A two-word phrase has slipped into the American lexicon that makes warriors cringe, grown men cry and rips the very fabric of military families asunder. It is a hideous little phrase, reviled and feared by those who come within its reach. It is "stop-loss."

The Department of Defense has a tough time reconciling its need for active military personnel and the individual's need for a fair shake. So far, anything like a fair shake from DoD is well over the horizon.

The simple fact is that DoD, and thus the service secretaries, has the power to hold anyone past their date of separation or retirement using the power of stop-loss.

Stop-loss partially fulfills the services' need for manpower and reduces the strain on recruiting and retention efforts. It also fills some critical positions with experienced personnel that could be crucial to combat operations. For these reasons then it can, unfortunately be somewhat justified, though it imposes involuntary servitude on Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines close to fulfilling their voluntary active duty service commitments.

Yet, the cruelest part is not the involuntary service but that it is forced on military personnel and their families without proper notification, compensation or due diligence. For that reason Congress should demand and vote on a Declaration of War, or confirm a presidential determination that we're in a period of national emergency, before stop-loss programs are implemented. Barring these actions, service members within 60 days of separation or retirement should be exempt from involuntary stop-loss programs.

In the meantime, two bills that would provide an additional $1,500 a month to those serving stop-loss sentences - HR 6205 and S 3060 - were good starts, but the House Appropriations defense subcommittee has only recommended $500 per month reaching back to 2001.  Rep. Betty Sutton, D-Ohio was the chief sponsor of the current proposal.

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As for those stop-lossed troops who have already sent families into a civilian community, believing they'd be following close behind, how do we compensate them? The best way would be to expeditiously return those dependents to the military fold at government expense with an automatic dislocation allowance waiver and return travel allowances.

How about troops who had given up government or off-base civilian quarters and moved to temporary lodging as part of their expected - but halted - transition to the civilian world? Can they get their old quarters back? Probably not, but DoD can certainly compensate them for their expenses in moving and temporary lodging and by finding them suitable civilian quarters (or government lease quarters).

And how do we reconcile seeing their children, after having been pulled out of school at mid-semester and enrolled in a totally unfamiliar one, suddenly uprooted once more when their military parent is hit with a stop-loss order? Do we provide support, maybe even counseling services to off-set the trauma?

Military spouses, meanwhile, often give up employment based on projected dates of separation or retirement. As those dates get closer they are forced to take irrevocable actions. By the time they have submitted their resignations, been replaced, and started final relocation moves it is too late to recover careers if a stop-loss action hits the military member.

Will $500 a month make up for that sort of loss? I don't think so.

And what happens to the "Earnest Money" military families put down on the dream homes where they plan to start their civilian lives? Do Realtors say, "How sad, here's your money back?" Some may, but don't count on it. What happens if you have already bought a house and the payments were predicated on a civilian job that you accepted? We should somehow make all that go away.

Many military and family members compete for acceptance and pre-enroll in colleges and universities that have limited admission. How do you re-compete for a lost slot there? How do you get re-enrolled at the college you were attending prior to stop-loss? Do we send letters of explanation to the registrars?

By-and-large, stop-loss has severe negative impacts on our troops and their families. New rules are required to turn a merciless program into one a bit more humanitarian.

Nowhere in the enlistment or accession process does it clearly spell out that you may be involuntarily retained past your initial active commitment without notice, for an indefinite period of additional active military service. Stop-loss needs to be addressed in full, transparent terms during the enlistment and accession process.

In addition to having Presidential and Congressional approval, stop-loss programs must be tailored to fit emergencies. Only specific numbers of personnel in specified Air Force Specialty Codes and Military Occupational Specialties designated and certified by the service secretary as absolutely military essential, should be subject to stop-loss.

Finally, personnel under stop-loss should be given automatic promotion consideration to the next higher grade, and be paid an amount proportional to that received by those who voluntarily extend or reenlist.

Stop-loss is a program that hurts recruiting, retention and morale-not to mention the horrific impact it has on military families. While some aspects of stop-loss must be tolerated for national security, the program is long overdue for a major overhaul to make it more equitable and just.

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