(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Hawaii man receives first involuntary service draft notice of new war.

He joined the Reserves in 1987. After serving in Desert Storm, he was honorably discharged in 1991, remained on Inactive status until 1996, and, having *completed all contractual obligations to the military*, retired, started a business, got married, and had a child.

This is not a stop-loss order exercising the military's contractual option to keep you for the 8 years you signed up for instead of the normal 4. This is contacting a *civilian* and telling him he's in the army or he's going to jail.

Congratulations. I direct you back to Tim Ryan

It's the same guy who said there wouldn't be a draft, and now people are being drafted.

Comments

[ryusen.livejournal.com]

yep.. and the guy is suing. cool thing is, his congressman is trying to help.

[wizwom.livejournal.com]

I've got a freind who's been out since 78. He said "well, if they eeded to, they could call me up. I'd do what I could."

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

That makes him *willing to volunteer if asked*.

This is not the same, at all, as him being told that he is to report for duty. Assuming he was discharged properly, he's fulfilled his obligation, and while he can *choose* to rejoin, they have no right to *force* him to rejoin as they are trying with this Hawaiian man.

[wizwom.livejournal.com]

No, he definately made it sound like it was what he signed up for, not a voluntary thing.

When, in my youth, I considered joining, I got the distinct impression that it was for life... discharges, volunteering, all were conditional on the needs of the service.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

You may have gotten this impression. He may have given this impression. He may even be *under* this impression.

He, and you, are wrong.

You sign up for a 4-year term. If you want, and the military wants you, you can stay in indefinitely as long as you both want to keep going. If you want out, the military retains you on reserve for 4 years and has the option of forcing you to stay in for those 4 additional years via a stop-loss order - because you've signed up for 4 years for sure, 8 years if the military needs you whether you like it or not, as as many years as you want if both you and the military want you to keep going.

When those 8 years are up, however, you're out. You have no more obligation. You are a civilian, and in order to go back into the military, you must volunteer and sign a new contract.