70 year old called up for Iraq duty

[RebelYell]

70-Year-Old Called Up for Iraq Duty

KNTV (NBC's San Francisco Bay Area affiliate) reports that Ted Wallace of Los Gatos just received orders to report for deployment to Iraq.

The 70-year-old Wallace acknowledges that he "probably owes the army two years," but was surprised at being called up many years after he left the military. He checked the documents with his local recruiting office and they told him they were accurate and authentic. He says he is going to report to duty but hopes they don't put him on the front line. He also hopes that the army will put off his deployment until after his upcoming knee surgery.

He seemed pretty spry, but I can see the bottom of the barrel much more clearly.

http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P1377

[XanaDUer]

1. Oh my freaking god...

:wtf:

Soon they may be disenterring those who were in the military...

[porphyrian]

2. Yeah, this administration cares about the elderly...

...they're going to fix Medicare by sending as many old folks as possible to war.

[ogradda]

3. i can smell the desperation

i hope the media has a field day with this.

[CatWoman]

4. REminds me of the scene in "The Battle of the Bulge"

when the German tank commander shows utter disgust over the troops he's reviewing -- most of them were 15 and under.

Towards the end of the war, Germany was reduced to recruiting young children and very old men.

Sad.

[Eloriel]

8. And the winter jackets they wore

were woven partly with straw.

[doubleplusgood]

42. yes, it was the "Volkssturm" (Home Guard)

used in a last-ditch effort to fend off the Allies.

[Eloriel]

5. That has to be way past the bottom of the barrel

Holy Crap. Is NO ONE safe in this Brave New Empire?

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

6. Does this mean Poppy's eligible for recall?

I'd love to see him flying his WWII Avenger over Iraq!

[Eye and Monkey]

7. Hmm. Didn't the local recruiting office NOTICE something???

Have things gotten so bad that recruiting offices don't notice when things go this awry? Or is it the goal to bring in folks past retirement age?

I miss the reality-based world that most of us used-to-sorta live in.

[izzie]

9. Your in the Bush world now, sorry.

[billyoc]

17. Sure, they noticed

They were one more soldier closer to their quota for the month.

[Eye and Monkey]

18. Yeah, that's their reality - LOL, dripping in irony

[fob]

10. He must be ecstatic, now he qualifies for a flu shot!!

bush* has got to go.

[OneBlueSky]

11. thank God my dad's not still alive . . .

he was a career Army officer who'd be 85 today . . . they'd probably be taking him next . . .

anyone still believe there won't be a draft if Bush steal it again? . . .

[billyoc]

12. No need for a draft, really

If they're going to call up every vet since WWII, there are still a lot of us left around. :(

[RebelYell]

13. Shrub's plan to save Medicare?

What kind of jail sentence would be imposed for refusing?

[Ilsa]

35. Sure, my dad is 78, had a fractured pelvis

this summer. I'm certain the Navy would love to have him back on board with his walker and brown bag of meds for his bp, Parkinson's, and prostate. ;)

I sense desperation on the part of the military. Or a big mistake.

[rocktivity]

14. Unfortunately, the article doesn't say what his rank or miltary job is

I'm guessing he's an officer.

:headbang:
rocknation

[billyoc]

16. Probably a field marshall

Or maybe a centurion. ;)

[rocktivity]

23. LOL! Or maybe a Valkyrie!

rocknation

[LibLover]

37. At his age? Praetorian guard!

:silly:

[Chovexani]

44. Maybe he's an old Fremen

They're out in the desert, maybe they need people to call worms...

[Mandate My Ass]

15. If they're looking for people who still owe a few years....

and order for redeployment may be on its way to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

[napi21]

19. Oh my, wouldn't that be sweet!

The only big problem is that I wouldn't want to have him watching MY back! Too funny though!

[TahitiNut]

20. He'd be fragged.

No sane combat soldier could depend on that coWard.

[Redleg]

21. My testes just ascended into my body.

I am 40 and have prior service in the Army. I hope to kreist they don't call me...

[aeschylus]

22. Unbelievable!

[OutsourceBush]

24. If this is true, and I doubt it is, we have a problem Houston

Most every person that ever served in the Military would be subject to call-up.

[LibDemAlways]

25. My dad's 82 and had

cataract surgery last year. When he was discharged at the end of WWII he missed being recalled to Korea. Maybe they'll come for him next.

[rocktivity]

34. My father would have been 78 this year

He was a cook's assistant. But he was discharged for being TOO tough--he slapped George Patton!

