Current dwell time is not enough, Mullen told

[unhappycamper]

Current dwell time is not enough, Mullen told
By William H. McMichael - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Oct 23, 2007 14:51:51 EDT

FORT SILL, Okla. — Whether it’s a lack of time to train adequately or enough time to keep a family intact, students at Fort Sill’s field artillery captains’ career course bluntly told the nation’s top military officer Tuesday that 12 months of “dwell time” at home between combat deployments is not cutting it.

“That year we’re back, it’s just not good enough,” said one Army captain, who told Adm. Mike Mullen that while the Army says its goal is to give soldiers time at home that is equal to their most recent deployment, a deployment-to-“dwell time” ratio of 1:3 or 1:4 is really what’s needed to rest troops, give them family time and train adequately for the next deployment.

“The reason I’m getting out of the Army is that I want to start a family,” said another officer. He told Mullen he wanted to stay at Sill to have some stability while doing that, but his branch officer told him, “Family considerations don’t play a part in the assignment process.”

He decided at that point to leave, he said.

“I assure you that’s not well-received by the Army leadership,” Mullen replied. “But that’s also reality. Someone else?”

Another captain echoed his classmate. “The most important thing going on in my life right now is my wife’s trying to go back to college,” he said. “She has put her whole life, her whole career, and everything, on hold for me. ... And now I have to say, honey, I just got back, but we’re moving. And when we get there, I’m gonna leave again.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/military_mullen_fortsill_071023w/



uhc comment: The original AP article is here --> http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20071023/APA/710230866&cachetime=5