Stop loss is real and it can be hard on some people. But like SteveZ said "There just is no perfect solution to answering a response-based problem. " When my Guard unit was activated in 2004 to go to Iraq, we had 10 people whose MOS was needed to fill out the unit. 4 of those people were within weeks of retiring after having served their 20 years and 6 were younger soldiers who were thinking wether to reenlist or not. But they did not fight the stop loss order, they knew they were needed and so they went. The problem was on the other side (when we returned home almost 17 months later) in that those who were on the fence about reenlisting didnt..... the ones who were supposed to retire did just that, albiet a little later than they thought. It IS kind of spooky when you are told that you cannot get out because your MOS is deemed critical and you are in for the duration. This happened twice to me, the first time being the first Gulf War.... go figure