For Alabama National Guard units that have had lengthy tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, some questions hang in the air when they return: Who is staying in and who is getting out? The answers usually start coming after each returned unit has its customary 90-day cooling-off period and holds its first weekend drill. The largest Alabama Guard unit to return from Iraq, the 877th Engineer Battalion, had its first weekend drills earlier this month at its northwest Alabama armories. And at those drill sessions, only 19 of the 555 soldiers who attended said they wanted to hang up their helmets or were seriously considering it. "The first drill looks very optimistic as far as retention of the quality soldiers that we have," said Capt. Mark Holland, the battalion administrative officer. "We hope that over the next 60 days that continues."
Of the 19 soldiers who may leave, about half had served more than 20 years and were eligible for retirement, while the others had reasons to leave that ranged from job conflicts to their desire to spend more time with their families, Holland said. When Guard units such as the 877th were deployed for up to a year in and around Iraq, many of their members had never been away from home for such a lengthy period, and more than a few vowed to get out once they got home. "That's just talk," said Spc. Charles Walker of Fayette, a member of the 877th's C Company who has two brothers and a sister in the battalion. Walker and his siblings are staying in. "You get upset with the system, you know, but you're not going" to leave, Walker said. "I love being in the National Guard, I really do." |