:headbang:
rocknation

[KayLaw]

26. Saw him on TV this morning

It reminds me of Gone with the Wind. The Confederate army was recruiting old men and kids out of desperation.

[RebelYell]

33. What program was he on? n/t

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

27. Do you have a link to the actual article on the news site?

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

29. Anyone find a link from an actual news site?

I'd love to send this to people, but it doesn't sound credible coming from an anti-war website.

[Speed8098]

30. Here's a link

http://www.nbc11.com/index.html

But I don't see anything that relates to this story. I even did a search for Ted Wallace on the nbc11 site and came up empty.

I hope this isn't true. I'd hate to see septuagenarians getting called up. What can they really contribute in a war zone?

I question the credibility of this blog.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

41. I meant a link to an actual article, but thanks any how.

I already tried looking there, and I didn't find anything either. I don't really believe this story is true if I can't find it posted on any credible news site.

[Sugarbleus]

28. KGO radio in same area as KNTV...has had several calls

refering to elderly gents being called up for Iraq. The other night, Bernie Ward was yelling about a man 63 having to go back. This is happening all over the country.

I think they are calling people who have special skills though..not just infantry/foot soldiers.

Still, it's just U N B E L I E V A B L E!! How pathetic is this with the 70 yr old and his BAD KNEES?????????

And they tell us there will be NO DRAFT! LIARS LIARS LIARS!
One way or the other, Bushco will find people to send to Iraq.

Enough is enough...GET A ROPE! :grr:

[Blue Wally]

31. I.m a retiree

and as such, I am subject to recall. I am 65 years old and despite my best effforts still eight pounds over the legal weight limit for my height. I highly doubt the Army is recalling such as me. These are probably errors (and the recruiting office is not the avenue to correct the problem). The individual should call the station to which he is ordered to report and they will straighten it out (as opposed to having to pay for his travel to and from home to station).

If the Army really wants me back (Tank-Automive Maintenance Officer with a secondary specialty of Research and Development), I will go. it will certainly put some money in the bank and jazz up the retirement pay quite a bit when the active duty is completed (Hell, I might even get a promotion out of the deal).

[Sugarbleus]

32. Hi Wally...

I sure do hope that calling up retirees etc..is some sort of mistake.

I'm hearing(and seeing) these reports rather regularly...55 here, 63 there..and so forth.

In any case, if those like yourself are willing to go, then I say
Godspeed and stay safe.......grandkids kinda like to have thier grandpas around as long as they can. :)

I'd also be suspicious of the pay. Seems like those who are now serving aren't quite getting the full measure of what's due them...

Take Care BW and thanks for the post. :hi:

[Blue Wally]

39. Thx

I alrady have a son-in-law serving (Sr Chief in Navy) and a grand daughter serving (Air Force). Be amazing to have three generations on active duty at the same time, wouldn't it?

[Kanary]

38. Good luck on going back in and "putting money in the bank"

Are you aware that injured troops are getting billed by the military to repay their re-up bonuses, etc? They're being charged for their prosthesis, etc.? Did you know that?

If you really want to go, have at it. But, you might want to recheck your assumptions about the outcome.

Kanary

[Blue Wally]

40. Been there, done that

I did two tours in Vietnam for a hell of a lot less money than these guys are getting. Don't believe all of the urban legends that you hear.

[Kanary]

46. Excuse me. I don't "believe" Urban Legends.

There is plenty of hard info to go by.

Don't assume.

Kanary

[Blue Wally]

49. This isn't the only place I post

I also post on several military forums frequented by active, retired, and former military and i don't hear these complaints there. We have several members recently returned from iraq and i don't get much in the way of rumblings of discontent.

[bastion_last]

36. Soldier Challenges Recall

Great story of a soldier fighting his recall in todays Newsday:


http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-iraq1023,0,6054807.story?coll=ny-top-headlines

[RebelYell]

45. "Involuntary Servitude"

Another way to spell draft.

I hope that kid wins his case.

[BiggJawn]

43. Oh, Boy...My dad is 73, "Mustered Out" in '57...

Wonder when he's gonna get HIS orders?

And that fellow who RESIGNED his commission, and is having to SUE to keep from going...

[calmblueocean]

47. HOAX

Antiwar.com link now says KNTV admits it was taken in by a hoax.

[RebelYell]

48. Here's the quote from antiwar.com

"Updating this story: apparently Mr. Wallace played a hoax on KNTV Television. KNTV admited to KGO radio last night that they had been taken in by a hoax.

I apologize for repeating a hoax story."

Time for your meds, Mr. Wallace.