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http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/08-03/08-25-03/a01lo007.htmDelayed troop movement
Families, friends deal with duty extensions
By ZACH ROCHA, Standard-Times correspondent
PETER PEREIRA/The Standard-Times
Heather Skrutski of Acushnet is concerned for her friend, Army Spc. Kristi Toczylowski, who is stationed in Baghdad. Her daughter, Madi, holds a picture of "Auntie Kristi." Ms. Skrutski was expecting a visit soon, but it appears Spc. Toczylowski might not return for a year.
Not so long ago, Heather Skrutski was hopeful she'd be seeing her best friend soon. But with each passing day, the date of their reunion becomes more and more uncertain. Her pal, Army Spc. Kristi Toczylowski, is fighting in Iraq. "They were supposed to be coming home at the end of August, then it became Christmas," Ms. Skrutski, an Acushnet resident, said. "Now I don't know."
First, there was the recent announcement that all U.S. troops still serving in Iraq will stay there for at least a year. Then, last week, there was the truck bombing that devastated the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, killing more than 20.
Families and friends of those serving in the Mideast aren't sure when they'll see their loved ones. And some are questioning why they and other U.S. military need to remain in Iraq for so long. "I don't think we need to be there for another whole year. There's more deaths now than at the beginning of the war," Ms. Skrutski said. "I support the troops, but I'd like to see them home now."
She isn't alone in her sentiments. "President Bush called off the war on May 1st. It doesn't make sense," said Sheila DeSousa of New Bedford, whose brother, Spc. Shane DeSousa, is with the Army's 101st Airborne Infantry Division in Mosul. "I'm actually quite angry. You don't know if he's going to be moved to Liberia or Korea or wherever else. He can be moved and stationed elsewhere and then he has to start his rotation all over again."
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