Saw the film starring Ryan Phillipe over the weekend and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. According to Wikepedia, Stop Loss
, in the U.S. military, is the involuntary extension of a service member's enlistment contract in order to retain them beyond the normal end term of service (ETS) or the ceasing of a permanent change of station (PCS) move for a member still in military service.
Whether you support the war or not, the over taxing of our troops is wholly undeniable. While some critics of the film have characterized it as one sided, I think it should be required viewing for Americans so they simply become aware of the policy. It should be our responsibility to familiarize ourselves with such policies that so severely impact the moral, psychological condition and physical impact of our troops. It is an issue of epic importance as it directly impacts our national security.
Having spent time in Iraq post invasion, I became friendly with a number of servicemen. After his second tour, one young man told me, "Lisa, I'm not normal and I'm having a hard time re-adjusting to life back home."
As a child growing up at the end of the Vietnam War, I distinctly recall how American war veterans were treated and continue to be treated after risking their lives in war. I never thought that during my lifetime, this behavior would be repeated again.
How can one deny that a back-door draft has been instituted? After multiple extensions of their military contract, if a soldier feels he/she cannot do another, he faces arrest. Where is the justice when a soldier repeatedly risks his or her life, family and psychological state while everyone else goes on with their lives? Is this making us safer?
