Force structure
Jul. 23rd, 2004 12:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumRecall I mentioned the recall of the IRR, and the new policies on retirement, and the stop losses, and now we have the request to extend some RC soldiers beyond the 24 month mark.
Recall I also mentioned that officers were subject to call up, unless they actually resigned their commissions (OK, perhaps I didn't go into that much detail but I did say they could be recalled).
It's happening. A 67 year old COL(ret) has been recalled to active duty. Unlike Gen. Schoomaker, he is less happy about it.
Seems, what with a 17 percent incidence of PTSD, and some niggling little problems like a higher than normal (even for the army, which, by virtue of the strains, and the age ranges has a higher than normal) rate of suicide (we had one at Dogwood, though it was listed as an accidental death. Our chaplain came back and said it was a suicide... hard to explain away an accidental discharge which happened after the pistol was cleaned and reassembled, even if one discounted the placement of the wound), that they need psychiatrists, and his number came up... seven years after he retired.
But, not to worry, because the Air Force and the Navy are doing fine. They are offering early outs (as much as 12 months) with no penalties to first term enlistees because they have (sit down, it's a deusy) 50,000 too many people.
Any wonder why the Army feels used, and the RC feels abused?
Recall I also mentioned that officers were subject to call up, unless they actually resigned their commissions (OK, perhaps I didn't go into that much detail but I did say they could be recalled).
It's happening. A 67 year old COL(ret) has been recalled to active duty. Unlike Gen. Schoomaker, he is less happy about it.
Seems, what with a 17 percent incidence of PTSD, and some niggling little problems like a higher than normal (even for the army, which, by virtue of the strains, and the age ranges has a higher than normal) rate of suicide (we had one at Dogwood, though it was listed as an accidental death. Our chaplain came back and said it was a suicide... hard to explain away an accidental discharge which happened after the pistol was cleaned and reassembled, even if one discounted the placement of the wound), that they need psychiatrists, and his number came up... seven years after he retired.
But, not to worry, because the Air Force and the Navy are doing fine. They are offering early outs (as much as 12 months) with no penalties to first term enlistees because they have (sit down, it's a deusy) 50,000 too many people.
Any wonder why the Army feels used, and the RC feels abused?
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-24 10:16 pm (UTC)The argument for food service is that, even with the higher unit cost of contractors (the food is a fixed cost, but soldiers cost less, on average, than contract cooks and servers, even when one factors in the room and board, esp. in a deployment area) the theory is that frees up a number of troops.
We actually do have contracted shrinks... I saw one when I was at Ft. Lewis (I gave honest answer to questions like, "Are things you don't like to think about." "Do you feel disassociated from things," "In the past week have you had trouble sleeping?" It wasn't really fair to the shrink. I wanted him to think I was fine, so he did, but I digress). But they cost more, even than a Colonel.
And they's cost even more if one plans to send them to a combat zone.
And, even at that, they aren't knocking down the doors. The best they are likely to get (if they are good enough to be hired) is about the same as they are making now (and that's with a medium-sized practice) and when they come back they'll have to start, largely from scratch, all over again at building a practice (who wants to bounce from shrink to shrink?).
So it isn't really feasible.
TK