News 8 AustinYour News NowYour News NowAn Exclusive Service of Time Warner Cable
News 8 Austin


TOP STORIES


HEADLINES


LOCAL NEWS


Central Texas


Hays County


• San Marcos


Bastrop County


Bell County


Caldwell County


McLennan County


Willliamson County


YOUR NEWS


WEATHER


SPORTS


HORNS STAMPEDE


LIVING


NEWS 8 EXPLORES


SPECIAL COVERAGE


COMMUNITY


COMMENTARY


ABOUT US


SEARCH


NEWS8CAST VIDEO




Buy your tickets online today.

Submit your summer camp for our free online listing.

Contact News 8 through the IVC.

LOCAL NEWS
TuesdayFebruary92010



x46
'Stop loss' means back to war for enlisted soldiers
3/5/2008 7:22 PM
By: Chelsea Hover

Spc. Casey Porter is being sent back to Iraq.  
Eddy and Linda Porter spent Wednesday packing up their son Casey's apartment, to send him off to Iraq.

"It's just going to be another hellish year," Linda Porter said.

Spc. Casey Porter has been deployed once before. But this time, it's different.

"I honored my commitment, why is it not being honored on the
other end?" Casey said.

 WATCH THE VIDEO
More Information
Deployment

Thousands of soldiers are being sent back to war when they should be finished with their military duty.



Casey had just three weeks left of his enlistment when he was expecting to receive discharge papers. Instead, he received new deployment papers with a date three months away to return to war.

Now that date has come, and he's leaving later this week.

"I think it's a slap in the face to veterans who have to go through
this because I know there's several other people in my position," Casey said.

Actually, there are several thousand across the country. Others' attempts to legally fight stop loss in the past, have failed.

"I view stop loss as a selective draft. It is only against those
people who volunteered. I don't think that's a reward, I think
that's a punishment for having volunteered," Linda said.

"If you volunteered, served your four years, you oughta get out," Casey's father, Eddy, said.

He was drafted back in the 60's during the Korean War. He sees the bigger picture of his son's situation.

"They've got to keep the continuity and there's not enough people coming in," Eddy said.

So now, those who are enlisted are being redeployed even if they're not ready.

"I've seen soldiers, my first time going, getting on the plane
with crutches," Casey said.

Casey said a non-military doctor diagnosed him with post traumatic stress disorder, but the military refused to recognize it.

"It's just, 'Get on the plane.' I don't feel like I have my freedom, to live my life. To leave the military and continue on," Casey said.

It's ironic that a soldier might feel a lack of freedom since he's put his own life on the line, to protect just that.

Casey is being deployed to Iraq later this week.

The "Stop Loss" policy was first created by Congress after the
Vietnam War.

It was reestablished in 2004 for soldiers serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

On March 28, 2008 Paramount Pictures is releasing a major blockbuster entitled "Stop Loss" featuring Ryan Philippee as a soldier in this same situation.



Email this Story to a Friend
Printer Friendly Version
Search LOCAL NEWS

Weather Center
evening
2/9/2010
Near 40
overnight
2/10/2010
Mid 30s
morning
2/10/2010
Near 30

Voters' Guide

For Central Texas Election Information, including a list of statewide candidates and links to county voting locations, click the link.

Primary election day is March 2. The general election is Nov. 2.

Buy your tickets online today.
News 8 Video Cart

Story
Play
Read
Panetti hearing
Play Video
Read Story
Prevention walk
Play Video
Read Story
Build News Cast Empty Cart
Full Instructions Full Instructions
Online Poll

Tuesday morning, a judge agreed to hear a divorce case between a same-sex couple. This is the second case heard in Texas. Do you agree with his decision to hear the case?
No, gay marriage is illegal in Texas
Yes, there was no other way to solve the matter
Unsure, this is a complicated legal matter
Other – your comments

VoteView Results
Neighborhood Calendar
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Jan FEBRUARY 2010 Mar
S M T W Th F S
Week Of 2/1/2010-2/6/2010 1 2 3 4 5 6
Week Of 2/7/2010-2/13/2010 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Week Of 2/14/2010-2/20/2010 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Week Of 2/21/2010-2/27/2010 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Week Of 2/28/2010-3/6/2010 28





Baby Products





Home | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Information | Site Map | Click for RSS information
Copyright ©2010TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

Web production by Tipit


Digital Cable offers the latest in home-viewing entertainment.
Talk as long as you want to anyone in Texas and the United States for one low monthly price.
Time Warner Cable now offers you more choices in High Speed Internet service.
Time Warner Digital Cable offers a wide variety of commercial products designed to accelerate the gr
Video On Demand lets you instantly choose from a wide selection of great movies and award- winning p
Digital Cable channel lineups.
Time Warner Cable of Austin offers 15 HDTV channels on digital cable.
TV listings for your service area.
Take a look at the special offers and promotions available now through Time Warner Cable Austin.
Record two shows at once. Plus fast-forward, rewind, and even pause LIVE TV to get a snack, answer t

On the go? Follow us on Twitter and we'll keep you current.

Sponsored Links

Enter to win free tickets to the show.