More Retention, Please

Meet Army Staff Sergeant William Pinkley

There were no signs of the shrapnel wounds from a roadside bomb in Iraq as Staff Sergeant William Pinkley raised his right hand and swore once more to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Despite his wounds -- and despite the rising death toll of US troops in Iraq -- he and other soldiers are signing up for another tour of duty, reenlisting at rates that exceed the retention goals set by the Pentagon.

Pinkley reenlisted for three years, citing the camaraderie and the challenge of a new assignment.

''To come out and work with you guys every day, it's a good feeling," Pinkley, 26, told his 101st Airborne Division buddies during the ceremony earlier this month. His wife, Kimberly, watched with a smile, their toddler in her arms.

Pinkley was riding in a Humvee the day after Thanksgiving when it was rocked by a bomb. He suffered internal injuries and his shrapnel wounds are still healing. He said he and his wife discussed for more than a year whether he should reenlist.

In the end, despite his pain and his wife's fear for his life, they decided it was best for both of them, she said. His next position will be as a drill sergeant at Fort Benning, Ga.

''I'm excited about it," his wife said. ''It's something he wanted to do. We told him we'd be supportive of him, whatever he wanted." As for the possibility of her husband being sent off to a combat zone again, she said, ''We would definitely do it again if we had to."

And SSG Pinkley's attitude is fairly typical of that of the members of the all volunteer Army, the finest military force in the history of the world.

As of March 31 -- halfway through the Army's fiscal year -- 28,406 soldiers had reenlisted, topping the six-month goal of 28,377. The Army's goal is to reenlist 56,100 soldiers by the end of September.

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The Marines, which along with the Army have borne the brunt of the combat in Iraq, said they have already fulfilled 90 percent of their retention goal for the fiscal year for getting Marines to re-up after their initial commitment. The Air Force and the Navy said they, too, are exceeding goals for getting airmen and sailors to reenlist.

In fact the Air Force has slashed re-enlistment bonuses, eliminating most completely, and faces the possibility of forced troop reductions if too many elect to remain in the service this year.

Of course, the usual caveats are attached to this story - could get worse, Guard and Reserve troops won't re-up, etc., etc., etc.

And some good soldiers are separating - and deserve the thanks of a grateful nation for their contribution.

Staff Sergeant Bobby Miller, 31, has spent more than 10 years in the Army. He said he is getting out when his term ends in less than a year. The 101st soldier has served in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq and said he has barely seen his wife and two children in the past few years.

But 100% retention was never part of the equation.

All in all, many in Washington would do well to take note of the reality, and check the facts about the all-volunteer military before making cries for the return of the draft. Likewise those hand wringers in the media who proclaim a mass exodus from the services as a result of Iraq could also stand to learn from the facts.

But they won't. Grandstanders in Washington will make speeches they think will net them votes in their home districts, knowing their colleagues will never pass their platitudes into law. Media sorts will always take the angle that sells newspapers or promotes their editor's political beliefs.

Leaving Americans, as always, to weigh the facts and make up their own fine minds, and sort truth from fiction. Fortunately, most are fully capable of seeing through the smokescreen and deciding for themselves.

As SSG and Mrs Pinkley did, to the benefit of us all.