You want me to what?

Reenlist? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. The ever vigilant Melanie at Just a Bump in the Beltway says reenlistments are down, worryingly so.

The 're' in reenlistment means people who have put in more than one hitch. That means staff and senior NCOs, just the guys you want to stay, the guys with experience who can groom the young-uns. I owe a lot to the older guys who mentored me and turned me from a green recruit into a responsible NCO. Couple old chiefs to whom I owe more than a lot, I owe 'em my ass. These are the guys the military has to retain. If we can't meet manpower requirements, and there is an 'experience drain', the draft can't be far behind. Glad I'm old.

A personal note: Shellhead, an ex-artilleryman who works in the shop next door, told me that the Army just sent him a letter asking him to come back. He's been out two years and basically told them to go fuck themselves. His old unit is in Iraq now, so guess where he'd be going? Bush and Rummy have fucked up the military.