Military Service in America. Specifically

¶ … military service in America. Specifically it will discuss the length of tours of duty overseas and its effects on military families. Since the War with Iraq began, military personnel have been experiencing lengthened and extended tours of duty, and several tours of duty in the same country, as well. This is detrimental to the safety and welfare of the American soldiers forced to serve extended tours of duty, and it adversely affect their families, as well.

As the war in Iraq drags on, there are a finite number of service people available to fight in the war, largely because recruiting numbers are down, and there is no draft in the country to add to the ranks of fighters, as there was in the Vietnam War (Bender). Because of this, many service members find themselves called to duty in Iraq as many as four different times. In addition, many service members already in Iraq are being called to stay on for extended tours of duty because new troops cannot be trained fast enough to relieve them. Sadly, this puts the burden of defense on a relatively small number of Americans. It puts them at additional risk of being killed or injured in the war, and worst of all, it leaves their families alone and vulnerable at home.

This practice continues, even though many people worry about the effects it will have on service members' families. One reporter notes, "In the latest sign of pressure on troop strength from growing violence in Iraq, the Pentagon said Monday that it had extended the combat tour of 4,000 soldiers, the second time in as many months that an Army brigade has seen its yearlong deployment lengthened" (Barnes). These fighters were ensured they would come home in a year, but because training has lagged behind, and there are simply not enough troops to go around, they are forced to stay in Iraq, away from their families, loved ones, and friends, and in the case of reservists, away from their regular jobs and sources of income, as well. This can be an increasing hardship on the families, as a result.

There is growing concern that this practice of lengthening tours of duty is going to come back to haunt the military. Another reporter notes, "Still, others caution that the strains could soon become too heavy to bear for some troops and their families" (Bender). This could lead to disastrous results. A service member worried about his long-term absence from his family, or suffering pressure from that family about his length of service, could become preoccupied and inattentive, leading to disastrous consequences. He or she could miss an important sign or bit of evidence, and end up being killed or injured due to their preoccupation. They could also suffer from fatigue and depression, which could also lead to their injury. They could suffer from "burn out" and simply quit caring about their job or their survival, and that could lead to disaster, as well.