt he is in harms way, I kid you not.

Why did he volunteer?

[elocs]

8. My godson screwed off in high school so bad and missed classes

that the middle of his junior year he went to one of those National Guard challenge academies for troubled youth. He actually thrived there with their rigid structure. He graduated in June of what would have been the end of his junior year and he had his GED (he was allowed to get his GED before his class graduated only because he went to a challenge academy). He was determined to join the Army to get money for college, so by October of what would have been his senior year he had finished basic training. Some ATI training and a year at Ft. Hood and he was off to Afghanistan (they say Iraq is actually better because you can see your enemy). His contract will be up in a year, but he will probably be in Afghanistan until October. He is in major harm's way now (where those 9 troops were killed a few weeks ago, just before he got there and just before they were scheduled to leave).

He was absolutely determined to volunteer. I tried to talk him out of it and showed him all sides of the issue so he would know and be able to make an informed decision. He can never say that nobody ever warned him about what it was going to be like. He knew he was going to war somewhere.

[elocs]

11. Here is the video clip of the troops in the Korengal Valley who had their tour extended 6 months.

It's about 3 minutes into the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca45ZXsycW4

[doc03]

9. I rented a pretty good movie based on this

bullshit the other day called Stop Loss anyone else see it?

[paparush]

17. I saw Stop Loss - Tragic tale.

These poor bastards. I know the Marines will suck it up and do what they are ordered to do, but jeez.

[carp]

10. The Marines won't complain. That is not part of their character.

These Marines will do the job they were sent to do, another 26 days is not a big deal to them.

PS. a Marine tour of duty is half an army enlistee's tour of duty. Marines have tours of duty for about six months before they rotate out.

[More_liberal_than_mo]

14. Marine combat tours are 7 months

at least they were 7 months. This is the first I've heard of Marines getting the "stop loss" treatment that had been reserved for the Army and National Guard troops.

My son served 4 years in the Marine Corps 2003-2007 and served 2 tours in Iraq. He's been back home going to college for the past year. Last Saturday he was ordered to go back for his annual physical for the Individual Ready Reserve (the fine print on all initial enlistment contracts states that you are obligated for 8 years regardless of how much is spent on active duty). He said that after the exam they spent 2 hours trying to get him and the others to re-enlist and after none of them seemed to express an interest they were told that by October there may be an involuntary recall of Marines. That didn't seem to bother him and he assumed nothing short of WW III would cause them to recall him, but it sure made me wonder what they meant by "OCTOBER" as in "October Surprise" maybe!

[carp]

18. I have a brother in the Marines. they have so many Marines at Pendleton

I have a brother in the Marines. They have so many Marines at Pendleton right now I don't think they know what to do with them all so I rather doubt they are running short and having to resort to "stop loss". Of course you do understand "stop loss" usually pertains to a few people with individual valuable skills that the service wants to utilize under their voluntary enlistment contract....

[stanwyck]

19. Your son is fortunate that he was able

to leave after his four years. My son is an active duty Marine with 3 tours to Iraq. He's currently at Quantico with a canine unit. What happened to some of his fellow Marines when they decided to leave after their 4 years was they were recalled and sent with my son on his third tour. However, since my son re-enlisted, he got his bonus, and was able to earn rank. He's a sargent now. His friends who didn't re-enlist had their pay rank frozen and didn't receive the re-signing bonus. So, the message was clear. Re-enlist, get the bonus, and earn rank.
I wish your son well. I'm happy to hear he's been in college this past year. That's what I want for my son.

[More_liberal_than_mo]

20. That's the point they were trying to make:

Re-enlist now before we involuntarily recall you. If they recall them then no bonus. I sure hope they don't recall him because he's finally settled in school and it would really upset us if he had to stop mid term. He's doing well with his studies and I'm glad he was able to get out and see the real world after high school before starting college. Had he gone straight to college instead of the Marines I don't think he would have made it. Now he has the discipline and self-motivation to get the college education.

[stanwyck]

22. My son started college, hated it,

and told us he wanted to enlist with the Marines. We told him he had to finish one more semester and wait the six months before enlisting. We thought he'd change his mind. He didn't.
I really want him to go to college. He'd like to teach middle-school. And that age could use more male teachers. (particularly teachers who are former Marines)
Let's hope your son does NOT get re-called. Best to you both.

[roody]

15. What IS their job in Afghanistan?

[LynnTheDem]

12. Coz Afghanistan doesn't have a KFC yet.

[frylock]

13. shithead can make it up to them by showing up with a plastic turkey

[Supersedeas]

21. another bit of news for journalists in TV Media to ignore