Saturday, June 19, 2004
Stop Loss
Perhaps these words are familiar to you? They've been getting a lot of news time lately. Basically, Stop Loss is what the military calls it when they decide not to let people separate from the military at their normal time.
For a first termer looking to get out after their four years are up, this means that the contract they signed to give four years active duty service is moot. They are in until the military decides otherwise. This is as you may recall, the All Volunteer Force, or at least was. Now it's the Mostly All Volunteer Force.
By the way, here's a quote from the Army Chief of Staff Gen. Pete Schoomaker during a 60 Minutes' interview:
But how much longer is the Army going to continue using Stop Loss? "As long as it's necessary as a management tool," says Schoomaker. "But see, I don't look at it as a negative. I see it as a positive management tool. That's the way we've had it and that's the way we've always used it."What this means is that nayone who is in now, is in for the duration -- whatever that duration might end up being.
If you're out of the service and kicking back at home you don't have to worry - right? Not so. What many may not realize is that they signed up for for active and reserve time. It used to be a six year commitment - if you were active for four years, you still had two more as an inactive reservist. Which meant in the olden days that you filled a paperwork slot for two years with no worries. No more. They are looking at the inactive reserve lists now.
The thing is, this isn't new. I planned on retiring in 1993 after I had my "twenty" in. I was promoted around the 19 1/2 year mark and was going to turn it down. I was told that they only needed an additional six month commitment of active duty to keep the stripe, which would have put me right around 20 1/2 years. (this was true at the time). Up came my 20 years and I put in my retirement request and low and behold, it was turned down. The personnel clerk doing my paperwork said it was the first time in her 16 year she'd seen a retirement turned down. Lucky me.
Supposedly the service had too great a need for my career. An assignment to Iceland soon followed (which I was actually looking forward to). The week before I left (and after my luggage was shipped to Iceland), it was cancelled. Seems they had too many people in my career there! I had to argue quite a bit to get a new assignment -- it seems there weren't any openings for someone of my rank in my career!!!
So for those of you on your second short-timer's calendar, I understand and I hope you get home soon.
2fers: Short Timer's Calendar and USAF Reserve
