Take This Job and Shove It

Headline in today's Johnson City Press:

Desertions in Army rise sharply

• Rates have risen 80 percent since 2003 Iraq invasion.

WASHINGTON — The weight of the war has proven to be too heavy for a growing number of soldiers.
Faced with difficult and repeated tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, deployments that stretch for 15 months, and signs of lingering stress disorders, more soldiers are finding a way out: desertion.
According to the Army, soldiers are deserting their posts at the highest rate since 1980, with the number of Army deserters this year showing an 80 percent increase since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.
While the totals are still far lower than they were during the Vietnam War, when the draft was in effect, they show a steady increase over the past four years and a 42 percent jump since last year.
“We’re asking a lot of soldiers these days,” said Roy Wallace, director of plans and resources for Army personnel. “They’re humans. They have all sorts of issues back home and other places like that. So, I’m sure it has to do with the stress of being a soldier.” (Read More)

Gomer sez it is time to go home Mr. President.