Thousands More American Troops Are Serving In Iraq And Syria Than Previously Reported

© Marius Bosch / Reuters

ABC News: Thousands more US military service members in Iraq and Syria than believed

Thousands more American troops are serving in Iraq and Syria than has been previously acknowledged by the Pentagon, a new report finds.

According to the Defense Manpower Data Center's quarterly report from September, there were 1,720 American troops in Syria -- three times as many as the 503 troops in Syria that U.S. military spokesmen have told reporters. The Pentagon's personnel agency issues quarterly reports about how many American troops are serving in individual states and overseas countries.

The same report showed there were 8,992 American troops in Iraq, almost 3,500 more than the official Department of Defense tally of 5,262.

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More News On U.S. Troop Deployments To Iraq And Syria Being Far More Than What Has Been Reported

26,000 US troops total in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, DoD reports -- Defense News
The Pentagon struggles to provide accurate numbers for deployed troops -- Washington Post
'Many more' US troops in Syria and Iraq - report -- BBC
There's confusion about US troop levels in the Middle East, and Trump may keep it that way -- Business Insider
The DoD Has Way More Troops In Syria Than It's Telling Us -- Task & Purpose
Confusion or deception? Report shows thousands more US troops abroad than Pentagon claims -- RT

Why Deployed Soldiers Feel Like The `Walking Dead`

Matt Cavanaugh, War On The Rocks: THE PAINFUL PRIVILEGE: WHY DEPLOYED SOLDIERS FEEL LIKE “THE WALKING DEAD”

My birthday is today, and it hurts. I’m a deployed Army officer, living a half marathon distance from the Demilitarized Zone in Korea and 6,000 miles from home (which may as well read “1,000,000”). Service is a privilege; deployed service is a painful privilege that grinds at the soldier’s soul like cancer corrodes the body.

It’s the little things that wear you down, like the videophone calls that go wrong. We thought it would be nice to set up a “goodnight” for our 4-year-old daughter, and it was, right up until she asked, “Daddy, will you be home tomorrow?” It stunned me, and tears dripped down my face before I could form words. If I were a traveling salesman, my response might have been an excited “yes.” But I’m not; our family is still inside of the first month of a yearlong separation.

WNU Editor: At least we have the internet today .... making communications and contact a bit more realistic and regular than just sending a letter.

An Interactive Map On U.S. Military Deployments During The Obama Administration

Beaufort Gazette: Interactive map: Military deployment in the Obama administration

Where have our military personnel been deployed under Obama by branch and year?

This heat map shows total U.S. military deployment from 2009-2014, visualizing how and where focuses have shifted over the years. Use the drop-down menu to filter by Air Force, Navy, Army, or Marine Corps. The interactive graph shows the breakdown of total military troops by service and the relative numbers of each branch.

Some interesting facts gathered from the data:

WNU Editor: The U.S. military has definitely been busy these past few years.

Fewer US Troops Are Deployed This Year

The guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam displays holiday lights at its homeport of San Diego, Dec. 18, 2012. Ships on Naval Base San Diego are showing their holiday spirit by stringing lights and decorations during the holiday season. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Stephen M. Votaw

Home For The Holidays: Fewer US Troops Are Absent This Year -- Christian Science Monitor

Christmas 2012 marks the smallest deployment of combat troops abroad in at least five years, as the war in Iraq ends and US forces deployed to Afghanistan have been drawing down.

When President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama issued a special holiday greeting over the weekend to US troops fighting overseas, they were addressing the smallest deployment of combat troops in at least five years.

“This week let’s give thanks for our veterans and their families,” the president said. “And let’s say a prayer for all our troops – especially those in Afghanistan – who are spending this holiday overseas, risking their lives to defend the freedoms we hold dear.” Mr. Obama added that the number of troops in harm’s way is coming down, because “the war in Iraq is over [and] the transition in Afghanistan is under way.”

The number of troops in Afghanistan is at its lowest level since the Obama-ordered “surge” of about 35,000 troops in 2007 took the total over 100,000.

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My Comment: Let us hope that this trend continues.

Who Is Fit To Deploy, And Who Is Not

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The U.S. Military Doesn’t Know Who Is Fit To Fight -- Washington Post

How good is the U.S. military at determining who is fit for battle?

Ten years into the war in Afghanistan, and after nearly nine years of war in Iraq, we know that the defining injuries of these conflicts for our service members include traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. We also understand that the all-volunteer force is stretched thin and that multiple deployments to combat zones are routine.

What military physicians don’t have a good sense of, however, is how to tell whether a combat veteran is still qualified for the battlefield. And the tragedy this month in Afghanistan, where Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, on his fourth combat tour, allegedly slaughtered 17 civilians and has been charged with murder, underscores the urgency of finding a better solution.

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My Comment: The above video has retired Army Colonel and NBC military analyst Jack Jacobs defending multiple deployments. As to what is my take .... hundreds of thousands of Americans have been deployed overseas, and the worse case has been (that we know of) Sgt. Bales. Was he an anomaly .... or have we been lucky .... that is an answer that I do not know.

