Troop Extensions

Soldiers deployed to Iraq will now be staying overseas longer. The Defense Department made the announcement Wednesday. Tours will be extended from the current 12 month rotation to 15 months. The Pentagon says extending tour lengths will help with the troop surge already underway in Iraq. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the moves difficult but necessary interim steps and rejected speculation that the army is "broken." He says the key is providing more "predictability" for soldiers and their families. Here at home, the announcement has some military families worried about the fate of their loved ones. Ann Russell has seen her son off to Afghanistan and now Iraq three times. She says the waiting can often be too much to handle. "You worry and worry and then you think at this point I can stop worrying and sleep," says Russell. "Then theyre saying now it could be another 120 days. Its very stressful for families." Her son Robert is now in the middle of his tour in Iraq, set to come home in September. She says 12 months is hard enough and anymore can push some families to the brink. "Every military familys worst nightmare is a government car pulling up in the driveway and two marines in dress blues getting out and you live with that from the time of the deployment."