Troops prepare for war

President Bush waves before making an address to the troops Jan. 3, in Ft. Hood, Texas. President Bush rallies the troops at the base that probably will send thousands of soldiers to the Persian Gulf. AP Photo Archive

The decision was announced to all Marines in an internal message Tuesday from Gen. James Jones, the Marine Corps commandant. He said it applies to active-duty as well as reserve Marines and is effective Wednesday through Jan. 31, 2004.

The last time the Marines took this action, known as “stop loss,” was during the buildup to the 1991 Gulf War, Capt. Gabrielle Chapin, a spokeswoman at the Combat Development Command at Quantico, Va, said.

Although the order applies to the entire Marine Corps, which has 173,000 men and women on active duty and 100,000 in the reserves, some exceptions can be made, including for those who already have a retirement date of Apr. 1 or earlier. Commanders also can consider exceptions for personal hardship and other circumstances.

Separately, 125 Marine Corps reservists with Company A, 8th Tank Battalion, based at Fort Knox, Ky., were reporting for active duty Thursday. Sgt. Maj. Timothy J. Didas of the 8th battalion said in a telephone interview that the reservists are to report to the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C., on Friday.

During the buildup to the 1991 Gulf War the entire 8th Tank Battalion was activated and deployed to the Gulf.

In addition to the approximately 1,000 Marines from the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force who recently arrived in Kuwait in anticipation of a possible war against Iraq, thousands more are either heading to the Gulf region from U.S. bases or are preparing to do so.

Specific figures are classified, but Jones said Wednesday in remarks at the National Press Club that if there is a war in Iraq, the Marines likely would contribute between 65,000 and 75,000 troops.