But I do take issue with your comment on the "whining of the left and the press". "The Left", as you put it, very strongly does _not_ mock the "duty, honor, country" sentiment of those serving over there. I can quite definitively state that many - certainly as big a percentage as those on "the right" - do love this county. And I'll point out to you that Kos himself _did_ serve in uniform for several years.

You appear to have bought into the GOP brainwashing that being against the President, and this particular war, is synonymous with being against America - and that is flatly untrue. The President is the elected leader of this country and not - even in time of war - its ruler. If he makes poor decisions, it is very definitely _not_ disloyalty to point them out, loudly even. But the days of heaping scorn and insult on those who serve are, I'm glad to say, a disgusting remnant of the Vietnam era, and not supported by anyone who can even see the mainstream from where they stand. (Berkely doesn't count - they've _always_ been like that)

As for Mikes “recruits w/ criminal waivers”, most of the waivers are for minor offenses that in my opinion shouldn’t need waivers in the first place. There are some troops that come back shot off some steam, get drunk and do something stupid that still get booted out service. I understand the military wants to maintain discipline but they could lighten up some too. Humans will behave like humans sometimes.

My father served in the pacific from late 1942 to early 1945 on carriers and islands (he completed government sponsored flight training in December of 1941 and found out the same month why the government was providing free tuition towards those classes, in 1945 he was pulled out to train pilots in Pensacola). He was not drafted, but volunteered. After Pearl Harbor he asked around and determined that navy pilots were the best of the best, so that was what he volunteered for (my apologies to any air corps pilots, but you know how it is). Three of my uncles served similar tours (starting around 1943 to 1945) in Europe. Again, all volunteers. While a unit might be rotated out of the front lines, it didn't get shipped home. Replacements were added from the states.

In the current war, three of my five military age nephews are serving. I have lost track of the number of cousins serving. My church has about 5% of the congregates serving. Re-enlistment quotas are being exceeded and enlistment quotas are generally being met. All this despite an endless whining from the left and the press (but I repeat myself) that the war is lost and futile. I agree that it is difficult to expand the volunteer military. What motivates most of those who volunteer is not the paycheck, but 'Duty, Honor, Country'. The left mocks and derides those concepts so it is not surprising that only a few respond. From those who I know who serve, they wouldn't want to serve there with the Kos kids and the like that a draft would dredge up. It would endanger their lives and the mission.

Also, I'll go ahead and bring up the topic everyone seems to be dancing around...

Before Vietnam...it was common for troops deployed into combat to be their for the duration of hostilities.

Yeah - because they were _drafted_. Often for the 'duration of the hostilities'. If this 'war' were actually being treated like a War, we would have a draft - and the manpower to maintain significantly shorter combat rotations. But for all the tough talk about defending the country by invading places that had nothing to do with attacking the US, the draft is one option that has never been considered viable. Until it is, you're _never_ going to reduce tour length, and frankly, I don't even see the math behind being able to cut it back down to 12 months.

Just an historical note. Luftwaffe pilots flew combat missions until they died or the war was over (which is why many of them had confirmed kills in the hundreds).

And US policy was to pull fighter pilots back to be instructor pilots after about a year in a combat unit, to pass along lessons learned to the new pilots. Bomber crews had to survive 25 missions to be done with combat (not that was an easy thing). The Japanese kept their pilots in combat until they were all killed, and only the inexperienced new pilots were left.

Before Vietnam...it was common for troops deployed into combat to be their for the duration of hostilities. During WWII, there were soldiers who fought in Northern Africa, slogged their way through Europe, and then deployed to the Pacific Theater after V-E Day.

Just an historical note. Luftwaffe pilots flew combat missions until they died or the war was over (which is why many of them had confirmed kills in the hundreds).

Which is yet another reason why we should try to avoid such operations whenever possible.

I hear ya...

But, yes, the nature of COIN and stability ops is that short tours make it harder to gain the trust of locals or, goodness, figuring out who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are.

Which is yet another reason why we should try to avoid such operations whenever possible.