Steve McAlpin

Capt. Steve McAlpin, U.S. Army (Ret.), of Rochester, New York is a member of the pro-war in Iraq Republican front group Vets for Freedom's National Leadership Team.

Questioned recall to duty
In November 2003, Capt. Steve McAlpin of Rochester, New York, had served in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserves for 25 years when the Army Reserve was preparing to redeploy soldiers back to Iraq and Afghanistan for ten months after they had already served a year of duty"&mdash;"the first time the Army had sent active or Reserve soldiers back to Afghanistan or Iraq less than 12 months after they returned home".

McAlpin, "assigned to the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion, based in Webster, N.Y."&mdash;"one of several East Coast Army Reserve units asked to send troops for second tours in Iraq and Afghanistan"&mdash;"was relieved of his duties as a civil affairs team leader ... for questioning the fairness and legality of the orders in private discussions with his superiors.

"McAlpin, a schoolteacher who spent most of 2002 in Afghanistan, questioned the effect of the new deployment on his troops' morale and refused to sign a document waiving his unit's right to 12 months at home between overseas missions. Army Reserve commanders ordered McAlpin to have no further contact with members of his unit and threatened to charge him with insubordination."

According to the Summer 2007 Vietnam Veterans of America Report to Action, Retired Major Steven McAlpin says that while he was in Afghanistan in 2002, he was "involved in combat" and "developed PTSD".

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Five

External articles

 * "Reservist questions quick return to combat, faces charges," Associated Press (CNN), November 29, 2003.
 * Transcript: "Paula Zahn Now," CNN, December 1, 2003.
 * Transcript: "Lou Dobbs Tonight," CNN, December 1, 2003.
 * Newspaper articles and information about McAlpin's case, MilitaryProject.org, December 7, 2003.