Tens Of Thousands Of U.S. Soldiers Not Fit For Combat

Photo: Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker

Many Soldiers Not Fit For Combat For Medical, Other Reasons -- USA Today

Nearly 90,000 soldiers are either unfit for combat with health restrictions or are otherwise unavailable for combat, according to data released to USA TODAY.

While the Army says it can fill combat brigades heading to Afghanistan with healthy soldiers — some rushed in at the last minute as units head overseas — the growing list of ill, injured or wounded is making the job tougher, say military officials.

"The problem of a growing population of not-medically-ready soldiers has begun to erode the readiness of the Army," the service's surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, recently said at a military conference in Washington, D.C.

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My Comment: With the U.S. Army making plans to reduce it's numbers by 50,000 .... it's not hard to see this group being one of the first to be let go.