Breaking: 47,000 more troops to Iraq

[doxieone]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAXV3E5UTD.html



Pentagon Notifying 47,000 More US Troops They Will Be Dispatched to Iraq for One Year



WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon is notifying about 10,000 active-duty Army and Marine Corps troops and about 37,000 National Guard and Reserve soldiers that they will be sent to Iraq this year as replacements for units that will have served there a year or longer, officials said Tuesday.

The Army planned to announce the decision Tuesday afternoon, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

About 5,000 Marines and a contingent of about 5,000 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., will go this summer to relieve the 1st Armored Division and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, whose soldiers were due to come home in April but were extended by three months

[phillybri]

1. It's getting drafty in here...

:scared:

[buddy22600]

2. by summer's end their will be over 450,000

american troop deaths

[Mistress Quickly]

14. huh?

[sfwriter]

36. What!?!?!! By summers end MAYBE we'll reach 1000. EOM

[Media_Lies_Daily]

40. Knock-knock!! Hellllooooo! This is reality calling...anybody home??

[displacedtexan]

3. dupe

:)

[bif]

4. Are there going to be any troops left in America?

[AZCat]

6. Parts (or all) of 9 out of America's 10 divisions are in Iraq/Afg. n/t

[maddezmom]

8. my thoughts exactly...god forbid something happens here

like an earthquake, major flood, etc.

[yardwork]

41. There will be natural disasters, guaranteed.

Every fall we KNOW that there will be major forest fires in the western states. And there is always a good chance of a major hurricane, with flooding, on the Gulf or eastern seaboard.

What if there is a major hurricane in North Carolina this year, as there was last year, and in many previous years? More than half the state's National Guard is in the middle east. Who is going to rescue people trapped in flooding? Who is going to patrol the streets to prevent looting? Who will truck in water and food and baby diapers?

Think people in North Carolina are mad now? Try them in October if we have a hurricane, and no national guard to help. Or in South Carolina. Louisiana. California. Wyoming.

[doxieone]

5. Dupe?? I don't see the other one.

cc

[leftchick]

13. I deleted mine...

no problam... :)

[doxieone]

17. I honestly did not see it!

cc

[UpInArms]

7. the military is going to run out of replacements soon

Abizaid and his subordinate commanders have used the 2nd Armored Cavalry and 1st Armored to deal with outbreaks of violence in and around the Shiite holy city of Najaf and elsewhere in central Iraq.

At the moment there are about 138,000 U.S. forces in Iraq. That number was to have fallen to about 115,000 this spring, but a surge in anti-occupation violence caused Abizaid to bolster the force.

The Army and Marine Corps are hard-pressed to find substantial additional troops for Iraq duty. Of the Army's 10 divisions, parts or all of nine are already deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Anyone else feeling a draft?

[Dhalgren]

16. The neonazicons are doing to the military

just what they are doing to the economy! I don't get it! I understand the idea behind wrecking the economy - strave the beast and all that Norquist fucktrap - but, how does wrecking the military serve their ends?

[krkaufman]

25. Agreed. Neocon destruction of the military is baffling

Agreed that the misguided neocon economic strategy of "Starve the Beast" is understood; but the devastation of the military is mind-boggling.

Although, note how the massive military spending serves several purposes...

- laying claim to oil resources (profits)
- consumption of weapons systems (profits)
- utilization of private firms (profits)
- running up national debt (starve the beast)

They don't care about the effects on the military; they never served and view the military as servants to do their bidding.

[Supormom]

27. They want to privatize the military

Just like every other part of government.

[Walt Starr]

9. Anybody else feel a draft in here?

It's getting mighty drafty in this country.

[0007]

38. Yeah, just like little breeze - answer in big wind, coming soon

Peter Paul Mary no lie

[Qanisqineq]

10. they sure as hell better not send my husband back this soon

he came back in March... could he get sent back this soon????

[Dhalgren]

18. Jesus, ma'am, don't ever bet on what these

nazi fucks wouldn't do. I hope for your sake they don't.

[Qanisqineq]

22. hey! don't make me feel so old!

ma'am... jeez :) :) :) :)

[leftchick]

19. I hope not Tolania

God, they should ALL be coming home!

