Officials have made much of “ending” the Iraq War and bringing the occupation forces home for the holidays, but they won’t be staying long, as many are now receiving new orders to deploy to Afghanistan.
“We are glad that we have brought all soldiers back home in time for Christmas to spend with loved ones. We do have to put information out about an upcoming mission, though,” noted one brigade combat team in a statement, saying it was selected for a “support mission” in the decade-long occupation of Afghanistan.
In an effort to put a silver lining on the dark cloud that is deploying to the notorious ‘graveyard of empires,’ the statement went on to say that the deployment of troops just out of Iraq to Afghanistan was a “sign of progress.”
The move was being couched in terms of a plan to withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of 2014, but privately officials have been negotiating to keep troops there through 2024, and commander Gen. John Allen conceded yesterday that the US would “probably” keep troops in Afghanistan long after 2014.
The ink wasn't even dry on their PCS orders back to CONUS. I bet that little morale booster will result in a bump in the divorce rate among the military. Eventually they are going to have to start thinking about the troops.
By divorce, do you mean suicide?
No, dissolution of marriage divorce. But, you probably have a point. Suicide may also continue to rise – either standalone or in conjunction with divorce and other family-life problems. Sad. Having worked at company-level for a tour I got to see the stuff that goes on below street level and how very stressed some of these troopers are – not to mention their young wives and children. What the USG is doing to these people is beyond humane.
They volunteered unlike the young men during the Viet Nam era. My sympathies go to the Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis and the people of the other dozen or so nations around the world the US is indiscriminately invading and bombing to pieces.
A sign of progress? It is a sure sign of desperation.
Eventually, they are going to eliminate troops altogether and have nothing but contracted mercenaries.
Time to buy Blackwater stock.
Actually, it’s no longer “BLACKWATER.” It’s been re-re-branded as “ACADEMI,” after having been re-branded as “XE.” But the real news is this:
“The international terrorist organization al-Qaeda today announced that it has submitted a joint-venture bid with the regional terrorist organizations The Taliban, Hezbollah, and Hamas, for the services of international anti-terrorist organization ACADEMI — formerly known as XE, which was formerly known as BLACKWATER — for Fiscal Year 2013, beginning October 1, 2012.
“An al-Qaeda spokeswoman said that the contract with ACADEMI, if signed, would be effective at one minute after midnite, Kabul time, on October 1st, and that the international security and anti-terrorism firm would begin tactical operations against US, NATO, and Afghani government and civilian targets ‘sometime around Halloween.’
"'Operations against Israel would begin on Yom Kippur, September 13,' she continued."
Details at eleven……
Actually, it hasn't been Blackwater for years. It was first rebranded to XE and now to Academi. Same monster, different make up on.
if the military paid more or there was still a draft (many nations require no less than 2 years military service) there would be more fresh troops to send over so the ones who have been deployed 5 times could sit out for a couple years but there isnt so the military has to make due with what they have
This should not be a big surprise~~these neo-con delusions of Mid-East dominance are not going to die easily, no matter what the "facts" on the ground might be…..
makes you wonder what it must be like for all the people who are going to miss the safe, secure, and luxurious city that is Baghdad,relatively speaking
Tell that to the relatively speaking 80+ dead and 180+ wounded from today's events outside The Green Zone……
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/12/22/81…
bring their phobias home for christmas then out to afghan for a new batch
What else did they expect? After all, they whored their souls for an entire 3 years and then some.