NJ Soldiers to be Recalled

As many as 54 former soldiers who live in New Jersey could be notified this week they are being recalled involuntarily to active duty.

The notifications -- which ultimately are to be made to more than 5,600 former soldiers across the country -- were to begin Tuesday, the U.S. Army said.

In all, 153 of the Garden State's former soldiers are eligible to be recalled to active duty and sent to Iraq or Afghanistan as early as this fall.

The call-up will be done in three increments from July to December.

Master Sgt. Brian Kappmeyer said it was unclear how many of the New Jersey residents will be notified during this first call-up, or during the entire mobilization.

Texas, New York and Florida have the largest numbers of soldiers who may be recalled, said Kappmeyer, a public affairs specialist at the Army's Human Resources Command in St. Louis.

Texas has 591, New York 542 and Florida 468, he said.

Most of the former soldiers being recalled recently left the Army as truck drivers, mechanics, supply clerks, administrative clerks or combat engineers. All will be kept on active duty for at least 18 months but not longer than two years.

This is the first large-scale use of former soldiers in the Individual Ready Reserve (or IRR) since 1991.

People in the IRR are different from those in the National Guard and Reserve because they do not take part in regular training and are not paid as reservists.

They are eligible for recall because they have not finished their reserve duty commitment.

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Author: NBC10/AP