Having spent 6 years active duty, I can tell you that being extended twice would seriously bite. Especially when you look at the total size of the US military force -- how many fat-butted, pencil-pushing (I guess today that would be key-tapping) REMF are hanging out on US soil military bases with no fear of forward deployment, while some of these guys are going long.
*I* would complain (bitching is the God-Given right of the enlisted man) but I would never appreciate anyone in my family embarrassing me like those people did.
When you enlist in the military it is NOT like a civilian job. You are taking an oath to give your life to your country ... you hope your country (the people especially) does not treat you like crap.
The ones being extended are the ones they need - what need is there for the fat-butted ...? Same goes for the re-enlistment bonuses ... capitalist system - it has its good points and its bad points.
I simply prefer the United States of America over the Union of Socialist States of America (USSA) that kerry,kennedy,clinton (and all those protestors) want.
I always wonder in times like these what we would've done had George Washington decided he'd done his part and packed it up and went home no matter what the size of the U.S. Military.
And having spent six years on active duty myself, I can say that being deployed, bites period, but it must be done for the cause of liberty. "We will not fail. We will not falter," President Bush says.
And to that end, we must vigorously pursue terrorism or we can all pack it up and go home all the while cow towing to a bunch of murderous thugs.