FORT SAM HOUSTON, TX – With the drawdown in Afghanistan approaching, the Army is experiencing an unexpected surge in soldiers being declared medically ineligible for redeployment to garrison, the Army Medical Command announced.

“It’s a disturbing trend,” said Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, U.S. Army Surgeon General. “We need to be able to maintain our uprange force posture, and now we’re seeing large numbers of soldiers who are either unable or unwilling to redeploy in support of garrison operations.”

Medical symptoms and conditions vary from case to case, but in each instance, said Horoho, “the result is the same – we’re seeing an awful lot of soldiers being taken out of the non-fight.”

For example, one soldier was found to have developed an extremely severe allergic reaction to the specific type of fabrics and dyes used in the Army Combat Uniform's Universal Camouflage Pattern, after spending his entire deployment wearing the MultiCam uniform. Another soldier was placed on a permanent medic…