Brownwood Reserves ?

Published on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 by USA Today
Army Allows Reserve Officers to Leave Rather Than Go to War
by Gregg Zoroya

Almost two-thirds of the Army officers in a special Reserve program have been allowed to resign rather than go to war, the Army has disclosed. The 265 officers are among 410 reservists who had orders that likely would have sent them to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Faced with growing unrest among soldiers called back to active duty from the rarely used Individual Ready Reserve, the Army took the unprecedented step last month of granting a way out for officers who had received orders for duty but did not want to go: They could resign.

That option has not been granted to enlisted soldiers who also have been called back to duty from the Ready Reserve. Eighty remain in open defiance of orders to appear. Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army spokesman, said the Army may soon take action against them.

The possible repercussions range from less-than-honorable discharges to declaring them AWOL or deserters, Hilferty said.

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