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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 9, 2003

EDITORIAL
Schofield deployment is a sobering reality

News of deployment from Schofield Barracks, as early as February, of nearly 8,000 soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan triggers a range of very real concerns here in Hawai'i.

First and foremost is worry for the safety of these men and women who have become our friends and neighbors. It is not too soon to express pride and confidence in their superb capabilities. And we pray for their safe return.

We sympathize as families, many not for the first time, face separation, sudden relocation and emotional stress. Perhaps these hardships should not be unexpected to those who accept life in the military, but that doesn't make them easier.

Next, we worry about the economic impact of these deployments. We saw stores empty, businesses close and tax revenues drop during the first Gulf War in 1991, and it's only realistic to look for more of the same now.

We note that the Pentagon has announced that Marines will be part of the Iraq troop rotation, and can't help but wonder if the next shoe to drop will be Marine Corps Base Hawai'i at Kane'ohe.

It is imperative for us to remember that the purpose of basing military units here was never to serve as a boon to the Islands — although that's indeed what they have been. The military provides a huge economic boost to the Islands and, as neighbors, the men and women of the armed forces contribute more than their fair share to the communities in which they live.

But these troops were not sent here to help us. They were sent here to prepare themselves to answer the call in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, which can't happen without deployment.

Finally we worry that the need to tap Schofield forces suggests that the Army is stretched uncomfortably thin. Too many soldiers have already served for more than a year in the Middle East, and reports of slipping morale proliferate.

The primary purpose of Schofield troops for many years has been to back up a Korea emergency. The 8,000 troops headed for the Middle East will be 8,000 troops unavailable for a Korea contingency, and we imagine that is making the commander of Pacific forces here at Camp Smith squirm.