USMC Calling Up IRR to Augment Forces

Marine Reservists Facing Combat Duty
With Volunteers Lagging, as Many as 2,500 to Be Called Up for Afghanistan, Iraq

By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 23, 2006; Page A10

The Marine Corps is planning to call up as many as 2,500 Marine reservists for combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, dipping into a rarely used pool of troops to fill growing personnel gaps in units scheduled to deploy in coming months, officials said yesterday.

It is the first time the Marines have resorted to involuntary call-ups since the initial invasion of Iraq in March 2003, when about 2,000 Marines were ordered into service for a short duration. It means thousands of Marines across the country who have left active service could soon be forced to return.

They would come from a pool of about 59,000 members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) -- Marines with specific skills who left active duty and returned to civilian lives, but are obligated to serve if called. Marine Corps officials said yesterday that reservists in their first or last years of enrollment will not be subject to recall.

Officials said they will try to choose Marines with the smallest number of combat tours, leaving about 35,000 subject to the call-up.

Once more, the Post "reporters" demonstrate an uncanny ability to deceive their readers. Mr. White's title implies that the United States Marine Corps is somehow unable to recruit enough volunteers. Of course the Marines are not talking about recruitment of new Marines, which is exceeding all goals they have established, he is talking about those who have served in the past, and are on the "Individual Ready Reserves"(IRR), a group of personnel who are required to serve if called upon and who expect to be so when we are at war.

Josh White's intent here is clear, but of course he is still required to tell the truth in the body of his article. Even the WaPo hasn't fallen to telling outright lies. Misinformation maybe, but outright lies, not yet. Apparently someone failed to tell Dumocrats in the Senate like Jack Reed (D, RI) that this is a routine operation during war. Of course Senator Jack, like most Dumocrats, doesn't concern himself with the truth, he is more interested in aiding the Democrat Party in recapturing control of Congress. Nothing like blowing off the truth for your own political ambitions, eh Jack?

Although "reporter" White's article begins by announcing that the Marines are seeing "volunteers lagging," he waits until the 8th paragraph to explain that this "shortfall" of volunteers is from IRR.

Nice hatchet job, Josh.

Full Story: Post's Contribution to the Anti-War Efforts of the Left

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