Stop-Loss Story: Richard

great pod! very true, stop loss sucks! I got out of the military before i was to be deployed, but found out shortly before, that my unit was deploying to afghanistan for 18months! that's bullshit if you ask me. They should send soldiers who haven't been deployed yet before they send ones who have. Nearly everyone in my unit has been deployed 2-3 times to iraq and afghanistan, some as much as 4 times. With this current deployment, most will have been there 3 times and some 4.

BRAVO Horrible and thanks for serving! Funny thing is if you remove all of the stuff about military and replace it with LOANS you could give the SAME exact advice to the morons that signed up for adjustable rate mortgages and bought property WAYYYY beyond their means and we'd have 2 current problems solved. Never ceases to amaze me how many things are problems b/c we as a country tend to feel sorry for people who DON'T read what they are signing. It's just common sense and sadly it escapes the common man.

*Liberal_Extinction salutes!

The story is not really that interesting. I was a Navy classifier stationed out of MEPS Ft Bliss Tx from 2002-2004 and one of my major points was that every contract initially is a 8 year tour. 8 years of obligated service, 4 active and 4 non active. Its not a hidden clause, its right there in front of your face. How you do your 8 is on you.

Anyone who joined signed and initialled their name like 6 times that day, and 4 more times the day they left and had their contract re-explained to them to make sure that they understood the nature of the beast they are signing up for.

The MEPS building is a joint service building meaning that you may join the Navy, but a Army guy goes over your paper work to make sure that you got the right job, then a Air Force guy gives you the test, and a Marine may help do another facet of your processing.

Now we are in a war, and have technically been involved in one in a lessor nature since I joined in 1997. So to hear these soldiers complain about being "stop lossed" is slightly sad because of the condition, but wasn't too far from what was to be expected with the current condition of today's lack of volunteers in an all volunteer Armed Services force.

My advice to anyone who is planning to serve is to look at the Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force. These groups are pretty much non essential as far as the personnel goes. Which means unless some conflict breaks out on in a greater nature you are much less likely to be "stop lossed".

It breaks down like this, you are just as responsible to yourself as your recruiter is in finding you and making sure you join up that day. Do the research, if in doubt don't join. Get the job you qualify for and be honest with yourself, if you are joining to avoid jail time or some bs like that, your not going to get a dream job.

If they don't have the job you want assess your situation honestly. I'm a project kid, so my choices where crips, bloods, disciples, vice lords, the local el paso, tx pd, and local cholo gangs. So leaving was the best thing I ever did and i truly enjoyed my sea service and most of my time being a recruiter.

But the military is like getting into college. Pick your branch but you still got to get a good score on your asvab test to get that job.

Bottom line is this read everything, sometimes that job is open for only that moment and you may have to pull that trigger to get that seat.

But just know that a basic enlistment is 8 years four active depending your initial contract some schools and programs like the nuclear field and air traffic controller in the navy were 5 and 6 year tours because of the length of the training schools.

But your ass is in for 8 years then after that, you belong to you again.

Oh and make sure that anyone of you who plan on signing up take the bloody GI Bill. Its a 1200 investment that gives back so much more than what you invested.

I was a career D student in high school and barely graduated. Now at 30 I don't have to bust my ass doing OT at work because school is paid for.

Also in Texas you have the Hazelwood Act if you joined in the Lone Star state that gives you another 60 hours or so of paid school once your ten years of GI Bill expires.

So future Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and Airmen read those contracts before you sign. Also feel free to read them once you get home, its why you get a copy. G-d knows how many times I changed jobs for kids their junior year to their senior year of hs before they left. Its not that hard and its not busy work you have to do. The recruiter and classifier will handle that all you have to do is stay out of jail and off the dope.

Be easy and sorry for the ramble

horrible

Great on the fundraising effort but I didn't see any stop loss connection either.

Yea, don't really see the Stop Loss connection here; seems like a standup guy, an asset to our country in any regard.

But did this just feel like a commercial for the military and American way?

You people act like those who signed up for the military aren't responsible for reading their contract before signing it. Stop loss has been around for a lot longer than just recently. I was actually slated to be held up by stop loss when I seperated from the military in '99. 2-3 weeks prior to my discharge date my career field was removed from the SL list. If people sign up for the military thinking that they can shirk their responsibilities b/c they don't agree with the war then they should NEVER have signed up in the 1st place. God rest the souls and the families of those who have been killed in the war but no one and I mean NO ONE should take military service lightly, if you join you may go to war, end of story. You people are disgusting exploiting this and trying to assign victim status to these soldiers, they made the commitment.

Just curious, why is this guy being featured as part of the STOP LOSS story, I didn't hear any mention of him being SL'd? Good on him for doing some work to help the kids of wounded soldiers. Thanks for that Richard!

This guy is great! Not only serving the country in the military, but serving fellow soldiers (or their families) as a civilian.