[monday]

"No. Military service in combat is a shock to almost everyone - you don't know what this is about until you have experienced it."

I can appreciate that, but when you sign up for the military, it isn't like accepting any other job. You can't quit, the military owns you. Anyone who doesn't understand that going into the military shouldn't have signed up. If they did, then they made a terrible mistake.

I agree with your other points. I am pretty sure that there will be troops in Iraq 10 years from now. How they get them to enlist will be interesting. Perhaps instant US citizenship for foreign enlistees and their families?

[Semper]

when you sign up for the military, it isn't like accepting any other job. You can't quit, the military owns you.

Very true, but that concept is quite foreign to most of our culture. The real problem here is that those who volunteered for service have been deceived by deviation from past practice and by unilateral contract modifications. As this continues our military will suffer major attrition and recruiting problems.