Extended Tours Break Bonds Of GIs' Families

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Chicago Tribune
May 16, 2007
Pg. 1

Marriages crashing, kids growing up as Afghan war goes on
By Kim Barker, Tribune foreign correspondent
OUTSIDE NARAY, Afghanistan -- As ceremonies go, the promotion was nothing special. U.S. Army Spec. Matthew Brue stood near his Humvee in the middle of a field of wheat and weeds, and an officer slapped a sergeant's patch on Brue's chest.
For Brue, it was a bittersweet moment. This was what he had looked forward to for months, ever since he found out in January that his squadron would spend four extra months in Afghanistan.
For his wife, the extension was the end of the marriage.
"She basically quit," said Brue, 24, of Syracuse, N.Y. "That's the best way I can say it."
The true toll of war on any soldier is difficult to gauge. While in Afghanistan, eight men have died in Brue's squadron, victims of an ambush and accidents. But 16 months in Afghanistan cannot be judged only by battles won and soldiers lost.
Back home, life went on without him and the other members of his squadron. Wives gave birth to babies. One soldier's wife suffered brain damage in a car wreck that killed two other people. Another soldier found out that his father had less than two weeks to live after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. At least three soldiers postponed weddings because of the extension. And at least three men face divorce when they return home in late May or early June. Such long deployments will soon be standard for the Army, taxed by commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The government announced in April that troops will be deployed for 15 months at a time, instead of a year, raising the possibility of extensions that could mean 18 months or even two years away from home.
"Our forces are stretched," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said. "There's no question about that."
As the job of U.S. troops has transitioned more into nation-building than simply fighting, longer deployments mean troops may be able to achieve more, with more experience on the ground.
Running risks
But long deployments also raise the possibility of fatigue, of the all-volunteer Army being stretched so far that troops become complacent, worn out, bitter or even permanently damaged.
A survey of 1,320 Army soldiers and 447 Marines in Iraq released by the Pentagon last month said longer combat deployments could hurt troops' morale and mental health.
"It's going to be harder for the Army to recruit people because nobody is going to want to spend 15 months in a war zone -- nobody," said Sgt. William Kiehn, 24, a soldier in Brue's squadron in eastern Afghanistan whose first child was born Sept. 10. "It's going to be hard if I have to do another one. I've missed eight months of my daughter's life. That scares the hell out of me."
Most likely, the soldiers of his squadron will spend a year at home, part of it training away from their families, before being deployed again.
These soldiers show just what the Army faces with longer deployments. In late January, days before they were supposed to leave eastern Afghanistan, Kiehn, Brue and the other soldiers in the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment of the 10th Mountain Division found out they would not be going home just yet. The Army told 3,161 soldiers in the 3rd Brigade combat team of the 10th Mountain Division to stay four extra months.
The main reason was no mystery -- more troops were needed for the spring, typically the bloodiest time in Afghanistan. This year, insurgents promised their toughest fight since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001.
The troops reacted to the extension predictably -- initial disappointment, especially for the soldiers who had to fly back to Afghanistan after being sent home to the U.S. early, followed by stoic acceptance. Several soldiers admitted they were tired, whiplashed by repeated deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. One soldier said he had seen his 3-year-old daughter for only 10 months of her life. Another said the Army did not have enough money to make him re-enlist.
"A lot of guys are having trouble," said Staff Sgt. George Williams, 38, who plans to leave the military next year. "Now the Army is short troops, and it's harder to get people to join. Fighting two wars, it's just crazy."
Despite the stress on troops, several soldiers and officers said a case can be made for longer deployments, especially considering the work accomplished by this squadron since January. The soldiers now know what they are doing. They know which local leaders are corrupt, which ones are not. They have begun working more with Afghan police, seen as key to an independent Afghanistan.
The reach of the squadron has been extended, from the base of Naray, in remote eastern Kunar province, to other parts of Kunar and neighboring Nuristan, provinces largely forgotten by the Afghan government and traditional insurgent strongholds. The soldiers also now know how the insurgents work.
So far, the squadron has met or exceeded its retention goals.
"Our last four months, there's absolutely no question have been our most effective," said Lt. Col. Mike Howard, 42, in charge of the squadron. "I'm not telling you there's been no crying. There has been some. But there's a big difference between disappointment and bad attitude."
Attacks are up
Insurgent attacks have increased in recent weeks -- typical during the spring -- but near Naray, they have been put down decisively. Soldiers now seem to be holding their breath, hoping that nothing bad happens before they leave in late May or early June.
Unlike most other soldiers, Brue did not even want to think about leaving Afghanistan. He is scheduled to go home just in time to get divorced before his second wedding anniversary. He said his wife told him she wanted a divorce after learning of the extension. He said he did not blame the Army and has no plans to leave.
"I'm dreading going home," Brue said. "I'm dreading dealing with it. It's going to be interesting living with my old man."
 
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