"Stop-Loss"...

If I where to count all my fingers and toes, I would still run out of space for why I heart President Obama so much! Last night topped it all, and I was trying not to cry lying in bed about to fall asleep. Yesterday Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced they where putting an end to “Stop-Loss”. For any of you that may not be familiar with military terminology ‘Stop-Loss’ is also known as a backdoor draft in sense where when a person enlists in the military, they may only sign up to serve four years, but technically in a legal aspect they are enlisted for eight years. The military has a “right” to force you into active duty for the four years after you are done and can send back to active combat duty at anytime.

There has been lots of controversy over this, and as of January studies have shown that 13,200 soldiers who are serving in the war, have all been issued a ‘Stop-Loss’. With Gate’s announcing this new turn of events, they will start pulling back as soon as the beginning of August. They will reduce by 50% as of June of 2010, and by March 2011 there will be no more serving.

During a Pentagon briefing yesterday, Gate’s (who has been fighting for this to end since 2006) said “I believe that when somebody's end date of service comes, to hold them against their will, if you will, is just not the right thing to do... I felt, particularly in these numbers, that it was breaking faith." I personally, 100% agree with this statement, since it really is breaking the faith as a nation! Every single solider that has enlisted, did it out of their willingness to sacrifice their own life. I herd somewhere, “they signed a blank check that was payable up to and including life.” What hope and faith our we sending to them out there when we say thank you for serving your country for four years, but we need you to experience and witness the unthinkable again for another four years?

All I can say now is, THANK YOU! Thank you for giving all of my friends who are serving out there hope again. To know that I wont have to worry about their second or third deployment if they will not come back again. I think this is a huge step in the right direction into gaining hope again for those men and woman who have given so much already. We can begin the process again of healing, and trying to fix what a previous “person” has done …