WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | Congressman Barrow Disagrees With Longer Soldier Deployments
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Congressional Democrats including 12th District Representative John Barrow, are not happy with yesterday's announcement about a longer deployment for US soldiers already in Iraq.
The Pentagon announced yesterday that active duty soldiers already in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those expected to be deployed in the coming months, will stay for 15 months instead of 12. It's effective immediately.
Barrow said, "The brunt of the war effort is being born by the families and loved ones of the volunteer army and this is putting a hug new additional burden on them so it raises our concern that what is a strain on the system is a strain on people, especially people in this area, our community is contributing more than its fair share of the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq and we've all got to be concerned about increase demands on the families of our armed service members."
Before the 3rd Infantry Division recently redeployed to Iraq Major General Rick Lynch warned the soldiers and their families that they could be gone longer than a year.
The extension will not apply to national guard troops. The Pentagon has guaranteed soldiers a full year at home after they complete their deployments.
Reported by Michelle Paynter, mpaynter@wtoc.com
