May 3, 2005
GOSH, YOU MEAN SOLDIERS LIKE SOLDIERING?:
Despite hardships of war, many soldiers reenlist (Mark Sappenfield, 5/03/05, The Christian Science Monitor)
In Iraq, there were the days that ran together in a never-ending stream of patrols, mission after mission that left him cursing the superiors who sent him out into the teeth of the insurgency. There were the nights when mortars crashed nearby, close enough to smell the sulfur. And there was the question that went unanswered every time a friend was ripped by shrapnel or cut down in an ambush: Why are we fighting this war?
Yet when the time came for Sgt. Jason Waits to decide what he would do when his tour in the Army National Guard ended, he barely paused. Before he even left Iraq, Sergeant Waits reenlisted. And if he is sent back, he "won't have a problem."It is a glance at one of the most unexpected developments of the war in Iraq. Even as the conflict drags on, undermining recruiting efforts and testing the patience of the nation, American soldiers are so far continuing to reenlist at levels that surprise the Pentagon and pundits alike. To the head of the National Guard, this is the legacy of America's "next greatest generation": a band of soldiers more sophisticated than any before in history, which has been asked to adapt to a new style of warfare and often serve multiple tours - all as a volunteer force.
At a time when Army soldiers are under international scrutiny for roadside shootings and prison abuse, comparisons to the generation that landed on the shores of Normandy might seem curious, but they are more than mere rhetoric, analysts say. The American soldier's commitment to the cause in Iraq and Afghanistan has been historic and decisive, allowing the United States at least a measure of success in an engagement for which it was not prepared.
"The design of the all- volunteer force [after Vietnam] was to make this kind of [open-ended] commitment difficult," says Thomas Donnelly, a military expert at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. "But there have been some extraordinary levels of motivation going on, in terms of serving the country in a time of crisis."
One thing about being a liberal, it must be more fun to read the paper since everything that happens in the world you'll find surprising. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 3, 2005 12:32 PM
Only the good things that involve sacrifice and honor. All the bad things are Bush/Runmsfeld/Rove's fault and are therefore unsurprising and reasons for joy.
Posted by: Pat H at May 3, 2005 12:54 PM"At a time when Army soldiers are under international scrutiny for roadside shootings and prison abuse"
The left is already writing their version of the history of the Iraq War. It will be a simple straightforward narrative. Prison Abuse, Torture, and more Prison Abuse.
Posted by: h-man at May 3, 2005 1:33 PMH: Which is completely unlike WWII, in which, apparently, angels from heaven enlisted in the armed forces.
Posted by: David Cohen at May 3, 2005 2:31 PM"make this kind of open-ended committment difficult" - well, the Left tried to dry up the military, but instead found themselves with a warrior class far beyond their nightmares.
They have tried to restrict recruiting, and they have tried to take away the franchise from the military - what is next?
Posted by: jim hamlen at May 3, 2005 2:46 PMIt's all part of the automobile-gun-sports-warrrior culture. Men, you see, are almost superflous, but only almost.
Posted by: Lou Gots at May 3, 2005 3:30 PM