Soldier's Home : The "Stop-Loss" Continues

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The "Stop-Loss" Continues

David Botti

The army announced yesterday that the practice of "stop-loss," where a solider is held past his/her enlistment contract, should continue for at least another year. While military leaders are making efforts to reduce combat tour lengths, and increase the size of the army, the Associated Press reports there are roughly 12,000 soldiers serving under the stop-loss. The numbers break down to: "6,800 active-duty Army, about 3,800 in the Army National Guard and close to 1,500 in the Reserves."

USA Today breaks down the numbers even further, putting the latest stop-loss news into a wider historical context:

-In May 2007 the practice of stop-loss reached a three-year low of 8,540.

-"Since then, the number of soldiers forced to remain in the Army rose 43% to 12,235 in March."

-"Soldiers affected by stop loss now serve, on average, an extra 6.6 months...Key leaders at the small-unit level — sergeants through sergeants first class — make up 45% of those soldiers. Soldiers typically enlist for four-year stints."

-58,300 soldiers have been affected by the stop-loss since 2002.

People have often asked me what exactly a stop-loss is -- especially after they hear it referred to as the "back door draft." First, USA Today offers this concise summary of how the army views the policy: "Stop loss can keep a soldier in the service if his or her unit deploys within 90 days of the end of the soldier's commitment. It is necessary, the Army says, to maintain the integrity of units headed to war."

Second, I sometimes use the example of my own unit on the eve of the invasion into Iraq back in 2003. Most of us in my reserve unit enlisted under a six-year contract. That meant that for six years were would actively train with our home unit, and be subject to mobilizations if ordered by the president. Afterwards, we would spend two years in the Inactive Ready Reserve (IRR) during which time we would not train, but would still "be on the books," in case the military needed more troops.

In March 2003, when my unit got word it was heading to Iraq, a number of marines were reaching the end of their six-year contract. Depending on how long we stayed in Iraq, their contract might end while they were over there. It was these marines who were subject to stop-loss. They were senior members of the unit whose experience would be invaluable during the deployment, and our company would be hurt if our numbers decreased. So, they stayed and deployed with us; then left the military after returning home.

Most did not complain about serving past their enlistment contract. Their buddies were going to war, and the stop-loss marines wanted to go with them -- and, at that point, the war was still new. Many felt they'd miss out on a major historical event that would go down in the history books. But, times have changed, and the war is more than five years old. As James Martin, a social work professor at Bryn Mawr College and retired Army colonel, told USA Today: "These are the guys who bear the brunt of it. They just get put back into the grinder continually."

The War, The Issues, Controversy, Politics, Iraq, Army, Marines

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