Army Extending Deployments from 12 to 15 Months

Gates announces longer tours in Iraq - Yahoo! News

Top News- Pentagon Extends Army Tours to 15 Months - AOL News

I'm saddened, frustrated, and angry over this. It's not effecting us immediately but it will in less than 12 months. We have so many friends here and from other posts that are being effected or about to be effected. What's absolutely the most frustrating to me is the fact that this is ONLY effecting the Army. I'd assumed for a long time that the Marine's deployed for 12 months as well, but their average deployment is 7 months, now they are only home for 7 months too, but....either way at this point we're doing 15 months now.

I look at the average AF deployment being 3-4 months, Navy the majority of them don't go to Iraq or Afganistan...again this is AVERAGE not all by any means and I know there's exceptions. I just cried tonight though. Cried for the fact that when Chad does leave he's going to be 15 months with our children, 12 months has been hard enough. I look at some friends who have NEVER been through a deployment or who's spouses when they do deploy never leave the comforts of their base camps. I accept that War is part of our life. I support it. I support our President. Most of all I support my husband and his JOB. He believes in what he's fighting for. Doesn't mean it's easy or that he likes having to do it, but this is the point of a military...to fight wars. No one likes war, but they're part of life, and always have been.

These soldiers who are currently in Iraq and Afganistan need our prayers as do their families as they face an additional 3 months and the soldiers who are about to deploy need our prayers as they prepared for 12 and now have to go there with the realization that it's 15 months instead. A lot of our friends who are about to deploy are currently on block leave and many of them are in area's that they probably have not even heard of this new news and it saddens me that when they come home this is what they'll be facing.

I just really don't understand why the other branches can't extend the additional 3 months, they'd still fall short of the Army's 12 months....but well we will just suck it up and go with it. We have no other choice. I have to remember and remind myself God knew this was going to happen and that it's all in his hands, nothing happens without his permission. Oh how easily I forget that God's got this, oh he's got this.

Keep our soldiers in your prayers.