Letters to Leaders:

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Subject: 15-Month Deployment

To: President George Bush, April 12, 2007

Something happened today that will affect my family, every person I see daily, and over 200,000 others. If you were watching the news channels about three hours after the stories were posted online around 8pm EDT, you would think we were all affected by Don Imus or even Sanjaya on American Idol. But you would be wrong. The Defense Secretary announces today that the deployments to Iraq and Afganistan were extended from 12 to 15 months. Maybe we missed it (we do live in Hawaii), but I doubt it. How in the world is it more important that one man made some sexist and racist remark about a basketball team and got fired? How it is more important that Sanjaya is still on American Idol? The fact is, it's not more important, especially to three proud Army wives sitting in my living room right now or to the countless others affected by this.

Some people will say, "It's just three more months: and yes it is just three more months but put it into perspective. A soldier who deploys at the end of this year will not only miss this years Christmas with family, but also next years.

I love that the plan says that the troops are guaranteed a year at home between deployments, as if it's a favor to us. This doesn't take away from the fact that they will be in Iraq or Afghanistan for longer than they are home. I'm sure it doesn't take into account that while they are home they are out in the field training for weeks or months at a time. Soldiers I know who are preparing to deploy later this year are spending at least one week in the field per month adding up to 12 weeks a year or 3 months, add in that additional two months and that's five months of training. So, in a period of one year we are actually going to see our husbands a total of seven months. That doesn't even take into account going to work everyday, or the 24 hour shifts they pull for other duties.

I'm also happy they were so generous to pay everyone an additional $1000 per month for the extra time they'll be deployed. If you calculate that out, it averages $1.38 per hour. If you worked at a job paying $6.15 an hour, you would make an extra $3.08 per hour for overtime. So someone who flips burgers or mops floors is paid more for time and a half than our troops who will be serving their country for an extra three months. Just imagine if someone paid you $3000 to miss three months of your child's life, their first birthday, their high school graduation, your brother or sister's wedding, your 5th or 25th wedding anniversary would it be worth it? Hardly.

In writing this I'm not looking for sympathy or words of encouragement. I want others to realize this is so important to so many people and affects so many lives and it is not okay. I'm not a protester or anti-war activist. I am a wife who is proud of her husband and what he does for his country. I am a wife who wants her husband home as much as possible to see his children grow up. I am a wife who thinks my husband and all the other soldiers have done their jobs and done it well and now it's time for them to come home.

**This is an e-mail from many wives; original source unknown

Wahiawa , HI