Aging vet recalled.....

[James48843]

War Vet, 50, Stunned By New Deployment

Former Soldier Last Served During 1st Gulf War

POSTED: 7:16 am PST January 2, 2009

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq.

http://www.kcra.com/sh/images/ibs_icon/hearst/video.gifVideo: Army Vet, 50, Deployed (http://www.kcra.com/video/18398830/index.html)


The last time Paul Bandel, 50, saw combat was in the early 1990s during the Gulf War."(I was) kind of shocked, not understanding what I was getting into," said Bandel, who lives in the Nashville, Tenn., area.In 1993,

Bandel took the option of leaving the Army without retirement and never thought he would be called back to action."Here he's 50 years old, getting his AARP card, and here he's being redeployed with all these 18-year-olds," said Paul's wife, Linda Bandel."I can understand, say, 'Here, we have this assignment for you stateside. Go do your training,'" said Paul Bandel. "But, 'Hey, here's a gun, go back to the desert.'"

Involuntary recall allows the military, regardless of age or how long someone has been out of service, to order vets back into active duty."Anger's not the word. I was more concerned about the financial impact it's going to do. My pay's probably cut in half," said Paul Bandel.

"Right now, I'm just in disbelief because it's like the disbelief that this could be happening 15 years after being out of the military. It's like a dream or a nightmare," said Linda Bandel.

The veteran is dusting off his old uniforms and torn between his duty to his country and obligations as a grandfather."I certainly never thought I'd be going back there at this point in my life," said Paul Bandel.The last missile system the veteran was trained to operate is no longer used by the military.

Calls to the Army and the Pentagon about how many men and women in their 50s are being called back to duty were not returned Wednesday.Paul Bandel will be deployed overseas until 2010. His wife plans to move in with her elderly parents until his return.

[James48843]

He's not the only veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years receiving call-up letters this month.


Here is shot of some other veterans being called up.....


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v434/okenter/Soldier-Reading-Letter.jpg

[alevin]

War Vet, 50, Stunned By New Deployment

Former Soldier Last Served During 1st Gulf War

POSTED: 7:16 am PST January 2, 2009

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq.

Involuntary recall allows the military, regardless of age or how long someone has been out of service, to order vets back into active duty."


I remember hearing something about this being possible back in 2003 and worried about implications for my brother who'd just retired after 23 years service (he turned 50 a couple months ago still has a young family). Back then, I got the idea it was only retired officers and Reserve who could be called back up. My bro is neither. So the question of the day is, does the article have it right, is it any vet of any rank/retirement status could be called back?

[James48843]

I remember hearing something about this being possible back in 2003 and worried about implications for my brother who'd just retired after 23 years service (he turned 50 a couple months ago still has a young family). Back then, I got the idea it was only retired officers and Reserve who could be called back up. My bro is neither. So the question of the day is, does the article have it right, is it any vet of any rank/retirement status could be called back?

Officers are kind of unique.

Enlisted folks have an 8 year obligation. After than, they are technically seperated from the service.

Officers, on the other hand, serve at the pleasure of the President. If they are commissioned, then the commission remains on the books forever, until they resign their commission.

If they retire, they are placed on the "retired reserve" list. They can't be called back as retired reservists unless very strict criteria is met. But if that criteria is met, then yes, they can be recalled involuntarily for life.

In this case, the person is neither a commissioned officer, nor on the retired list. When he stopped serving as a Warrent Officer, he didn't retire, so his name went into the computer banks as an Indiviual Ready Reserve (IRR).

IRR people can technically be recalled at any time. Enlisted people serve in the IRR either voluntarily, or to complete an initial eight year committment. Officers (either commissioned or warrent) remain the IRR unless they either resign, or retire, the latter of which moves them to the retired reserve.

So, technically, yes, this guy, who obtained his Warrent Officer status during the Regan years, and served in Gulf War I, and then left the service, and is now 15 years since donning a uniform, is technically on the hook to report to Iraq in February for a 12-month rotation.

During a period of war or emergency, the latest change to Title 10 says they can be required to stay indefinitely. See http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/10/usc_sec_10_00012243----000-.html

The only relief is retirement for age, which comes at age 62.