Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey addresses the issues of extended deployments, information leaked to the press about troop movements before the troops get the communication and troop morale.

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 23, 2007) - Troops continue to trust senior military leaders, but they will lose that trust if the military does not keep its promises, Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey said here Friday.

“They trust us, and we just cannot let them down,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

While the chairman, Gen. Peter Pace, participated in meetings with U.S. and Iraqi leaders in Iraq, he asked Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey to meet and speak with servicemembers across Baghdad.

Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey specifically wanted to assess what effect the new 15-month deployment policy is having on Soldiers. Under the policy, active-duty Army units will deploy to the U.S. Central Command area of operations for 15 months. The units will then be guaranteed 12 months at home station before deploying again. The policy does not affect reserve component Soldiers or the other services. [source]

Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey visited FOB Callahan and FOB Warhorse and talked with Soldiers. He described the Soldiers as focused and intense. I bet they are!! He kept a positive outlook but acknowledged that the Soldiers have concerns.

“They are concerned, but they are willing to soldier on because they are Soldiers.”

The Soldiers are rightfully concerned about the changes in deployment rotations and in the fact that their families knew about the changes prior to the Soldiers.

All the Soldiers were annoyed that their families found out about the new Army policy before they did. “The Soldiers told me their morale crashed when that happened,” Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey said. “I hope whoever leaked that to the press is happy with himself.”

Our Soldiers are watching to see if the military will keep their word by giving them adequate time between deployments. They are watching to see if the military will keep their word as to the time frames of deployments. Or will Washington politics leave them there to languish while chastising them if they fire their weapons.

We should all be ashamed that we are treating our Soldiers this way. It’s no wonder we are having trouble getting recruits and keeping good officers.

All the Soldiers still trust defense leaders, but they are watching, Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey said.

“They are looking at the way we respond to the deployment cycle,” he said. “We cannot break this 15-12 contract. Military leaders would lose all credibility, and that would hurt the country.”

I admit I was a little taken aback that Gainey compared FOB Callahan to the Alamo.

“It’s like a seven-story Alamo,”

Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division provide security during a cordon and search operation in Al Adhamiya, Iraq. Command Sgt. Maj. Gainey said all the Soldiers he met on his visit to Iraq were motivated and ready to do their missions. Photo by Sgt. Jeffrey Alexander

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