By 12 Former Army Captains

This article is pretty much my take on the war and has been for sometime now.  Either get in all the way or get out.   Since there was no way to get in all the way, given the current leadership and politics of these times, then getting out should be the order for the day.   

Some say that you can't use a draft in the sophisticated military of today.  Given that we're got 19 year olds dying in battle these days, I can't figure out how, timewise, they were able to get all that training and experience stuffed into such a young person before putting them into battle.  Seems like a draftee would do just as well, if not better, for many of the boots on the ground activities.  Then again, I'm not s sophisticated thinker like Rummy so maybe it's just all beyond my comprehension.  

The idea that we have to lower standards to meet enlistment quotas is not a good option.  One thing I wouldn't want is going to war with some loser next to me.  In WWII, that was one of the reasons that soldiers signed up for the elite corps (besides the extra money and status).   At least they knew someone competent had their backs.

The Real Iraq We Knew - Washington Post - 16 Oct 2007
By 12 Former Army Captains

"While our generals pursue a strategy dependent on peace breaking out, the Iraqis prepare for their war -- and our servicemen and women, and their families, continue to suffer."

"There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq. To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately. A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition.

America, it has been five years. It's time to make a choice."

By 12 Former Army Captains

This article is pretty much my take on the war and has been for sometime now.  Either get in all the way or get out.   Since there was no way to get in all the way, given the current leadership and politics of these times, then getting out should be the order for the day.   

Some say that you can't use a draft in the sophisticated military of today.  Given that we're got 19 year olds dying in battle these days, I can't figure out how, timewise, they were able to get all that training and experience stuffed into such a young person before putting them into battle.  Seems like a draftee would do just as well, if not better, for many of the boots on the ground activities.  Then again, I'm not s sophisticated thinker like Rummy so maybe it's just all beyond my comprehension.  

The idea that we have to lower standards to meet enlistment quotas is not a good option.  One thing I wouldn't want is going to war with some loser next to me.  In WWII, that was one of the reasons that soldiers signed up for the elite corps (besides the extra money and status).   At least they knew someone competent had their backs.

The Real Iraq We Knew - Washington Post - 16 Oct 2007
By 12 Former Army Captains

"While our generals pursue a strategy dependent on peace breaking out, the Iraqis prepare for their war -- and our servicemen and women, and their families, continue to suffer."

"There is one way we might be able to succeed in Iraq. To continue an operation of this intensity and duration, we would have to abandon our volunteer military for compulsory service. Short of that, our best option is to leave Iraq immediately. A scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war, and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition.

America, it has been five years. It's time to make a choice."