"With tens of thousands of Guard members training at mobilization stations, the military does not have the resources available to pick them up and take them home," Horton adds. "That's why here in Alabama, we have deployment ceremonies before units leave the state to report to mobilization stations."

The policy has inspired a minor furor in Birmingham, according to one resident with no direct ties to the military.

"Our young people [are] willing to lay down their lives for our country, but we cannot (or will not) bring them home for one last visit with their family before they ship out?" schoolteacher Jessie Peeples wrote in an email to Military.com.

She heard about the policy on a local radio program last week.

"The people who listen to the talk show are very upset about this situation. The callers to the show were of all ages," Peeples recalls. "Any state should be much more grateful to their military. Or is it much easier just to say we are grateful for what our young people do in the defense of this country, rather than to dip into our pocketbooks and show we are thankful?"

I'm all for the military helping our soldiers get home to see their families. However, it doesn't seem realistic with the sheer volume of soldiers. I'm not sure what the solution would be, but families could come see their soldiers or they could have parties before they go off to training. Maybe some sort of travel allowance could be arranged or a deal with Greyhound or other transportation companies. There has to be a reasonable way to get this done.

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