Why is this happening?

January 3, 2009

According to KRCA 3 in Tennessee, Gulf War veteran and grandfather, Paul Brandel, just got notice that he will be deployed to Iraq in 2010. He will be 52 y/o. "Involuntary recall allows the military, regardless of age or how long someone has been out of service, to order vets back into active duty." He left the military in 1993 but did not retire and now 15 years later he's called up to fight in active combat? He worked with missile systems that are now defunct, so what exactly will he be doing? And why Iraq?

Brandel's thoughts:

I certainly never thought I'd be going back there at this point in my life. Anger's not the word. I was more concerned about the financial impact it's going to do. My pay's probably cut in half.

I can understand, say, 'Here, we have this assignment for you stateside. Go do your training. But, 'Hey, here's a gun, go back to the desert.'

His wife, Linda:

Right now, I'm just in disbelief because it's like the disbelief that this could be happening 15 years after being out of the military. It's like a dream or a nightmare.

So why is this happening? And how many other not retired veterans will this affect?

Found a few more stories. I don't know their present situation but I hope they and their families are all ok.

25 y/o female twins redeployed to Iraq on second tour.

Mother 46, son 29, deployed together to Iraq. Mother's first tour was in 2004 and she is to wed another soldier, who is also going to be deployed.

Mother 52, son 24 deployed to Iraq together.

Mother 42, replaces her own son 20, after receiving training from him in Iraq.

Mother and son deployed together to Kosovo - younger son in ARMY national Guard

Father and son deployed together in Iraq

By 2011, military expects to have 20K troops deployed throughout the US for Homeland Security purposes.