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No Army early outs during holiday season

The Army has continued a holiday tradition of the past five years by again not authorizing early outs during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Sources said the decision to cancel the 2009 Holiday Early Transition Program was not a difficult one given the press of deployments, and the manning and resetting of units.

Up until 2004, the Army usually authorized the phased, early release of soldiers whose service obligations expired during the final weeks of the year, when most installations, units and training centers experience an exodus of soldiers and families going home for the holidays.

“The Holiday Early Transition Program is cancelled until further notice,” according to a notice recently sent to field commands. “Current separation and out-processing procedures for soldiers remain in effect.”