[A-List] Bring 'em on: Morale plummets

["bon moun" <sherrynstan@xxxxxxx>]

Troop morale in Iraq hits 'rock bottom'
Soldiers stress is a key concern as the Army ponders whether to send
more forces.
By Ann Scott Tyson | Special to The Christian Science Monitor

WASHINGTON - US troops facing extended deployments amid the danger,
heat, and uncertainty of an Iraq occupation are suffering from low
morale that has in some cases hit "rock bottom."

Even as President Bush speaks of a "massive and long-term" undertaking
in rebuilding Iraq, that effort, as well as the high tempo of US
military operations around the globe, is taking its toll on individual
troops.

Some frustrated troops stationed in Iraq are writing letters to
representatives in Congress to request their units be repatriated. "Most
soldiers would empty their bank accounts just for a plane ticket home,"
said one recent Congressional letter written by an Army soldier now
based in Iraq. The soldier requested anonymity.

In some units, there has been an increase in letters from the Red Cross
stating soldiers are needed at home, as well as daily instances of
female troops being sent home due to pregnancy.

"Make no mistake, the level of morale for most soldiers that I've seen
has hit rock bottom," said another soldier, an officer from the Army's
3rd Infantry Division in Iraq.

Such open grumbling among troops comes as US commanders reevaluate the
size and composition of the US-led coalition force needed to occupy
Iraq. US Central Command, which is leading the occupation, is expected
by mid-July to send a proposal to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on
how many and what kind of troops are required, as well as on the
rotation of forces there.

For soldiers, a life on the road

The rethink about troop levels comes as senior military leaders voice
concern that multiple deployments around the world are already taxing
the endurance of US forces, the Army in particular. Some 370,000
soldiers are now deployed overseas from an Army active-duty, guard, and
reserve force of just over 1 million people, according to Army figures.
Experts warn that long, frequent deployments could lead to a rash of
departures from the military. "Hordes of active-duty troops and
reservists may soon leave the service rather than subject themselves to
a life continually on the road," writes Michael O'Hanlon, a military
expert at the Brookings Institution here.

A major Army study is now under way to examine the impact of this high
pace of operations on the mental health of soldiers and families. "The
cumulative effect of these work hours and deployment and training are
big issues, and soldiers are concerned about it," says Col. Charles
Hoge, who is leading the survey of 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers for the
Walter Reed Institute of Army Research.

Concern over stressed troops is not new. In the late 1990s, a shrinking
of military manpower combined with a rise in overseas missions prompted
Congress to call for sharp pay increases for troops deployed over a
certain number of days.
"But then came September 11 and the operational tempo went off the
charts" and the Congressional plan was suspended, according to Ed
Bruner, an expert on ground forces at the Congressional Research Service
here.

Adding manpower to the region

Despite Pentagon statements before the war that the goal of US forces
was to "liberate, not occupy" Iraq, Secretary Rumsfeld warned last week
that the war against terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere "will not be over
any time soon."

Currently, there are some 230,000 US troops serving in and around Iraq,
including nearly 150,000 US troops inside Iraq and 12,000 from Britain
and other countries. According to the Pentagon, the number of foreign
troops is expected to rise to 20,000 by September. Fresh foreign troops
began flowing into Iraq this month, part of two multinational forces led
by Poland and Britain. A third multinational force is also under
consideration.

A crucial factor in determining troop levels are the daily attacks that
have killed more than 30 US and British servicemen in Iraq since Mr.
Bush declared on May 1 that major combat operations had ended.

The unexpected degree of resistance led the Pentagon to increase US
ground troops in Iraq to mount a series of ongoing raids aimed at
confiscating weapons and capturing opposition forces.

A tour of duty with no end in sight

As new US troops flowed into Iraq, others already in the region for
several months, such as the 20,000-strong 3rd Infantry Division were
retained in Iraq.

"Faced with continued resistance, Department of Defense now plans to
keep a larger force in Iraq than anticipated for a period of time," Maj.
Gen. Buford Blount, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, explained in
a statement to families a month ago. "I appreciate the turmoil and
stress that a continued deployment has caused," he added.

The open-ended deployments in Iraq are lowering morale among some ground
troops, who say constantly shifting time tables are reducing confidence
in their leadership. "The way we have been treated and the continuous
lies told to our families back home has devastated us all," a soldier in
Iraq wrote in a letter to Congress.

Security threats, heat, harsh living conditions, and, for some soldiers,
waiting and boredom have gradually eroded spirits. An estimated 9,000
troops from the 3rd Infantry Division - most deployed for at least six
months and some for more than a year - have been waiting for several
weeks, without a mission, to return to the United States, officers say.

In one Army unit, an officer described the mentality of troops. "They
vent to anyone who will listen. They write letters, they cry, they yell.
Many of them walk around looking visibly tired and depressed.... We feel
like pawns in a game that we have no voice [in]."