What is the stop loss policy?

Question

Do not copy and paste a wikipedia entry. Use your own words please.

Answer 1

My own words?

When to government screws you if you're in the military.

If you really want to know the lame movie Stop Loss is all about that.

Answer 2

Stop-loss, in the United States military, is the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty service under the enlistment contract in order to retain them beyond their initial end of term of service (ETS) date. It also applies to the cessation of a permanent change of station (PCS) move for a member still in military service. Stop-loss was used immediately before and during the first Persian Gulf War. Since then, it has been used during American military deployments to Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent military actions against Afghanistan and Irag (see War on Terror).

The policy has been legally challenged several times, however federal courts have consistently found that military service members contractually agree that their term of service may be involuntarily extended.

Answer 3

Stop loss means that you cannot leave the military at the time that you were originally scheduled to do so because in the interest of the military and/or national security you are needed to help complete a mission.

Many people complain about this policy but if they were to get out they would increase the chance they would be called up from the IRR.  

Answer 4

It's when the military is losing to many personnel due to discharges honorable or other in what they deem critical MOS's. And they find it neccesary to limit they're losses.  

Answer 5

All of these people are wrong! When every service member signs his or her contract, you sign for a period of Active Duty and something called the Individual Ready Reserve which usually lasts 2 years. The Individual Ready Reserve is a period after Active Duty where you don't train but the Army/Air Force/Marines or whatever service the person belongs to can call the person back to augment the force.

This policy is thoroughly explained and they question each and every recruit on the policy before and after the contract is signed to make sure that each member knows the deal. It is in the contract and if someone doesn't want to be "stop lossed", he should not have joined the military. Period. I was questioned to make sure I know the policy correctly so many times, that I cannot remember.  

Answer 6

If you already know then why are you bothering to ask?

Answer 7

It means Uncle Sam owns your A$$ for 8 years and more on active duty if there is a need to extend your time in the military, like the present situation in the middle east!

and not a d**n thing that YOU or your Congressman can do to exempt you!

Watch the movie "STOP LOSS"!