This is a story about Bradford, Arkansas, a town of 800 residents: Arkansas Town Mayor, Police Chief in Iraq. Actually, they're headed to Iraq: Mayor Paul Bunn, 35; Police Chief Josh Chambliss, 28; and, City Librarian Nolan Brown, 57.
This is not such an unusual experience for small Southern towns. I have read earlier about small towns in Mississippi having their entire police forces - which may be two or three people in many cases - called up for duty. This story shows some of the ways people are being affected in the US by the Iraq War.
It's also a remember that it's not very accurate to talk about the "kids" in the Army in Iraq, as politicians sometimes do. Many of the active duty soldiers in our all-volunteer army are not "kids" by any usual definition of the word. If you see casualty reports from Iraq, it's not unusual for the wounded or killed to be in their 30s or occasionally 40s.
It's also an illustration of the kind of strain our current foreign commitments are putting on not only the active duty forces but the reserves. Reserves are not just being called up for short periods, which is the general idea. They are being called up for one- or two-year terms of service, with all that implies of not only risks in combat zones but neglect of businesses, separation from spouses and children, and absence from community responsibilities.
All three are expecting to go to Iraq. The 57-year-old Brown will be serving in some sort of headquarters duty. Bunn and Chambliss will be in the infantry.
The effect of recent events, including the Congressional Republicans' push to cut combat pay for soldiers, is likely to discourage enlistments and re-enlistments for both the active services and the reserves. The fact that reserves are being called on for such long tours of duty is a stopgap measure. At some point, it will have to be replaced by some combination of a new draft, more international assistance in Iraq and scaled-back overseas commitments for US troops.
Tags: iraq war
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