How Many Deployments Are Too Many

A 38-year-old father of two, Sgt. Robert Bales, left, served in the Army for 11 years. He had been deployed to Iraq three times and was on his fourth deployment, this time to Afghanistan. (Reuters / DOD / March 22, 2012)

Researchers Wrestle With How Many Deployments Are Too Many -- USA Today

After nearly 11 years of war and hundreds of millions of dollars in research on the mental health of troops, the military is no closer to understanding how many deployments are too many for individual servicemembers, researchers say.

Military leaders have said the nation has never fought wars this long with this small of a military, deploying troops over and over. Yet questions about how many times a soldier can recycle into combat without psychological harm remain unanswered, reseachers say.

"I think it's definitely disappointing that we don't know. I wish we did," says retired Navy Capt. William Nash, a psychiatrist studying resiliency within Marine battalions.

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My Comment: I suspect that it is different for different soldiers .... but for Sgt. Bales, it appears that this deployment was one too many.

Despite U.S. Commander's Pleas, Troops Will Probably Leave Europe Sooner Rather Than Later

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling speaks to soldiers earlier this year. Asked Oct. 6 about the possibility of unaccompanied tours for soldiers sent to Europe, Hertling said it “would be devastating for quality of life.” File Photo: U.S. Air Force

Hertling Hints That Brigade Could Leave Europe Sooner -- Stars and Stripes

WASHINGTON — The Army could return a Europe-based Army brigade to the United States before the previously announced 2015 deadline, the head of U.S. Army Europe said Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who took over the post in March, told reporters that he has already made his recommendation to Army officials about which brigade should be moved back to the United States, but would not identify the unit because no formal decision has been made.

But he did say the move could come sooner than Pentagon officials requested. He declined to say how much sooner.

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More News On US Soldiers Leaving Europe Sooner Rather Than Later

U.S. Troops In Europe Likely to Come Home Early -- Aol Defense
Brigade move from Europe could happen sooner -- Army Times
Army's Europe Commander Hopes to Stave Off Further Troop Reductions -- National Defense
Hertling dismisses unaccompanied Europe tours -- Army Times
Army in Europe Has ‘Unique Opportunity,’ Commander Says -- US Department of Defense
‘Tactically Savvy’ Force Must Reframe, Commander Says -- US Department of Defense

The Toll Of Being Seperated From A Love One Who Is On A Long Deployment

Stress Of Separation Takes Its Toll On Military Families -- Dallas News

Russell and Erin Miller met while deployed in Iraq in 2005 and discovered a shared passion for Dungeons and Dragons. Their interest in the popular role-playing game led to their marriage and settling down in Rice, 45 miles southeast of Dallas.

The husband and wife, both in the Texas Army National Guard , now have new roles: Erin, 28, as a soldier deployed to Afghanistan; Russell, 30, as a stay-at-home dad with 2-year-old daughter Abby.

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My Comment: A sincere look at the difficulties that families must face when a love one is on a long deployment.

A Critique On The Consequences Of Troop Deployments Done For Political Reasons

ARMORED TOUR - A member of the U.S. 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit gives U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Wilson a tour of an armored vehicle during a Marine sustainment training exercise, Jan. 30, 2010. Wilson is the commander of Amphibious Squadron 7, the command element for the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, which is supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsiblity. U.S. Navy photo by Lt. j.g. Tim Hawkins

In Harm’s Way: Obama’s Shell Game Puts Troops In Danger -- Big Journalism

This is the kind of story that might be expected to draw a journalist’s attention, for it has the kind of elements that should outrage the average reader: a commander playing politics with the military, troops called upon to execute a mission they had neither expected nor been trained for, and subsequent accusations that heavy casualties might have been avoided, but for politically-motivated shell games.

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My Comment: This blog and others have chronicled the bewildering array of decisions that have soldiers training for one mission .... but then forwarded to another. The Big Journalism website illustrates a few more additional examples.

Texas Troops Going To War

Photo: Spc. Jacqueline Castro, 20, of El Paso, high-fives Spc. Savanna Garcia, 23, during a game of Scrabble on her computer, as Spc. Migdalia Cabrera, 20 of Houston, views the game. The three soldiers are about to embark on their first deployment to Iraq. Mayra Beltran Chronicle

Texas Troops Deployed -- Houston Chronicle

Soldiers make one last stop before arriving in Iraq.

PERSIAN GULF — Spc. Migdalia Cabrera clutched a teddy bear in her right hand and an M-4 rifle in her left.

In a few hours, the 20-year-old Texas Army National Guard soldier from Houston and the chocolate-brown teddy bear named Jonathan would be boarding a plane to Baghdad to start a nine-month mission in Iraq.

It was Cabrera's first deployment, and she was a little nervous.

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My Comment: Teddy bears????

OK.

But what strikes me is the age of these soldiers. When 9/11 happened they were still kids .... and now they are soldiers who are going to war.

Fortunately, Iraq is not the war zone that it use to be.