THE ARMY AND MARINES are way behind in their recruitment goals for 2005. But Jazz at Running Scared tells us they've found a solution: lure in young men and women with 15-month active-duty enlistments, with the remainder of their commitment spent in the reserves. This is quite an enticement, considering that before this, the shortest active-duty enlistment was 2 years; with 3 or 4 years being the standard. The enlistment bonus for signing has also been jacked way up; and then there are those tempting college tuition aid programs that recruiters make sure their prospects know about.

What they don't tell their young prey, though, is that the military's stop-loss program is still in effect.

You see, it doesn't matter how long (or short) of a period of time you enlist for. When that time is up, as long as they keep coming up short on recruits, they can (and will) just cancel your departure from the service and send you back into the war again. Over and over and over. And according to our court system, even if you never agreed to those extensions, there's nothing you can do about it.

Bait and switch, smoke and mirrors. Welcome to the All Volunteer Army, son. It's not just a job. It's a life sentence.

Hat tip to Shakespeare's Sister for the link to Running Scared.