Drew Brown, McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are stretching the U.S. Marine Corps, forcing the service to take extraordinary measures to bolster both personnel and equipment.

On Tuesday, the Marines announced plans to recall as many as 2,500 inactive reservists to involuntary active-duty service to meet manpower needs. It is the first such call-up since nearly 2,700 Marines were recalled to active duty before U.S. forces invaded Iraq in 2003.

Those expected to receive involuntary activation notices include infantry and other combat specialties, communications and intelligence specialists, combat engineers and military police, the Marines said. Marines in their first and last years of inactive reserve status will be excluded from the recall. Those recalled to service will get at least five months' notice.

http://www.newsobserver.com/505/story/477983.html

I work with six other retired Marines...must be over 140 years combined time in the USMC...we all had to sit down, pull out DD214s, talk it over and ask ourselves "were we...could we be?" Finally looked on the internet (military.com actually) to find out if we were considered IRR!

Hmmm, better start checking the mail better. The wife shreds anything thats not a bill. All I need is to get the letter only to find out she shreded the darn thing!