thedrifter
02-02-07, 07:21 AM
posted on Fri, Feb. 02, 2007
Fort Stewart general may halt departure of troops set to leave Army
By Russ Bynum
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT STEWART - The commander of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division said Thursday his troops planning to leave the Army or transfer to other posts may be held back so they can deploy to Iraq instead.
With the division heading into its third tour in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said none of his troops will be allowed to retire, transfer, or leave after their enlistment expires without his approval.
"For now it is necessary that we retain every soldier in the division," Lynch said in a letter published Thursday in Fort Stewart's newspaper, The Frontline. "We will receive new personnel, but there will not be further departures without my approval."
Lynch's order is expected to affect about 350 soldiers planning to leave Fort Stewart in the coming months, said Lt. Col. Randy Martin, a 3rd Infantry spokesman.
Martin said the general's decision was necessary because two of the division's combat brigades expect to deploy to Iraq two-to-three months early as part of President Bush's plan to increase U.S. forces in Baghdad by 21,500 soldiers.
"We are at war and this is absolutely necessary," Lynch wrote.
The 3rd Infantry, which has about 19,000 soldiers, is the first Army division tapped for a third combat tour in Iraq. More than 4,000 soldiers from its 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed last month.
Since the war began in 2003, the military has kept tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the job and in war zones past their retirement dates or enlistment length.
The practice, popularly known as "stop loss," has been called a backdoor draft by critics. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently ordered military commanders to find ways to minimize its use.
Martin said Lynch's order doesn't qualify as a stop loss because it's not being enacted Army-wide. But the effect would be the same for Fort Stewart troops ordered to return to war when they planned to leave the Army.
The division's 3rd Brigade, based at Fort Benning in Columbus, is expected to deploy in March - about two months early.
Martin said Lynch understands the strain his order could place on military families and will not stop soldiers from departing unless it's necessary.
"He is looking at every individual case with the commanders in the units of the division," Martin said. "At the end of the day, these are human beings."
Ellie
Fort Stewart general may halt departure of troops set to leave Army
By Russ Bynum
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT STEWART - The commander of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division said Thursday his troops planning to leave the Army or transfer to other posts may be held back so they can deploy to Iraq instead.
With the division heading into its third tour in Iraq, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said none of his troops will be allowed to retire, transfer, or leave after their enlistment expires without his approval.
"For now it is necessary that we retain every soldier in the division," Lynch said in a letter published Thursday in Fort Stewart's newspaper, The Frontline. "We will receive new personnel, but there will not be further departures without my approval."
Lynch's order is expected to affect about 350 soldiers planning to leave Fort Stewart in the coming months, said Lt. Col. Randy Martin, a 3rd Infantry spokesman.
Martin said the general's decision was necessary because two of the division's combat brigades expect to deploy to Iraq two-to-three months early as part of President Bush's plan to increase U.S. forces in Baghdad by 21,500 soldiers.
"We are at war and this is absolutely necessary," Lynch wrote.
The 3rd Infantry, which has about 19,000 soldiers, is the first Army division tapped for a third combat tour in Iraq. More than 4,000 soldiers from its 1st Brigade Combat Team deployed last month.
Since the war began in 2003, the military has kept tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines on the job and in war zones past their retirement dates or enlistment length.
The practice, popularly known as "stop loss," has been called a backdoor draft by critics. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently ordered military commanders to find ways to minimize its use.
Martin said Lynch's order doesn't qualify as a stop loss because it's not being enacted Army-wide. But the effect would be the same for Fort Stewart troops ordered to return to war when they planned to leave the Army.
The division's 3rd Brigade, based at Fort Benning in Columbus, is expected to deploy in March - about two months early.
Martin said Lynch understands the strain his order could place on military families and will not stop soldiers from departing unless it's necessary.
"He is looking at every individual case with the commanders in the units of the division," Martin said. "At the end of the day, these are human beings."
Ellie