thedrifter
09-22-03, 06:21 AM
09-17-2003
Guest Column: Leaders Are Failing the Troops
By a Sergeant in Kuwait
We were deployed on Feb. 2, 2003, and arrived in Jordan in April, where one-half of us were moved a week later to Kuwait to throw mail. When our unit came back together in June we had a frag order to go home. This order was revoked, and we ended up replacing an active Army unit. When replacing the active unit, we were told our redeployment date was now Dec. 1, 2003.
We now hear that we may be here for a full year. We are under 3rd PERSCOM. They say they don’t know how they are going to do anything but they do know that when they decide who stays and who goes they are not going by how long soldiers have been deployed, just by unit necessity.
My unit works in-processing and re-deploying for theater. We are doing a great job and are working hard to treat each soldier with care and consideration as he or she comes past our desks. They have spread our 44 soldiers out to replace an active unit who had over 50 and to replace a National Guard unit who has over 60 soldiers. Not only are we running 24-hour operation seven days a week for these two units, but we have four of our soldiers on the redeployment side working validation for another unit. We are spread so thin and are working so hard that these knocks on our
morale are devastating.
Yes, we are physically able to finish our mission, but mentally and spiritually, we are dying. If retention for the Army National Guard is anything of importance, we need to have faith in our government and our leaders.
Right now where we are, we can’t see anyone taking a stand for the soldiers (as it isn’t just us being treated this way but many, many soldiers).
This isn’t a simple board game of “Axis and Allies.” This is a game people are playing with real people, people with families, not robots. There are college students out here missing over a year of college to sit and get yanked around without explanation. Officers in 3rd PERSCOM refer to moving soldiers as “drug deals” – you do this for me and I’ll make sure your soldiers go home, etc.
I am proud to serve my country. I understand I’m not able to ETS while I am here. That is fine. I am here to serve out of obligation and duty.
What I am wondering is, if there are any checks and balances for those who are making decisions here? Everyone keeps saying it is up in the air, including the personnel responsible for deciding who is going where. It feels as if every decision is off the cuff.
In this situation, there should be plans in place and decisions made before the rubber hits the road. I know there was a conference in Atlanta but nothing has been heard of from that.
We are slowly becoming frantic. I hear people saying they are going to begin hurting themselves or others if they can’t go home. The helplessness our soldiers are feeling is indescribable, it is past the point of “Suck it up, drive on.”
We just want somewhere to drive on to.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Defensewatch%20Special.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=3&rnd=113.46291831833838
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Guest Column: Leaders Are Failing the Troops
By a Sergeant in Kuwait
We were deployed on Feb. 2, 2003, and arrived in Jordan in April, where one-half of us were moved a week later to Kuwait to throw mail. When our unit came back together in June we had a frag order to go home. This order was revoked, and we ended up replacing an active Army unit. When replacing the active unit, we were told our redeployment date was now Dec. 1, 2003.
We now hear that we may be here for a full year. We are under 3rd PERSCOM. They say they don’t know how they are going to do anything but they do know that when they decide who stays and who goes they are not going by how long soldiers have been deployed, just by unit necessity.
My unit works in-processing and re-deploying for theater. We are doing a great job and are working hard to treat each soldier with care and consideration as he or she comes past our desks. They have spread our 44 soldiers out to replace an active unit who had over 50 and to replace a National Guard unit who has over 60 soldiers. Not only are we running 24-hour operation seven days a week for these two units, but we have four of our soldiers on the redeployment side working validation for another unit. We are spread so thin and are working so hard that these knocks on our
morale are devastating.
Yes, we are physically able to finish our mission, but mentally and spiritually, we are dying. If retention for the Army National Guard is anything of importance, we need to have faith in our government and our leaders.
Right now where we are, we can’t see anyone taking a stand for the soldiers (as it isn’t just us being treated this way but many, many soldiers).
This isn’t a simple board game of “Axis and Allies.” This is a game people are playing with real people, people with families, not robots. There are college students out here missing over a year of college to sit and get yanked around without explanation. Officers in 3rd PERSCOM refer to moving soldiers as “drug deals” – you do this for me and I’ll make sure your soldiers go home, etc.
I am proud to serve my country. I understand I’m not able to ETS while I am here. That is fine. I am here to serve out of obligation and duty.
What I am wondering is, if there are any checks and balances for those who are making decisions here? Everyone keeps saying it is up in the air, including the personnel responsible for deciding who is going where. It feels as if every decision is off the cuff.
In this situation, there should be plans in place and decisions made before the rubber hits the road. I know there was a conference in Atlanta but nothing has been heard of from that.
We are slowly becoming frantic. I hear people saying they are going to begin hurting themselves or others if they can’t go home. The helplessness our soldiers are feeling is indescribable, it is past the point of “Suck it up, drive on.”
We just want somewhere to drive on to.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=Defensewatch%20Special.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=3&rnd=113.46291831833838
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: