Stopping Stop-Loss

It is certainly not official yet, but it looks like the Army has been seriously reconsidering its use of stop losses. For the past few years, as we are all quite aware of, the Army has been forcing soldiers to stay in the Army for longer than their original enlistment. There has been many outcries for change from the public. Stop losses have been called a back-door draft because the Army is forcing people to remain in the Army against their will. I am not going to argue the politics behind this policy; however, it seemed that news of change could be quite positive. The current change being discussed is to greatly reduce the number of soldiers being retained. Also, the policy makers are talking about offering a $500 bonus, if you could call it that, for those who have been retained. This may be a result of increasing enlistment. During these hard economic times, people have been forced to find work, and for some, that means joining the Army. The last thing that I want to do with this blog is complain to you about the Army is misunderstood by the public. During these tough times, people are beginning to see the Army for what it really is, a great employer with superb benefits and great opportunities for continuing education. The Post 9-11 GI-Bill is making it extremely affordable to attend college after only three years on Active Duty. I know this blog has been all over the place, but it should serve as a welcomed change. The Army has typically been slow to change, but its moving along. For more information about the changing policy on stop-loss check out this article.