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Year Long Deployments In Iraq

I feel they need to cut these deployments down to six months in Iraq. I'm schelduled to do 1 year here. It's tough because I'm married and have two children. I will miss my wife and the kids birthday's. Not to mention I just missed our anniversary. But most of all I missed my son's first crawl. Luckily we have a cam corder and my wife recorded it. Because of the year long deployment's the Army's retention rate has dropped dramatically. The Army has missed it's retention goal by a 1,ooo troops. And it's due to long deployments.The Army needs to do like the Marines and Air Force and do six month rotations. I hope one day Bush or Rumsfeld will look into that. But the thing that hurts me the most is the stop loss. ( prevents you from getting out or retiring on time due to war) I've seen people with 20 years in the Army get hit with stop loss. Come to Iraq and get killed the first month in country. Words alone can not describe what these spouse's are experiencing right now. This is what's going on right now here in Iraq. This is my second tour in Iraq. I was in Desert Storm as well. But this 2nd tour in Iraq is much worse. I just hope and pray that I will return home to see my son walking.

Iraq Deployments Long Year

Thanks for your post, I can feel for you because I cannot imagine being from my loved ones for so long, but I am excited because since you are serving there will you please visit Post War Iraq and share your view including how the soldiers in general feel?

Offtopic but, How do you get internet access there?

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Darius, I wish you all the best. I'm sure your country must feel very proud of you. Don't worry, you will see your wife and son soon. Have lots of faith and take care of yourself okay?. Yes, I think the soldiers should not stay longer than 6 months, I think the psychological effect it has upon them (the war itself) and being away from the loved ones must be something really hard to deal with.

Iraq Deployments Long Year

It is easy for us to discuss and argue the rights and wrongs of the Iraq war in the comfort of our own home, and sometimes we get quite heated up over the policies. So, it is rather heartwarming to hear from a soldier who is out there on the ground. It is like putting a name, a soul to the mindless reports of nameless soldiers maimed and killed, and after 700 plus (US personnel alone), we are quite numbed to the tally of new deaths. So Darius, whatever we discuss here please don't take it that we are against you and your compatriots out there. I can feel for you, for the anguish being away from your loved ones ..... all in answer to your country's call for duty.

I hope your tour of duty there will be smooth and safe, and your guardian angel will constantly look out for you. I am the father of a new baby myself (he will be 1 yr old at end of this month). I find myself looking forward to going home after work, just to play with him, to watch him try to stand on his own, and to walk by balancing himself against the furniture. Hopefully your little ones can be your inspiration and that the very thoughts of them will give you strength.

While I am against the war, I empathize with you in your duty over there. I just hope we all can stop a while and think that beneath all that fighting, there lies a heart, a soul, a name, an identity in each and every one of the participants ......... and where there are loved ones waiting for them back home. And there are lots of people back home whom those individual's very presence has touched their own lives.

And this is true on both sides of the conflict, be it US or the Iraqis ....................

Iraq Deployments Long Year

This is a difficult situation for sure. One problem is we don't have a large enough active military to do what we have decided we need to in Iraq and other areas of the world. In the Marine Corps it is true they have units deploy together for six month tours, but when an individual is deployed to a duty station overseas without there family and not as part of a unit deployment it is for one year.

I have a friend in the Marine Corps (so is her husband). She was sent to Okinawa last July without her husband and or children and will stay there until this coming July. While it is true she is not in a combat zone, she too is separated from her family. It is a part of military life. It is not a pleasant thing to deal with and I think we as civilians don't often give much thought to the sacrifices made by our military families and for relatively low pay.

Year Long Deployments In Iraq

Can anyone give me an idea how much money a soldier in Iraq is getting?

Year Long Deployments Iraq

It depends upon your rank and how long you have been in the military.

The basic pay for a private E-1 - lowest enlisted rank is in the neighborhood of $1,700 per month. This comes out to around $20,000 per year. Compare this to the $80,000 or so that the contract truck drivers are getting for being there due to the risks involved.

E-3 which is a good average rank to consider for a foot soldier makes around $1,500 to $1,600 per month.

Officers make much more.

The lowest ranking officer, O-1 makes around $2,800 per month $33,600 per year. An O-3 which is what most of us know as captains make around $4,000 per month.

This is basic pay. They get some kind of combat pay, which I have no idea about in terms of amount. Also, if they are married, they get a housing allowance of sorts. Most E-1 through E-3 are between 18 and 21 and not married. Officers are generally older, having completed college before going on active duty and so they tend to be married at their lower ranks and more likely to be drawing this allowance.

Again, when you consider what civilian truck drivers and cooks going over there on contracts with civilian companies are being paid because of the dangers involved, the military members are being paid very little considering the risks they face each day.

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That's extremely low, taking in consideration everything they go through! why is the salary so little? how they manage to maintain their families with such amount of money per month????.