Soldiers in Middle East being replaced by Navy personnel?

[TechBear_Seattle]

I got a call from mom last night, to relay some info she got from my brother. He's been in the Navy 12 years and reenlisted back in May for another 6 year commitment.

He's just recently found out that the decrease in US "deployable personnel" in Iraq and Afghanistan is because soldiers -- National Guard, Army and Marines -- are being replaced by Navy personnel on "temporary assignment" to do everything from radio and support to gunners and checkpoint guards. Numbers are reported as going down because, as far as Army bean-counters are concerned, sailors are not "deployable" and the only counts they have to report are soldiers. My mom voiced a thought that the rising number of killed an injured comes from, in part, completely inexperienced sailors doing jobs they never wanted to do in the first place (you don't join the Navy if you want to be a ground soldier) for which they were never trained and under conditions totally unlike anything they have done before. My brother heard from an officer that by year's end, some 7% of the entire US Navy will be serving as ground troops in the Middle East.

At the moment, my brother is still in the Navy and still with his ship, but he is mighty, mighty pissed: his training in communications makes it likely that he will end up landside in the desert before too long. And, it seems, no one is telling the rank-and-file; if he had known this was going on, he would not have reenlisted (the Navy is not currently under stop-loss.)

Can anyone provide confirmation that this redeployment from the Navy to the Army is actually occuring?

[uppityperson]

1. k&r for an important question

things may drop off fast today that aren't specifically voting related, but this is a good question and I would like to hear the answer.

[aquart]

2. Damn. This is what I thought they'd do with the Navy call-up.

Can't confirm but I have heard they're using Navy on the ground. Why not? They're using Air Force ground support crews for patrol.

I don't want Rummy fired. I want him hanged.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Ah yes, similar tings happened in Nam

My brother in law, a radio man, served in country.

No surprises there, and the AF is driving trucks

[anarch]

4. yep...yet another manifestation of a "back door draft"

:(

[Nikki Stone1]

5. I have a feeling we won't get official word for awhile. I know 2 kids on Navy ships

so I will kick this thread as I can.

:kick: and R

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Probably there will be no official notice until the Navy goes to stop-loss

I know asking for official word is a bit much :hi: I'm more interested in hearing from DUers who have family in the Navy or who might otherwise be able to confirm this.

[BattyDem]

6. Yes, it's true. I saw this info in the newspaper about a month ago ...

I don't remember what paper, but Google came up with this USA Today article from May.

"Sailors, airmen land new role"
By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

5/7/2006

The Navy and Air Force are training their sailors and airmen for war duty far from the seas or skies: jobs typically performed by a strained Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Navy and Air Force personnel are replacing Army soldiers to carry out such duties as guarding convoys, patrolling bases and watching for homemade bombs, the top killer of U.S. troops in Iraq.

The Navy also is running a prison in Iraq, patrolling rivers and helping to clear and search buildings.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-07-navy-air-training_x.htm

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. Thanks for the link

I will forward this to my mom and, if they let it through, to my brother as well.

[DemoTex]

12. Urban warfare: " .. helping to clear and search buildings .."

The Navy calls the victims of its bait-and-switch program "Dirt Sailors." The "Dirt Sailors" are pulling some very dangerous "solder-ly" duty on the ground in Bu$h's elective war.

[Nikki Stone1]

13. Wow! Another item most of us missed.

Thanks!

[twilight_sailing]

9. Durn,

my neighbor's kid joined the Navy last year. Good kid.

(There are NO jobs around here.)

I was hoping I wouldn't have to worry about him. Durn.

[Big Sky Boy]

14. If he's attached to a ship right now he's OK

There is no safer place in a conflict like this than on board a Navy ship.

The U.S.S. Cole was an aberration. We won't make that mistake again.

Ironically the last U.S. warship to be hit by an enemy missile was the USS Stark. Hit by an Iraqi Exocet missile launched from a Mirage F-1 fighter jet in 1987.

I don't think too many of those are operational anymore.

[newyawker99]

16. Hi Big Sky Boy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Big Sky Boy]

10. It's true

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/07/iraq.navy/

Read this a few months ago.

I was a Supply Corps Officer in the Navy Reserves up until 1998, so it doesn't surprise me. Attached to an Emergency Logistics Support Force (ELSF) Unit--We were basically trained to set up warehousing operations in combat situations and other support functions: Dining facilities, payroll, ship store / commissary exchange services etc.

I am happy I am no longer active or I would be there right now.

Understand also that the Marines have been heavily deployed in this conflict and that the Marines are a detachment of the Navy. Which means that Navy personnel provide all the support: Hospital Corpsman, Medical Services, JAG Officers, Chaplains, Supply (which includes Food Service, Payroll, Shipping & Receiving, Barber Shop, Commissary & Exchange Services). They travel with the MARDETS (Marine Detachments) and are certain to be caught in the crossfires.

I've been watching the casualty lists very closely and a lot of the fallen Navy personnel belong to the groups listed above.

[Historic NY]

11. Operation Blue to Green.........

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/armyjoin/a/artransfer.htm

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2004/n07282004_2004072801.html

[Marrah_G]

15. My brother is Navy

Naval Commander: Retired a decade ago

He has been called back to active duty (ready reserves) a number of times since this war has begun. He served his time in the gulf war and somalia. It's a huge burden on his wife to be left alone with five kids for months on end. It sucks, but he knew going in that this could happen.

I wish he had the freedom to speak what he was really thinking, because I have a feeling he isn't to happy with the current state of our military affairs.

You know, thinking back it makes me realize that when my brother left for the first Gulf War my daughter was 6 weeks old. She just turned 16 and in her lifetime she has watched him deploy during 4 seperate wars/actions.

4 wars in 16 years.

In addition we had a close family friend (national guard) deploy to Bosnia as a PK twice and Iraq twice.

I wonder if she will know peace in her lifetime.

Note: I have heard of Naval Medics being assigned to infantry units. I don't know about other sailors though.