D_Raay
12-06-2004, 04:24 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4072467.stm
Several US soldiers are going to the courts in an effort to stop the US army extending their tours of duty in Iraq.
With US forces stretched by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, many units have been ordered to stay on longer than originally expected.
Soldiers have been kept abroad even if the date they were due to leave the army has passed.
A lawsuit challenging the policy is expected to be filed on Monday in a federal court in Washington.
Lawyers for the men have teamed up with the Center for Constitutional Rights, a liberal public interest group, to launch a class action lawsuit calling for an end to the practice known as "stop-loss".
The plaintiffs say thousands of service personnel have been kept in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond their discharge or retirement date.
Last week the Pentagon announced that several units would have their tours in Iraq extended to cover the elections due in January.
One of the men involved in the lawsuit, Arkansas National Guardsman David Qualls, told the New York Times: "My job was to go over and perform my duties under the contract I signed.
"But my year is up and it's been up. Now I believe that they should honour their end of the contract."
Fear of retribution
The newspaper says there are eight plaintiffs, but that Mr Qualls is the only one willing to reveal his name.
The others are reportedly referred to in the lawsuit as "John Doe" numbers one to seven.
They apparently fear retribution if they reveal themselves, including more dangerous postings in Iraq.
They include a military bandsman, ordered to Iraq to play music.
The army says its stop-loss policy is vital to ensure its forces on the ground are familiar with their environment.
"If someone next to you is new, it can be dangerous," army spokeswoman Lt Col Pamela Hart told the New York Times.
"The bottom line of this is unit cohesion. This way, the units deploy together, train together, fight together and come home together."
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Grrrr, this is the problem, TOO many of them don't make it home at all. If they have served and avoided serious injury or death and fulfilled their commitment , why the hell should the military deny them their rightful escape?
Several US soldiers are going to the courts in an effort to stop the US army extending their tours of duty in Iraq.
With US forces stretched by deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, many units have been ordered to stay on longer than originally expected.
Soldiers have been kept abroad even if the date they were due to leave the army has passed.
A lawsuit challenging the policy is expected to be filed on Monday in a federal court in Washington.
Lawyers for the men have teamed up with the Center for Constitutional Rights, a liberal public interest group, to launch a class action lawsuit calling for an end to the practice known as "stop-loss".
The plaintiffs say thousands of service personnel have been kept in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond their discharge or retirement date.
Last week the Pentagon announced that several units would have their tours in Iraq extended to cover the elections due in January.
One of the men involved in the lawsuit, Arkansas National Guardsman David Qualls, told the New York Times: "My job was to go over and perform my duties under the contract I signed.
"But my year is up and it's been up. Now I believe that they should honour their end of the contract."
Fear of retribution
The newspaper says there are eight plaintiffs, but that Mr Qualls is the only one willing to reveal his name.
The others are reportedly referred to in the lawsuit as "John Doe" numbers one to seven.
They apparently fear retribution if they reveal themselves, including more dangerous postings in Iraq.
They include a military bandsman, ordered to Iraq to play music.
The army says its stop-loss policy is vital to ensure its forces on the ground are familiar with their environment.
"If someone next to you is new, it can be dangerous," army spokeswoman Lt Col Pamela Hart told the New York Times.
"The bottom line of this is unit cohesion. This way, the units deploy together, train together, fight together and come home together."
---
Grrrr, this is the problem, TOO many of them don't make it home at all. If they have served and avoided serious injury or death and fulfilled their commitment , why the hell should the military deny them their rightful escape?