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Army recalls former soldiers from ‘Fort Living Room’ to serve in possible duties in Iraq
FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Chief Warrant Officer Margaret Murray, who describes herself as ‘‘over 50,’’ says her small frame and some old back pain made it difficult to fire her M-16 in a marksmanship refresher course. ‘‘With my stature, it was a challenge,’’ said the 4-foot-10, 95-pound, gray-haired personnel specialist from Schenectady, N.Y. ‘‘But I can hit the target now.’’ Murray is one of the more than 4,400 Army soldiers from the Individual Ready Reserve who completed their active-duty service but have been notified they must get back in uniform. Most likely, they are headed for duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Given the dangers of near-constant insurgent attacks, the returnees go through several weeks of refresher training on such things as roadside bombs, urban warfare and weapons tactics. Ranging in age from 24 to 62, the experience that these returnees bring is of great value to the Army. But trainers say their advanced ages, weakened eyes and expanded waistlines mean doing things a bit differently. ‘‘Old is the operative word. I joke my contingent just came from Fort Living Room,’’ said Lt. Col. Douglas Snyder, commander of the training unit. ‘‘They haven’t run in two, four, six, maybe 10 years or more. And that goes for push-ups, too.’’ One lieutenant colonel with bifocals had to switch from an M-16 to a 9 mm pistol to qualify. The petite Murray learned to adjust her stance to fire her weapon. ‘‘We don’t give up on them. We haven’t failed to qualify a single person,’’ said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Calloway, a 29-year-old Army Reserve instructor. ‘‘We just give each individual a lot of time — and lots of ammunition.’’ ‘‘My hat is off to these people,’’ he added. ‘‘They may not have fired a weapon in 12 years, but they know they have to get back there for their own good as well as that of their fellow soldiers.’’ News reports of ambushed convoys and roadside bombs are woven into the daily instruction, some accompanied by graphic photos of injured soldiers. In one classroom, soldiers paid rapt attention as their teacher explained the routine insurgent practice of attacking a convoy with an improvised explosive device, and then raining down on the survivors with rocket propelled grenades. ‘‘What follows an IED?’’ yells the instructor. ‘‘An RPG!’’ the class responds in unison. Snyder said it was important that morale among his troops remain high. ‘‘Each and every soldier here had already faithfully and loyally served their country,’’ he explained. ‘‘They’ve been asked to come back and do it again. They’ve had the courage and conviction to do their duty.’’ Members of the Individual Ready Reserve were honorably discharged after finishing their active-duty tours — usually four to six years — but remained in the IRR for the rest of the eight-year commitment they made when they joined the Army. The last time these troops were called up was in 1990, when nearly 20,000 were mobilized. While not expected to join front-line combat units, the returnees will fill jobs urgently needed such as engineers, vehicle maintenance workers and other support staff. About 1,100 ready reservists have reported so far to Fort Jackson, the nation’s largest training base, which will train more than half the returning soldiers. Of those, 325 were released from active duty for a variety of reasons. Many were excused on medical grounds such as bad knees, back pain, irregular heartbeats or parental obligations. Pfc. Marc Washington, 23, from Waldorf, Md., left active duty more than a year ago and was in business school when he got the call. Washington said his parents hate that he’s returning to the military ‘‘but I’m looking at the bigger picture.’’ ‘‘It really wasn’t a big deal for me,’’ he said. ‘‘People in the military learn to adjust.’’
BEnd ADV for Nov. 28
(AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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