January 05, 2009
Military.com
A Tennessee man who last kicked off his combat boots 15 years ago after serving in the Persian Gulf War has been told he's going once more into the breach.
According to a report Jan. 2 by KMBC-TV of Kansas City, Mo., 50-year-old Paul Bandel got his notice from the Army right about the same time he got his AARP card.
"(I was) kind of shocked, not understanding what I was getting into," Bandel told KMBC. The Nashville-area resident he could understand if the Army wanted to give him a stateside assignment, something that recognized he has been away from soldiering for 15 years.
"But, 'Hey, here's a gun, go back to the desert'?" he quipped. Bandel originally was trained in missiles, he told the station, but said the system he worked on is no longer in service.
Bandel said he is not angry at being recalled, but concerned at the financial affect it will have on his family. Going back to active duty will about cut his pay in half, he told the station.
His wife, Linda, is less understanding.
"It's like a dream or a nightmare," she said, arguing the absurdity of his being called up to be deployed "with 18-year-olds" at the same time he's getting his AARP card.
Bandel left the Army without retirement in 1993, never thinking he'd be called up again, he told KMBC.
"I certainly never thought I'd be going back there at this point in my life," he said.
