Some Missourians could end up as part of the group of soldiers called up involuntarily for service in Iraq. They’re called Individual Ready Reservists – retired and separated military people who have to serve as inactive reservists for several years after they separate. They receive no pay or benefits while they’re inactive and are called into active duty when an emergency strikes, such as the first Gulf War. West central Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton, Missouri’s top man on military matters in Congress, says the situation in Iraq has become an emergency. Skelton says this has been a bit of the Pentagon’s own doing as it drew down the number of active-duty forces during the 1990s while the number of missions increased. He says calling up the IRR is no long-term fix. Skelton and Army officials say they don’t know how many of these reservists could come from Missouri.
