Army not punishing reservists who won't go to war

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-03-reservists-nofight_x.htm

Seventy-three soldiers in a special reserve program have defied orders to appear for wartime duty, some for more than a year, yet the Army has quietly chosen not to act against them.

"We just continue to work with them, reminding them of their duty," says Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army spokesman.

The soldiers are part of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), a pool of about 110,000 inactive troops who still have contractual obligations to the military but are rarely summoned back to active duty. But an Army stretched thin by the demands of war in Iraq and Afghanistan began a phased call-up of 6,545 of those soldiers in June 2004.

About half have served. About one-fifth have been excused for reasons such as finances, family or health.