There have been many letters to
Stripes over the past two to three years complaining about stop-loss.
"Stuck in stop-loss" is the most recent.
Compare the above soldier's letter to earlier Stripes letters concerning stop-loss, low morale, and bringing the troops home, found in full here, the week of June 29-July 5, 2003. I've excerpted the key letters below. Note that in 2003, the troops had no inkling that the US would still be in Iraq 2-1/2 years later, let alone a generation from the initial assault, as Bush has finally made clear is part of the grand scheme.
Stars and Stripes letters to editor
June 29-July 5, 2003
1st BCT has done its part-- "As a member of the 1st Brigade Combat Team and the 3rd Infantry Division, I can honestly say that it's time to bring us home from Iraq.
Deployments-- "So I missed another birthday of our second child. That was three in a row."
Stop-loss-- "I could deal with being on stop loss if I had a purpose. But obviously I haven't any purpose here.
Separation anxiety justified-- My son will be 17 months old on July 2. Out of those 17 months, I will have seen him for just more than six months due to numerous deployments.
Jump through multiple hoops-- Let's talk about the many deployments soldiers have to endure before it all stops.
Dying in vain-- How many more American soldiers must die in vain? We came to Iraq to overthrow a government that was abusing and starving its people. We came to disarm them of weapons of mass destruction. Yet we are still getting shot at on a weekly basis. Soldiers are still going home to their families in boxes.
Tired combat veterans-- Now that the war is over, one question still remains: Why am I still in Iraq?