Fifty-six Year-old Woman Deploys to Iraq

[SoCalifer]

A 56-year old mother will soon be on her way to Iraq. Cabot resident Jeanne Johnson flies to Fort Bliss Sunday morning to begin her year-long deployment to Iraq with the 382nd Military Police Battalion.

"Every soldier, every reserve solider is aware this could happen. I'd have not guessed it would be me at this stage of my life, but there are always surprises," said Johnson this week.

The 56-year old mother with a 13-year old son will join a military police unit at Camp Anaconda as their nuclear, biological and chemical weapons officer, even though her last training occurred in 1987.


http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5603956&nav=4QcRZdqy

[CarbonDate]

1. Hey, she could have retired seven years ago.

It was her choice to stay in this long.

[SoCalDem]

2. First thing that needs to happen with the new congress

MANDATORY 'retirement" age of 40 for reserves & National Guard..

This would serve two purposes..


It would PROVE how desperately low our "fighting strength" is in the military

and

it would get a lot of people off the rolls (people who are physically unfit, and too old to be "regular military"..


I know that pepole sometimes stay on to make extra money, but if we are going to be sending people all over the world in BATTLE, we must at least have a military that is ready for duty.

It's embarrassing when a grandma gets killed in battle :(..and it's shameful

[BeFree]

7. Actually this is a good thing

Heck, I think they ought to start drafting people aged 45 to 50. Peace would start so fast it would make your head spin!

That way we wouldn't be "...sending people all over the world in BATTLE,.." It is shameful.

[pa28]

3. That's just embarrassing.

College Republicans; do you still think you can do the most good at your "fighting keyboard" regiment?

[ninkasi]

4. He thought that a successful presidency

involved being a "war president", so since his whole being is tied up in what benefits Dubya, we invaded Iraq. Now, we are reduced to sending grandmothers to war. This is all done to cater to Dubya's narcissistic obsessions. He has no qualms at sending the very young, or the older, to maiming or death, if it suits his enormous ego.

What has happened to America, that we tolerate such an egotistical, completely incompetent idiot to ruin our country? I would never have believed that America would be reduced to this. Never.

[TomClash]

5. What's next?

The Toddler Brigade?

[moondust]

8. aka Bush Youth. n/t

[rug]

6. Sounds like Berlin, 1945.

Volkssturm: Traditionally the Landsturm was third-class infantry equivalent somewhat to militia. Towards the end of WWII the concept was revived for smaller ad-hoc home-defense units to be pulled together for local defense because of the crumbling situation on the Eastern Front. These ad-hoc defensive units were to be a part of the newly formed Volksturm and would augment frontline combat troops. The Volksturm included all males aged 16-60. Even those with occupational deferrals could be members. Typically Volksturm units which saw action were composed of men between 45 and 55 but there were exemptions for those with debilitating problems. Regarding weapons the Volksturm deliberately avoided using "old shotguns" and the like so that there would be no question as to their legal status. Germans widely refused to serve in any type of partisan organization for fear of being shot if captured. The Volksturm was armed, albeit poorly, but with whatever military weapons were available and often with captured weapons. The common assumption today is that the Volksturm didn't really amount to much. It is actually untrue to claim that the Volksturm was totally ineffective as Volksturm troops fought extensively on the Eastern Front, particularly in East Prussia, Breslau, along the Oder River and in Berlin. The 19.Armee on the Upper Rhine became so dependent on Volksturm troops that it was nicknamed the 19.Volkssturm-Armee. Volksturm troops also fought along the Western Front as well. While often ineffective in prolonged combat some Volksturm units fought well in local defense, in static positions, and in river positions.

http://www.feldgrau.com/articles.php?ID=69#V

[Pragmatic Pilgrim]

9. He's out of options. Post-election draft looming?

He's extended duty-tours until the troops are sick of it. He's lowered enlistment standards a couple times, to the point where even EMH kids can qualify as cannon-fodder. He's redoubled high school recruitment efforts. In other words, he's been patching the military together as best he can, prior to the election. Yet--as we all know--his generals are still crying for "more boots on the ground" in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn't it seem likely that Bush is hoping to reinstate the draft after the election?

Maybe not. But when I pose this to likely voters in my canvassing & phone-banking activities, it's the one question that stops everyone cold. Mothers who had tried to brush me off at the door with "Oh, I don't intend to vote--I'm not even registered" have begged me to come in and help them fill out Voter Registration forms.

Not only is it an enormously powerful question, it's also a very credible one when we review the evidence above (and the reactivation of a 56-year-old woman underscores it strongly). We should all be asking this very troubling question of the voters in our towns, cities, and states...both in our personal contacts and via Letters to the Editors.