Army Recalling Old Reservists to Combat Under Obscure Law

feeling a Breeze?
In 1993, with the Cold War over and no formidable enemy in sight, the Army decided to drastically reduce its ranks. So Sgt. 1st Class Rolando Rivera, a soldier for 15 years who was serving a pleasant tour in Germany, was told the service no longer needed his computer skills. Then this past May, Rivera got a letter from the Army telling him he would be serving in uniform once again, this time in desolate and dangerous Afghanistan. A principal systems engineer for a software company, Rivera, 44, has not fired a weapon in more than a decade. His old uniform, hanging in a basement closet, is too snug for his middle-aged torso. The Columbia resident is part of the Individual Ready Reserve, a rarely used pool of Army Reservists who do not train or belong to units but have each been collecting several thousand dollars a year. Now, with the military stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, they are being called up by the thousands for support roles in both theaters. [more ] Pictured above: Rolando Rivera and his family.

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