Seriously, I don't care if your for the war or against it. The premise of this whole movie is fraudulent.

1) Stop Loss occurs no more than 90 days prior to a deployment and you are Stop-Lossed throughout the deployment and then again 90 more days upon return to complete outprocessing. Start V.A. paperwork, do your medical, and turn in your gear.

2) There is usually a 1 year dwell time after you return from your deployment before you can deploy again. Also, yes, rapid action units (i.e. 82nd, 10th Mountain, and of course special ops units) have a 3 to 6 month dwell time.

3) You dont get all the way through out processing and then, your going to Iraq in a couple weeks. Not how it happens, unless a special ops unit.

4) You can be recalled back up once discharged if you are in the 8 year window called Inactive Ready Reserve. This has happened during this deployment for shortage Military Occupational Specialties. Shortage M.O.S's are critical specialties that the military feels to be imperative to completion of the mission. Certain factors are considered when call up people, however I do not have the list. How the I.R.R works is, should you do a 2 year enlistment in the U.S. Army you have 6 years left in the I.R.R. The amount of active duty time you have subtracts away from the amount of time left in the I.R.R. VERY RARE, but happens.


I do appreciate the fact that some people try to portray a soldier and his problems, but if you really want to adress some issues. Lets start with the spouses that take the soldiers money and run after they are 5 months into a deployment, spouses that get knocked up by jody while their husbands are deployed. Lets start bring some real stuff to the screen.

Like the war or not, you don't join the military thinking your not going to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. I swear to god if one person says that the recruiters lie to get people to join, wait, someone will say it. There are ignorant people. Look, everybody lies. Deal with it. Yes there are shady people, but to join the military is a pretty big step, especially now.

Fact 35% of all service branches have not yet deployed overseas yet.

Fact: Life isnt fair.

I was in 3rd BDE 1st AD in Fort Riley, Kansas. I had the oppertunity to go to Iraq for 12 months, come home and get told withing a month we were going back in less than 10 months. It sucked, but I made a commitment. Sometimes some people can be selfless and understand that there will always be a calling for a higher purpose, then some people in fear for their lives, will complain and find ways to get out.

Hindsight is 20/20. With the information we know now, should we be in Iraq. you decide, I was there and I can't change that. What I do know, weapons of mass distruction were there. Look at what he did to his own people and the Iranians. You can't pull that stuff off without having some chemical weapons people.

Fact: Prior to the Iraq invasion, every gallop poll was above 60% with approval to take military action to invade Iraq. Why did we invade Iraq? Anyone remember?

He was in violation of a U.N. Resolution by not allowing weapon inspectors to look at his plants. Yup, he sure did open up his gates at the last minute. But you play the come when I want you to come see game for 4 years, its about time someone did something about it.

Look, you want to be against the war, seriously fine. Nothing at all I could do to change your mind. I got it, left side leans one way, right side go to the other. I'm not getting involved with that war of ideology. What I am saying is, listen to what I am saying.

While we as soldiers do appreciate you trying to take issue with some things that affect us. We pretty much know that Stop-Loss is "kind of" a back door draft. What I find irritating also, is the fact that kids who Initially Enlist into the military get bigger bonuses than those who have done this everyday for 12 + years. You want to pay an untested kid a huge sum of money before you even know he can do the job. WTF?

I knew what I was getting into when I deployed 2 times. I'm not an idiot, I could have died. I don't need some anti-war person trying to overstate an issue that really isnt as big of an issue as it was when it initially happened.

Thanks for the time, and for the memories.

Oh yeah, to those people who are against violence. Let's see how against violence you are when you see your best friend gunned down? Pretty sure you gonna want to, run away?


Edit: Added Para 4 for Call up from I.R.R