US soldiers pay the price for extended tours of duty in Afghanistan

[progressiveGI]

The 10th Mountain Division has been to Afghanistan four times since 2001 and twice to Iraq. It is common to meet senior NCOs and captains with three combat tours behind them, an experience unmatched by any generation of US soldiers since Vietnam.

But that experience comes at a cost. British soldiers do six-month tours with 18 months off. America’s overstretched soldiers have been doing 12-month tours — and, in the case of 10th Mountain, a 15-month extended tour in 2006-07 — followed by nine months off. When soldiers talk about soaring rates of family breakdown, suicide and PTSD, there is no doubt that they describe a growing problem across the whole US military force.

It is harder to judge whether the issues confronting the 10th Mountain units in Wardak reflect a wider malaise. They are nearing the end of a long, frustrating year of being hit every day by an unseen enemy while trying to protect a sullen and apparently ungrateful population. This summer Wardak has been the pilot for a programme designed to replicate the sort of local militia groups that the Americans successfully mobilised for the “Sons of Iraq” programme, when Sunni fighters changed sides and turned on al-Qaeda. But even by Afghan standards Wardak is riven with factions and there has been little sign of progress.

In June General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of Nato forces, issued a new edict further restricting the circumstances in which American troops could use force against the Taleban. It is designed to guard against civilian casualties — but it is no surprise to hear that the soldiers do not like it.

Excerpt from this article: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6865366.ece

[atreides1]

1. This is Great

And now 65% of their fellow citizens are willing to have American soldiers 'fight and possibly die. So multiple tours of duty, long seperations from family, and now a poll says that fellow Americans are willing to let them die.

I know if I was still in that 65% could go fuck themselves, and I'd tell them that personally.

[Oregone]

2. Newsflash: virtually no one cares anymore

Everyone got their pony, cept the soldiers and Afghan people. Now, move along please

[Obamanaut]

3. Yes, and Max Cleland got treatment for PTSD 30 years after the

fact, whilst the newly damaged ones get ignored.

[gratuitous]

4. As long as it's just the soldiers paying the price

Nobody will care. Now, if it was Rupert Murdoch, Dick Cheney, the Bush Family and a few others of that ilk paying the price, we'd be out of there toot fucking sweet.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Draft....

that will be the only thing that will stop this madness.

The ONLY possibly exception to immediate mobilization, if you got six months to go for your four year degree, and after that, off to OCS you go.

Everybody serves, everybody fights... only way for the chickenhawks to get their head out of ass.

[Forkboy]

6. How many will die before people wake up though?

I understand the point that you're making, but I don't think gambling with even more innocent lives is the answer. It's not our lives we're gambling with. And what if we have a draft and people don't catch on?

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. People will

the only reason people don't give a fuck is...

Less than 1% serves, and about 5% is connected to this.

By the way, if we had a general draft I can almost expect hubby to get recalled.

[Forkboy]

8. How long do you think it would take before people get angry enough to do something?

3 months? 6? 12? How many more will be fed into the meat grinder during that time? We had the draft during Vietnam yet it took 58,000 dead before we had enough, or at least before the government decided we had enough. Not a risk I want to take, though as I say, I do understand your point.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Reality is we need to get off the haze

we need a national strike not just to stop the war, but a lot of other issues...

And I fear nothing short of things becoming way personal will wake people up.

And yes, people will die... here is my question, what is the cost we are personally willing to pay to change the society and challenge the plotonomy?

I fear not so much. And I also fear the no-draft policy has all to do with don't bother me, I am living my life attitude and I want more junk.

My hope that people will rise is gone... that's the truth.

[Forkboy]

12. I would love to see massive general strikes.

There was a line in an old punk song that asked, "Is a full belly all it takes to keep us satisfied?", and I'm afraid the answer is yes.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. And a few baubles...

Why I have given up on the country ever getting out of this haze... or at least when it becomes very personal and there is an empty stomach.

[Arctic Dave]

19. Another punk song, "Suppose they gave a war and no one comes"

[nadinbrzezinski]

20. That is the state right now with a national strike

we need one... alas two so-far during the Bush years... and nobody came.

[Arctic Dave]

21. During the * years I think people lost their collective minds.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. The last national strike was in 1952

the rat race, better known as consumerism, took form in the 1950s

And fully took hold in the 1970s

the last social movement in this country was in the 1960s

Consumerism is what they put in the water.

[Arctic Dave]

23. Keep them fat, dumb and happy.

I'm sure how much longer they can do it. Unfortunately, I think it will be more of a riot that will make the sixties pale in comparison.

[lonestarnot]

9. and the richie riches always get out of that deal so noooooooooo

that is not the answer either.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. What part of no exceptions are you missing?

OCS is not an exception.

[lonestarnot]

14. richie riches are always the exception, sorry.

[nadinbrzezinski]

15. No they are not, they served in WW II

it depends on HOW you write your bill.

But they have served in the past.

Hell, they also SERVED during WW I

[lonestarnot]

17. Those who chose to serve served, those who did not choose to do so did not.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Look you may not understand this, but they did

you may not want to understand this, but you want this fucking war to stop... we need to make this personal.

For the moment that 1% can go off fuck off and die.

Yes, that is the attitude... ME... FUCK THEM, after all THEY VOLUNTEERED.

Well you want the war to stop... you need to make it personal.

Don't expect you to get it. Don't expect the country to care either. In fact, don't expect this fucking country to change... I got mine, so fuck you. This is the US... and this is the general attitude.

So yes, we need a draft. That is the truth, and you will not have one. Because THEY KNOW that the moment MIDDLE CLASS (truly working class but they don't get it either) is touched by a draft, they will start caring. You mean no more Paris and I will have to learn how to clean a riffle and go out there?

And if they get a few rich well connected kids, with ties in the house and the senate... well even better.

But until that happens... you can hate the war as much as you want... it will NOT stop. The last eight years should be proof of that, and this is the way those in power like it. A volunteer army, a fucking A... they won't care because THEY VOLUNTEERED.

And see, no more resistance, beyond the few... walla.

[lonestarnot]

25. Please see unhappycamper's post. I'm too tired.

:P

[slipslidingaway]

13. Sad knr nt

[unhappycamper]

24. Please tell me this doesn't remind you of Vietnam.

Afghanistan is a quagmire like Vietnam. When you have no solid central government, tons of corruption and the local populace is against you, it is time to go. Add in the fact that this new patch of Empire is half way round the world which means shitloads of petroleum products are needed to get war fighters and materials there. (Perhaps no one at DoD has heard of global warming.)

We've already pissed away $3,000,000,000,000 (that's trillion) in these occupations. At some point someone has to ask "Who is paying for this?" The answer is: your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Just bag it guys and come on home. My generation 'lost' the Vietnam war as yours will the Afghanistan and Iraq occupations. The major difference is we had an economy in 1974, a.k.a. jobs. That's not the case this time around.

So the question is: Guns? Or butter? You can't have both. At least not for long.