Military Developments Bode Ill for our Future Security

[RamboLiberal]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2205&ncid=742&e=13&u=/ucgg/20040710/cm_ucgg/militarydevelopmentsbodeillforourfuturesecurity

A number of dangerous developments in our military have suddenly come together -- pushed forward by the war in Iraq (news - web sites) -- that should give Americans grounds for worry about the future security of our nation.

The figures are starting to add up in the newspaper articles. The Army will recall more than 5,000 veteran soldiers from the Individual Ready Reserve to active duty (instead of reducing the number of troops in Iraq, as had been promised). Recent studies by the U.S. Army show that one in five U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq suffers serious mental health problems associated with post-traumatic stress syndrome. (Similar rates in the U.S. adult population are 3 percent to 4 percent; in the first Gulf War (news - web sites), 2 percent to 10 percent suffered such problems; and in Vietnam, a far bloodier war fought by a conscript army, 15 percent suffered the same problems.)

Our military establishment, belatedly beginning to free itself from the neocons' and White House's idea of perpetual war, is finally speaking the truth.

Gen. Richard A. Cody, the new Army vice chief of staff, testified recently in Congress: "Are we stretched too thin with our active and reserve component forces right now? Absolutely."

"The war in Iraq is wrecking the Army and the Marine Corps," retired Navy Capt. John Byron writes in the July issue of Proceedings, the professional journal of naval officers. "Troop rotations are in shambles, and the all-volunteer force is starting to crumble as we extend combat tours and struggle to get enough boots on the ground."

[REVOLT823]

1. I wonder how long

it is going to take to fix all the things that Bush Co. has seriously screwed up? I agree, I think the military is going to lose a lot of career people, officers and NCOs over this. These guys and gals aren't stupid, they know there lives are being laid on the line for something other than thedefense of our country.