Lehrer Report says both parents of seven children are in Iraq.

[quilp]

What on earth is our country come to?

[kstewart33]

1. Please clarify

Are they in the military?

[librechik]

2. yes, from Ft Carson base in CO

incredible

[patdem]

3. Well they had 7 brothers die in WW2...guess they are looking for

a new 'Movie of the Week'....both parents of 7 children die in Iraq?

Keep the memory alive! How heroic were the 7 brothers portrayed?

[Jacobin]

4. Makes you wonder.....

How responsible it would be for a couple BOTH in the military to decide to have SEVEN children........lack of planning or maybe "faith based" contraception

[bearfartinthewoods]

5. both parents of seven childred should never have involved themselves

with the military.

what in the world were they thinking?????

[quilp]

7. Even so. Why send both in harm's way?

Surely the Military should show some common sense.

[librechik]

9. maybe "We're so poor it would be nice to have a second income"

with 7 kids. Dad is an enlisted man, mom joined the National Guard 2 years ago. I guess when they decided to do it the threat of war seemed remote. Now they will be away from the kids for A YEAR!

And there are MANY MANY Families like this one.

[quilp]

12. Is that just an example or a fact.?

Is the mother involved really only in the National Guard? If so it just gets worse!

[librechik]

13. yes--I fact checked it

from a flawless source.

[ShaneGR]

6. WAS?

Was ist denn loss?

[Karenina]

8. Pampa Quatsch

Das ist alles.

[librechik]

10. They had no choice. US doesn't take families into consideration

when deploying GIs.

[quilp]

11. When did that begin?

It seems to me that after the five Sullivan brothers were killed during WW11 they did install some such consideration.

[librechik]

14. I don't know, but there are lots of couples with both in Iraq

and the kids at home. Not counting single parents, and I'm sure there are many of those too.

[Tansy_Gold]

15. After the Sullivans. . . . .

. . . .members of the same family could not serve together on the same ship. Happened to my uncles; they wanted to serve together but weren't allowed. WW2 -- I don't think it's changed, though.

Sole surviving sons can get discharged. Happened to a friend of mine during Vietnam; he was in the navy and was killed, his brother was in boot camp and as the only remaining son was immediately discharged. Another friend had a permanent deferment as an only son and sole support of his widowed (father killed in Korea) mother.

In all these cases, however, there was an active draft and plenty of troops. It's different today. But that doesn't mean it makes any sense.

And anyway, who is taking care of all these kids in the meantime???

[pjbatta81]

16. "Draft" is the opportune word

Since there isn't a draft anymore, it is up to the individual to assess whether he/she/they want to be in a situation like is being discussed. During WWII, Korea, Vietnam the draft was in place, thus the government felt some compassion to release the last son. Now, with it being an all volunteer military, the government allows the individual to make the determination of being in or out. People that make a committment to the National Guard or a Reserve unit need to think worse case. Unfortunately, very few do.