Retirees return to duty

[unhappycamper]

Retirees return to duty
By Jeff Schweers - USA TODAY
Posted : Thursday Feb 18, 2010 6:22:47 EST

Elbert “Rusty” Coleman put in 23 years with the Army in various administrative positions, retired as a sergeant first class in 1989 and got on with his life, working and raising a family in West Melbourne, Fla.

Twenty-one years later, he has returned to active duty, answering a voluntary recall notice for retirees, in part to serve with his two sons — 1st Lt. Myles Coleman and Georgia National Guard Spc. Sean Coleman — and to finally get a taste of combat.

“I never before had the real opportunity to serve in a war zone during my previous years of service,” Coleman, 61, wrote via e-mail from Victory Base Complex in Iraq, where he’s currently stationed. “I thought this would be a good opportunity to “redeem” myself by serving a tour or two in a battle zone.”

Coleman is one of 974 current Army enlisted men and officers who volunteered to return to active duty after retirement, said Lt. Col. Maria Quon, public affairs officer for the Human Resources Command.

“It’s awesome to see my dad back on active duty,” said 1st Lt. Myles Coleman in an e-mail from Afghanistan where he’s deployed. It’s also inspiring to see the value of the experience that retiree recalls bring to young soldiers, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/02/gns_retirees_return_to_duty_021810/

[galileoreloaded]

1. Send ALL the retirees over there, loosen up some jobs already....n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Scrapping bottom of barrel

and that is all she wrote... why am I reminded of... oh never mind... Volksgruppen....