The Smirking Chimp:
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army has forced about 50,000 soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints ended under a policy called 'stop-loss,' but while some dispute its fairness, court challenges have fallen flat.
The policy applies to soldiers in units due to deploy for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Army said stop-loss is vital to maintain units that are cohesive and ready to fight. But some experts said it shows how badly the Army is stretched and could further complicate efforts to attract new recruits.
'As the war in Iraq drags on, the Army is accumulating a collection of problems that cumulatively could call into question the viability of an all-volunteer force,' said defense analyst Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute think tank.
'When a service has to repeatedly resort to compelling the retention of people who want to leave, you're edging away from the whole notion of volunteerism.' "
Encourage everyone to enlist. These guys needs some relief. (Oh, that's a bit tougher than sticking a yellow ribbon on your SUV or manning that keyboard in support of the toops.)
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