I read the other responses, some of which were well thought out, while others betrayed the writers emotional hangup.

Ponder this:

Even though the bonus enticements are now in the Big Buck range, and the age physical abilities requirements have been stretched to preposterous limits, enlistments are down.

The troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus all their millions of support personnel, are so exhausted after multiple postings, that they and their families are at the breaking point.

Even with an immediate draw-down we are looking at a minimum of two years to bring them all home.

THEN WHAT?

Our need to protect ourselves, at home and abroad certainly does not go away. Do we just keeping sending this small group of servicemen and women until they are all dead or psychologically unfit?

By early 2008, we as a nation need 75,000 newly trained and equipped infantrymen to handle small emergencies. This is a sad but true emergency national defense requirement.

Volunteers will not be sufficient. We must reenact a minimum three year draft program, sparing only those actively enrolled in a four year college degree program.

On the bright side, it is only fair that the offspring of millionaires and politicians, like Mitt Romney, bear some of the responsibility of protecting our freedoms.