[jmowreader]

30. Sadly, yes

With all of the extended tours going on over there, it wouldn't surprise me if they sent him back.

And yes, you guys are right, there's conscription on the horizon. They have two choices: get the hell out of Iraq, or raise some more divisions. Unless we get a realist in office the first won't happen, and without conscripts the second can't happen.

[Misunderestimator]

31. It would be better for him to go to jail

I hate to say that... but at least he'd be alive.

[comsymp]

33. Well, my BIL's (Army) unit came back in Dec/Jan

and sis says that they're scheduled to redeploy in Sept/Oct.

[bluestateguy]

11. The net increase is smaller than 37,000

but I fully expect a major increase of troop strength after the election.

The day after the 1990 midterm elections the real President Bush doubled US forces in Sadui Arabia, putting us on a track for certain war with Iraq.

[Az_lefty]

12. Drafty, all right. Army's runing out of soldiers.

[Just Me]

15. There goes my baby brother (who's in the reserves).

:cry:

He wanted to build up his pension benefits. I warned him it was NOT a good time to be worrying about pension over protecting himself from serving in this perpetual war.

And *GULP* the draft is coming. I have only one son who will be draft age in three years. I really need to find a stable, caring Canandian fellow to marry.

I am watching a nightmare unfold before my very eyes.

[seemslikeadream]

21. Check your pm Just me

in a couple of minutes.




American Helicopter over Vietnam

This photograph, taken from an American helicopter over Vietnam, shows a gunner in the foreground, another American helicopter, and the Vietnamese countryside below.

[seemslikeadream]

23. These guys could have come from my highschool

American Soldiers in Vietnam

First Lieutenant Tovar of the Recondos gives instructions to his squad leaders while on Operation Farafot IV during the Vietnam War.
http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/12952/mcms.html

[progressivebydesign]

20. We are dessimating our National Guard.

They are not meant for this type of deployment. We are using them because they are cheaper, they don't get nearly the benefits and healthcare the enlisted personnel do. They are the temps of the war... Can you imagine the drop in people joining the Reserves after this?

[prolesunited]

32. No they are not

and I think that is the reason why we are seeing a larger number of suicides and way more psychological devastation this time around.

Many of them signed up for college funds and thought they would be serving their country by helping out in the wake of tornadoes and floods or fighting fires. They were willing to risk their lives to help their fellow citizens. I'm not so sure many of them realized they would be facing gunfire or bomb blasts or take part in killing innocent women and children.

Has there been a breakdown of those who committed suicide by branches of service?

[fryguy]

24. everyone have their lottery cards?

draft will be drawing soon.....

[meti57b]

26. the news is surely mistaken ..... major combat was over, a year ago.

according to bush, himself.

[maxsolomon]

28. shouldn't this have come out on FRIDAY?

they're slipping over at the ministry of truth.

[robertpaulsen]

29. Kick - this is important, scary but thoroughly predictable shit.

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

34. Thank God!

I'm middle-aged, overweight and near-sighted.

I'll just let you young 'uns to the fighting. See you at your Memorial Service.

[Earth_First]

35. Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,

Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Huh!

Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

[Misunderestimator]

37. wow n/t

[Tinoire]

39. That is soooo yesterday! / Way over yonder in the Arab lands

;)

Love that song... Here's the update:

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way over yonder in the Arab lands
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
CHORUS:
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Just show me your oil can;
And it's five, six, seven,
Fillin' up the SUV,
There ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get Saddam
The only good Arab is one who's been bombed
Make USA A-Number One
At blowin' them to kingdom come

Here's to the Auto Industry,
That touts gas-guzzlin' SUVs
I've got my flag sticker right on the back
My tank's full of gas from old Iraq
Just hope and pray that if we whack Saddam,
Osama don't get us back.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to fight Saddam.
Come on fathers, he's gotta be foiled,
Gotta make sure we get our oil.
Be the first one on your block
To have your kid come home in a box.

CHORUS:
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Just show me your oil can;
And it's five, six, seven,
Fillin' up the SUV,
There ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.


http://www.countryjoe.com/iraq_fixins.htm