Reservists Say War Makes Them Lose Jobs

In tears and holding a hand-made sign saying, "I love you mom and dad," Ryan Smith, 8, of Jeannette, embraces his mother, Crissy Smith, Tuesday morning. Crissy and her husband, Ronald, both reservists, are being deployed at the same time, leaving behind Ryan, who will be cared for by his grandparents. The couple, members of the 1004th Quartermast Supply Co., were headed for the U.S. Army's Camp Atterbury in southern Indiana. S.C. Spangler/Tribune-Review

By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of National Guard and Reserve troops who have returned from war in Iraq and Afghanistan are encountering new battles with their civilian employers at home. Jobs were eliminated, benefits reduced and promotions forgotten.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Labor Department reports receiving greater numbers of complaints under a 1994 law designed to give Guard and Reserve troops their old jobs back, or provide them with equivalent positions. Benefits and raises must be protected, as if the serviceman or servicewoman had never left.

Some soldiers, however, are finding the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act can't protect them.

_Larry Gill couldn't return as a police officer in Thomasville, Ala., because a grenade injured a foot, making it impossible for him to chase criminals or duck bullets.

_Jerry Chambers, of Oberlin, Kan., discovered budget cuts had eliminated his job as a substance abuse prevention consultant.

_Ron Vander Wal, of Pollock, S.D., was originally told his job as a customer service representative was eliminated. He was hired after filing a civil lawsuit seeking damages...