w4rma
member
He says his duty ended, but the Army disagrees
By CRAIG JARVIS, Staff Writer
A Cary veteran who hasn't been in uniform in four years is resisting the Army's involuntary recall of reservists for the war in Iraq, arguing that his reserve commitment should have ended six months ago.
The Army doesn't dispute that former Lt. Todd Parrish served four years of active duty and another four years in the Reserve. But it says he's eligible for recall because he never formally resigned his commission as an officer.
Parrish, 30, says didn't know he had to resign. After he was clear of his service in the Individual Ready Reserve in December, Parrish married, bought a house and began preparing for a career as a civil engineer.
Then in May, he received orders from the Army to report to Fort Sill, Okla., by June 13 for processing and deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"It was a life-altering experience when I read the orders to report to active duty," Parrish said Friday. "I felt like I was being drafted without a draft being instituted."
Parrish didn't get anywhere arguing with the Army over the phone, so he hired an attorney. After a flurry of phone calls and letters, the Army gave Parrish until July 11 to report for duty while officers reviewed his case.
On Friday, attorney Mark Waple wrote to the Army giving it until Wednesday to determine that Parrish is exempt from recall. Otherwise, Waple says, he will file a lawsuit in federal court seeking an injunction.
"He hasn't lifted a rifle for about four years," Waple said. "If the Army were to have its way in this argument, you could have a 75-year-old man in the Reserve reinstated 35 years after he left because he failed to resign. It makes no sense."
…
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1393200p-7517016c.html
This guy (and there are many others just like him) has completed his contract to this nation and is now being drafted back into service. And the folks currently running the government are doing this, because they think they can get away with it.
By CRAIG JARVIS, Staff Writer
A Cary veteran who hasn't been in uniform in four years is resisting the Army's involuntary recall of reservists for the war in Iraq, arguing that his reserve commitment should have ended six months ago.
The Army doesn't dispute that former Lt. Todd Parrish served four years of active duty and another four years in the Reserve. But it says he's eligible for recall because he never formally resigned his commission as an officer.
Parrish, 30, says didn't know he had to resign. After he was clear of his service in the Individual Ready Reserve in December, Parrish married, bought a house and began preparing for a career as a civil engineer.
Then in May, he received orders from the Army to report to Fort Sill, Okla., by June 13 for processing and deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"It was a life-altering experience when I read the orders to report to active duty," Parrish said Friday. "I felt like I was being drafted without a draft being instituted."
Parrish didn't get anywhere arguing with the Army over the phone, so he hired an attorney. After a flurry of phone calls and letters, the Army gave Parrish until July 11 to report for duty while officers reviewed his case.
On Friday, attorney Mark Waple wrote to the Army giving it until Wednesday to determine that Parrish is exempt from recall. Otherwise, Waple says, he will file a lawsuit in federal court seeking an injunction.
"He hasn't lifted a rifle for about four years," Waple said. "If the Army were to have its way in this argument, you could have a 75-year-old man in the Reserve reinstated 35 years after he left because he failed to resign. It makes no sense."
…
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1393200p-7517016c.html
This guy (and there are many others just like him) has completed his contract to this nation and is now being drafted back into service. And the folks currently running the government are doing this, because they think they can get away with it.