CNN - US To Send 128,000 Replacement Troops To Iraq.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/06/sprj.irq.main/index.html

-SNIP-
About 85,000 active duty forces, including three National Guard combat brigades, have been notified they will be sent to the Iraq region, and 43,000 other Reserve and National Guard troops have been told they will be activated, Pentagon sources said.

Pentagon officials said it may be days before the public learns which Army National Guard and Reserve units face call-ups.
-SNIP-

Talk about "sucked into the intake". That's nearly the entire force commitment in Iraq being rotated in the next 6 months. These guys will be relative greenhorns, to occupation, in Iraq. This is not a wise decision and I fear for their safety much more than for the battle hardened vets who are there now.

Jay

NOTICE TO MODS: The title of this story comes from its' link as posted on the front page of CNN.com. Once the link is accessed the name of the story changes to "U.S. announces plan to rotate troops in Iraq". This is a trend that is on the increase and If you feel the need to lock because of this, so be it. In addition: although this story has been covered elsewhere it is the first time that I have seen the number of troops being represented as a total rather than differentiating between active duty and reserve forces. Once again lock at your discretion.

First it was 47,000...then 85,000 and now..128,000..

So that tells me that the "real" number is probably 200,000..:(

and that was yesterday. 24 hours later it's 128,000. Lovely.

Just like the ever increasing deficit.

"In an added twist, the Army announced that soldiers in every unit designated for deployment to Iraq next year -- whether active-duty or reserve -- will be prohibited from leaving the service during a period beginning 90 days before they go to 90 days after they return.

That measure, known in the military as ``stop-loss,'' does not apply to the Marine Corps, which said it will dispatch about 20,000 Marines to replace the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in western Iraq, including the Fallujah area where anti-occupation violence has been strongest"

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-US-Iraq-Troops.html

I do not know why Stop Lost does not apply to Marines......

Why the hell are we sending marines in. They are the tip of the spear are we planning to invade someone else now ?

be no regiments standing in the usa. They agreed. Canada? If you're going to invade us, do it now.

I would dance in the streets and throw flowers and cheer the liberators as they pull down all references to the bush regime.

what the military brass tells troops about what they can tell the public. Obviously, they can't disclose secret information - but what does the Pentagon consider secret? If they witness half a dozen civilians gunned down by an Abrams tank, are they required to put a lid on it? Or are they told they can't discuss it because, "That was a SECRET battle!?

Once 50,000 Gulf War II veterans return, their should be enough stories to keep us busy for ages - but will their stories be told?

I can see the replacements going in, but the ones due to go out could suddenly find themselves delayed and delayed or something preventing most of them returning soon

See http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=202978

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation,
TahitiNut - DU moderator