Can a person be deployed when they have less than a year left when they would return?

SGM Joel Cook - I was in A Co, I got to the battalion during FOAL Eagle. When I got to Ft Hood I started out in C Co, 57th Sig and was supposed to be a Node Center Supervisor, but when the dermatologist figured out that I was allergic to the equipment (contact dermatitis) I was moved off line and into the Orderly Room. Shortly after we got to Iraq I was moved to HHC and put in S-3 to work Syscon. That didn't work out so they moved me to the training side of the house. I started my retirement leave in early September 2005 and started working for a sheriff's office in November of that year. Hope you have a great holiday season too!

SGM Joel Cook - It looks like we got back from Korea at about the same time. I was supposed to return to the states in April(?) 2003, but got hit with the three month stop-loss. I seem to remember you saying that you were at Corps, for some reason I kept thinking you were in 3rd Sig Bde. I deployed to Iraq with the 57th Sig Bn on 10 Jan 04 and returned to the states on 5 Jan 05. I spent a little bit of time in Al-Taji and the rest of it on Camp Victory.

SSG Laurie Mullen - it is strang how stuff works sometimes. I was supposed to rotate back to Fort Hood in May but every SGM/CSM in 1-22 Sig either left or retired at the same time. So LTC Albert asked me if I would stay on as his CSM until his new CSM got into Korea in mid July. I told him I would attempt to get DA and 3rd Sig BDE permission to do that if he made sure I got the necessary time in that slot to get an NCOER rating out of it. He agreed and 3rd Sig BDE CSM Johnson also agreed but DA would not agree nor amend my orders. So I called CSM Johnson back and he said don't sweat it. Just stay in the slot and keep him advised once a month on my status. So I got to Fort Hood area end of Jul and took two weeks leave. CSM Johnson offered me 3rd Sig BDE S3 or III CORPS G6 SGM slots as both were vacant. I took the G-6 slot which was also on 3rd Sig BDE TO&E. G6 wore the 3rd SIG BDE patch at that time. That is who I deployed with. I tore my rotator cuff my last month in country trying to help out loading heavy equipment as we were short handed due to early rotations back to the states. All of 3rd SIG BDE rotated back to Fort Hood in Jan except G6 we got extended 30 to 45 days depending on manifest dates. Midnight loading crates into back of 5 ton and a crate slipped. I should have let it fall and break but I caught it and ripped my cuff. That is a long painful road to healing that up. I retired 1 Sep 2005 with 27 years in. I wanted to stay to 30 but my cuff gave me a permanent P3 profile, so I got out because I couldn't do push-ups or sit-ups anymore. Just run or walk. I really didn't want to get fat on active duty. I deployed with 3rd Sustainment Command as a civilian contractor in 2008 and I stayed for 15 months in Balat, Iraq. They offered me continued employment but I guess I got lonely for the family so I went back home for good in Jan 2009. When I got back to Killeen I found out 3rd SIG BDE had been shut down. Only parts of 57th Sig was still in existence, everything else gone. Now Fort Hood has a new SIG BDE started back up again because so many missions came up that had no one to take them. The Army got a black eye for making that rather stupid move of closing down 90% of Signal Units. Do you still live in Texas?

SGM Joel Cook - No, I live in Lawrenceville, GA now working for the sheriff's office. I've been here for 13 years now.