Army considers full ‘dwell time’ for unit

Above: Soldiers of the 6th Infrantry provide security from a street corner during a foot patrol in Ramadi in August

BAUMHOLDER, Germany — The Army is still trying to figure out if one company from the 1st Armored Division will have to return to Iraq without getting its full 12 months of “dwell time.”

Earlier this month, soldiers from Company A of the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment were told that they would deploy to Iraq after having just nine months at home.

The Baumholder-based unit — part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team — was among the 35,000 troops slated for a potential 15-month deployment in November, the Department of Defense announced May 7.

But while the rest of the 2nd BCT returned from Iraq last November, Company A soldiers didn’t get home until February.

Defense officials were prompted to look into why the unit was not getting its full dwell time after a reader from Baumholder informed Stars and Stripes that the unit would be getting less than a full year at home.

Read the rest at Stars and Stripes

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