I was reflecting this morning how fast time has gone by since I have been in Iraq. It seems as if everyday slips through my fingers. Good grief! I is already 0900!
But, as I reflected I came to the understanding that the 6 month concept deployment truly is not adequate for the mission. There would not enough time to build trust and interaction with the Iraqi people, nor would there be enough time to establish any kind of continuity in tactics to defeat the enemy. 6 months is just not enough time.
A year is about right. I understand why the 15 month formula is good from a tactical perspective, but it does degrade from the force on a family perspective. 15 months is past the point of deminishing returns. I feel as if the stresses caused by the extra 3 months diminishes the positive that could be attained on the battlefield, especially long term. However, the six month deployment would not meeet the returns needed to put us here in the first place.
So, the conclusion is that 12 months is a good fit for future ops. I’m on a 15 month rotation. There are no complaints because this is what God called me to do. But, I am keenly aware of how much I am missing from my family…and I’m sure other Soldiers feel the same.