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VFA Applauds Rep. Betty Sutton and the Stop-loss Compensation Act
Veterans for America (VFA) strongly applauds Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) for introducing H.R. 6205, the Stop-loss Compensation Act, which requires that U.S. servicemembers whose tours of duty are involuntarily extended, commonly known as “stop-loss,” receive special pay for the duration of their extension.
More than 70,000 Soldiers have been stop-lossed since 2002. During the recent Iraq troop “surge,” the number of troops stop-lossed reached 12,235. Such orders harm the morale of our fighting men and women and are nothing more than a short-term crutch for maintaining force levels. As Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently said “we need to move away from [stop-loss] as rapidly as we can.”
Of all the abuses borne by our servicemembers since the beginning of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, excessive reliance on stop-loss is one of the most egregious. Involuntary service negates the promise of our all-volunteer military. By forcing tens of thousands of troops to stay in the military, we have broken the contract that our servicemembers willingly entered into with their country.
VFA applauds Rep. Sutton’s efforts to mitigate the burdens placed on our troops and their families by stop-loss orders. We encourage her colleagues in Congress to support this legislation.
The Crushing Burden of Multiple Deployments
A Marine reserve battalion that suffered heavy losses in Iraq in 2005 is sending out members for training before expected assignment in Iraq.
The 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, Fourth Marine Division, based in the Cleveland suburb Brook Park, is providing reinforcements and joining another regiment at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms, Calif., for about three months of training.
In August 2005, 14 members of the 3/25 Marines died in attacks a day apart, including nine members of Columbus-based Lima company killed by a roadside bomb. The battalion lost 48 members in seven months.
Lt. Col. Minter Ralston at the battalion headquarters said Wednesday that 40 members of the battalion were sent Tuesday.
In April, Veterans for America’s Wounded Warrior Outreach Program released two reports, The Consequences of Churning and Weekend Warriors to Frontline Soldiers, that showed that not only are these repeated deployments taking their toll on returning servicemembers with increased incidents of combat stress, but many frontline units are repeatedly experiencing higher KIA (Killed in Action) than most servicemembers who have been deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan.
The repeated deployment of “three deuce five” is hardly unique. The 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, which has already been deployed three times since September 11, 2001, will be deployed again this fall, making it one of a handful of BCT’s that will have seen four tours.
According to multiple Army-led Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT) reports, multiple deployments are having a devastating effect on our troops. MHAT V, released earlier this year, found that the likelihood of non-commissioned officers (NCO’s) suffering a severe psychological wound in combat rose by 125% between the first deployments and third/fourth deployments.
Placing this stress on frontline units that have shouldered an undue burden in both combat tours and fatalities is not a sustainable military policy – our troops deserve more time to heal and, if necessary, to prepare to return to combat.
Mr. President: Stop Playing Games With The Lives Of Our Troops.
This morning, President Bush will make an announcement about the situation in Iraq. For every American who supports the troops, I hope that you will listen carefully when he announces that troops deployments are being reduced from the current back-braking 15 months to 12 months at the end of the summer.
In short this is a hollow political announcement
This announcement will do nothing to help the troops currently deployed for 15 months right now, some of whom will not return to the United States until summer 2009. Almost half of the active-duty Army’s frontline units are currently deployed for 15 months, HALF, and of those units, three are on their fourth tour and almost all have been deployed at least twice. We need to reduce everyone’s current tours to 12 months, right now.
From now to the end of this president’s term in office, the overwhelming majority of frontline troops scheduled to deploy are Army National Guard, and their scheduled tours are already 12 months, so again, the President’s announcement does nothing to help them even though many of these troops are scheduled for their second deployment, leaving jobs and families behind again, for a full year.
15-month tours are just too long. DoD itself has found that 15-month deployments are dispiriting. Every day here at Veterans for America, we hear from Soldiers and their families reeling from the effects of 15-month deployments. And we listen as no less an expert than the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mullen says “the well is deep, but is not infinite.” Our reports show that the consequences of churning our troops will be significant and even greater in the future.
Our troops need their commander in chief to fight for them. They need real help, and they need it now.
Bobby Muller’s Statement On President Bush’s 12 Month Tour Announcement
“There is no longer any doubt that the consistent churning of our military for extended periods of time is having a devastating effect on the health of our Soldiers.
An announcement from President Bush that we will not return to 12-month tours until after the summer will do nothing to relieve the burden of those currently deployed for 15 months - some of whom will not return home until Summer 2009.
Almost half of the active-duty Army’s frontline units are currently deployed for 15 months. Three of these units are on their fourth tour. Almost all have served at least twice.
This is the group of Soldiers that has borne an immense, disproportionate burden from our wars. This is the group of Soldiers that desperately needs a break - now.
It is also distressing that, between now and the end of the President’s term in office, the overwhelming majority of frontline units scheduled to deploy are from the Army National Guard; they will not be affected by this announcement. It is standard for these units, many of which are on their second tour, to deploy for 12 months.
Every day, Veterans For America hears from Soldiers and family members reeling from the effects of 15-month tours. The Department of Defense has also confirmed this dispiriting effect.
In short, this is a hollow announcement, it has no immediate effect. It is nothing more than political posturing at the expense of our troops.
Our soldiers are unraveling, and they need their Commander In Chief to provide immediate relief.
A Statement On General Petraeus’s Appearance This Morning.
One thing that needs to be made absolutely clear when considering General Petraeus’s recommendation to pause troop withdrawals: pausing troop withdrawals will have devastating consequences for our troops, give the great post-combat burden that they are bearing as a result of repeated exposure to high-intensity combat. The only step that can ease this burden is more time of the fight to rest, re-train and recuperate.
Army leaders, including General Petraeus, know the incredible strain our soldiers are under. They know that with each deployment the likelihood of one of our soldiers developing a sever post-combat mental health problem - the kind that can ruin someone for life - rises by 60%. Despite this recognition - we have not given our troops the rest that they need. We are knowingly compounding their wounds of war.
The need to continue withdrawing troops is urgent - our troops are exhausted. In fact, of the frontline Army units that have engaged the Mahdi Army in eastern Baghdad during the recent outbreak of violence, two brigades are serving their fourth tou, three are serving their third tour, and three are serving their second tour.
