- WASHINGTON -- US troops facing
extended deployments amid the danger, heat, and uncertainty of an Iraq
occupation are suffering from low morale that has in some cases hit "rock
bottom."
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- Even as President Bush speaks of a "massive and
long-term" undertaking in rebuilding Iraq, that effort, as well as
the high tempo of US military operations around the globe, is taking its
toll on individual troops.
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- Some frustrated troops stationed in Iraq are writing
letters to representatives in Congress to request their units be repatriated.
"Most soldiers would empty their bank accounts just for a plane ticket
home," said one recent Congressional letter written by an Army soldier
now based in Iraq. The soldier requested anonymity.
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- In some units, there has been an increase in letters
from the Red Cross stating soldiers are needed at home, as well as daily
instances of female troops being sent home due to pregnancy.
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- "Make no mistake, the level of morale for most soldiers
that I've seen has hit rock bottom," said another soldier, an officer
from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq.
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- Such open grumbling among troops comes as US commanders
reevaluate the size and composition of the US-led coalition force needed
to occupy Iraq. US Central Command, which is leading the occupation, is
expected by mid-July to send a proposal to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
on how many and what kind of troops are required, as well as on the rotation
of forces there.
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- For soldiers, a life on the road
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- The rethink about troop levels comes as senior military
leaders voice concern that multiple deployments around the world are already
taxing the endurance of US forces, the Army in particular. Some 370,000
soldiers are now deployed overseas from an Army active-duty, guard, and
reserve force of just over 1 million people, according to Army figures.
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- Experts warn that long, frequent deployments could lead
to a rash of departures from the military. "Hordes of active-duty
troops and reservists may soon leave the service rather than subject themselves
to a life continually on the road," writes Michael O'Hanlon, a military
expert at the Brookings Institution here.
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- A major Army study is now under way to examine the impact
of this high pace of operations on the mental health of soldiers and families.
"The cumulative effect of these work hours and deployment and training
are big issues, and soldiers are concerned about it," says Col. Charles
Hoge, who is leading the survey of 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers for the Walter
Reed Institute of Army Research.
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- Concern over stressed troops is not new. In the late
1990s, a shrinking of military manpower combined with a rise in overseas
missions prompted Congress to call for sharp pay increases for troops deployed
over a certain number of days.
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- "But then came September 11 and the operational
tempo went off the charts" and the Congressional plan was suspended,
according to Ed Bruner, an expert on ground forces at the Congressional
Research Service here.
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- Adding manpower to the region
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- Despite Pentagon statements before the war that the goal
of US forces was to "liberate, not occupy" Iraq, Secretary Rumsfeld
warned last week that the war against terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere
"will not be over any time soon."
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- Currently, there are some 230,000 US troops serving in
and around Iraq, including nearly 150,000 US troops inside Iraq and 12,000
from Britain and other countries. According to the Pentagon, the number
of foreign troops is expected to rise to 20,000 by September. Fresh foreign
troops began flowing into Iraq this month, part of two multinational forces
led by Poland and Britain. A third multinational force is also under consideration.
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- A crucial factor in determining troop levels are the
daily attacks that have killed more than 30 US and British servicemen in
Iraq since Mr. Bush declared on May 1 that major combat operations had
ended.
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- The unexpected degree of resistance led the Pentagon
to increase US ground troops in Iraq to mount a series of ongoing raids
aimed at confiscating weapons and capturing opposition forces.
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- A tour of duty with no end in sight
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- As new US troops flowed into Iraq, others already in
the region for several months, such as the 20,000-strong 3rd Infantry Division
were retained in Iraq.
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- "Faced with continued resistance, Department of
Defense now plans to keep a larger force in Iraq than anticipated for a
period of time," Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, commander of the 3rd Infantry
Division, explained in a statement to families a month ago. "I appreciate
the turmoil and stress that a continued deployment has caused," he
added.
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- The open-ended deployments in Iraq are lowering morale
among some ground troops, who say constantly shifting time tables are reducing
confidence in their leadership. "The way we have been treated and
the continuous lies told to our families back home has devastated us all,"
a soldier in Iraq wrote in a letter to Congress.
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- Security threats, heat, harsh living conditions, and,
for some soldiers, waiting and boredom have gradually eroded spirits. An
estimated 9,000 troops from the 3rd Infantry Division - most deployed for
at least six months and some for more than a year - have been waiting for
several weeks, without a mission, to return to the United States, officers
say.
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- In one Army unit, an officer described the mentality
of troops. "They vent to anyone who will listen. They write letters,
they cry, they yell. Many of them walk around looking visibly tired and
depressed.... We feel like pawns in a game that we have no voice [in]."
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- Copyright © 2003 The Christian Science Monitor.
All rights reserved.
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- http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0707/p02s01-woiq.html
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