The U.S. Army recently expanded a program called "stop-loss" that would prevent soldiers awaiting deployment for Iraq and Afghanistan from leaving the military at the end of their required service. Soldiers who are 90 days away or less for deployment are affected by this program.

This is an unfair action by the Army, a policy that seems like a breach-of-contract to the soldiers who enlisted voluntarily for a given amount of time. Now their tenure is taken out of their hands through an act that evokes the defunct draft and its requirement for reluctant citizens to suit up and ship out.

These soldiers put their lives on the line to protect their homeland for a given time. Now some are forced to wait longer to see their families. The program is designed to keep cohesive groups of soldiers together to utilize their experience together - a noble cause. But not realizing that certain individuals would be leaving by a certain date and needed experience replacements points to poor planning.

The Bush administration made the error of thinking that this war would be as simple as ousting dictator Saddam Hussein. They thought the Iraqi people would flood the streets with glee.

Since that prediction certainly didn't come true, some U.S. soldiers close to deployment will have to stay on longer than expected. Unfortunately, the number of troops required to extend their duty is not yet determined.

These brave men and women are now required to put their lives on the line for longer than they bargained for despite the fact that some of these soldiers already served in Iraq and Afghanistan. They have fought for their country and are returning for another round,one that is beyond the time they anticipated - and not necessarily on their own accord. This means more time away from their families, their friends, their jobs and the country they are fighting for.