Soldiers as political pawns

Congresswoman Diana DeGette kicked up some dirt and found prized national attention with her recent call for a congressional investigation into complaints that soldiers in Fort Carson's 3rd Brigade Combat Team have been threatened with deployment to Iraq unless they re-enlist.

"How widespread is this?" DeGette asked at a recent news conference. "How deep does it go into the Pentagon? How far does it go up to the Oval Office?"

The more pertinent question: How much of this is legitimate, and how much is a political sham?

DeGette's office claims to have six disgruntled soldiers - some have contacted her; others, they admit, have been found. One, Pvt. Wes Swanson, is willing to go on the record in the matter.

Another soldier has already recanted his story after admitting misinterpreting the Army's personnel form.

DeGette's grandstanding ties in seamlessly with bogus accusations about the "secret" draft President Bush is planning. She ratcheted up the draft scare in her news conference about the Fort Carson controversy and linked it to the administration without a shred of proof.

(For the record, the only ones proposing to reinstate the draft to this point have been a few House Democrats.)

Col. Brian Jones, who commands more than 4,000 troops at Fort Carson, won't join the political fray, but contends that DeGette's assertions are "totally false."

"I don't think anyone in the chain of command would make a statement like that. Because we know that's not true. That's not how we do business."

Soldiers, he says, have been asked to sign intent statements in which they extend their tour, re-enlisting, or are reassigned.

Sgt. Cathy Moll, the re-enlistment counselor who presented the options to Swanson and hundreds of others, says there was no unwarranted influence, only honest talk about the possibilities.

Moll discussed the prospect of going to Iraq, but "we do have to make them realize, anywhere they get transferred, there is that potential for deployment."

Even Swanson acknowledged that "the soldiers were not being told they will go to Iraq, but they may go to Iraq."

"Soldiers here have several options - and this is where soldiers start saying, 'Well, you're coercing me and you're holding this over my head,"' says Jones.

Will the redeployed soldiers go to Iraq? Jones admits that's "not the intent," but it is a possibility.

DeGette's other bone of contention is that the Army "can't meet re-enlistment goals, so they're putting this hammer over their head, which is just wrong."

While there have been retention troubles for the National Guard, DeGette should have checked on Fort Carson's numbers. They have not only met their re-enlistment goals, they have one of the best retention rates in the nation.

According to Jones, 846 soldiers have re-enlisted under this plan, this quarter. In a normal fourth quarter, the division's mission was to re-enlist 200.

"I think these soldiers understand what the options were, but I don't think they were happy with those options," Jones says. "The option of having to leave Fort Carson, a great place to serve and a great place to be, is not what some of these guys are looking for."

Jones says: "When you're in the Army, well, they call it the service for a reason. You go where you are assigned. Some of them just don't want to do that."

Those of us in civilian life have no right to judge soldiers like Swanson, who have fought to defend us.

But we have every right to judge the politicians who use them as pawns in their toxic political games.

David Harsanyi's column appears Monday and Thursday. He may be reached at 303-820-1255 or dharsanyi@denverpost.com .

This is exactly what has had me so outraged and so worried these past many weeks. I've watched this set-up since early this year; anti-war moms, the ghouls and their "1,000 deaths" invasion of sanctity; and this "Fort Carson" event. Yes, I'm thankful for this columnist's column. And the military's clarification. I have no use for Degette; however, if she was contacted, she must look into this. Nonetheless, it's her calls for "deep into the Pentagon".. and "how far up the chain of command" that pushed her "inquiry" over the top and into Kerry Campaign shenanigans.

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