Operation Yellow Elephant makes a good point about those who won't go and serve, put their money where their mouth is, so to speak. But interestingly, the Army is having issues keeping what it considers "company grade" officers, O-3's, Captains in its ranks as the deployments in the middle east continue ad infinitum.

Jonathan Powers, a 27-year-old Army captain from Buffalo, N.Y., spent more than a year in Iraq with the 1st Armored Division and saw "a lot of good things being done" to help rebuild the country.

But when his four-year commitment came up, Powers decided last September to leave the Army because he was wary of additional tours in a war-torn land: "You're going to be in Iraq. That's the Army."

As the American military begins its third year in Iraq and President Bush vows to stay the course, an increasing number of captains and other junior officers are leaving the service, leading some current and former officers to fear an exodus of talent not seen since the Vietnam War.
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One retention proposal is to offer more Army-paid graduate school slots to captains. Another would let officers switch career paths earlier in their careers, which would allow more and earlier opportunities for advanced education.

The Army is also considering enticing students in college ROTC programs and West Point to commit to eight years of active duty -- as opposed to the current four or five years -- with the promise of graduate school and a choice of Army jobs and installations.

Army officials say that once officers commit to eight years and devote two to graduate study, they would be required to "pay back" the graduate school time. By then, they would have well over a decade in the Army and be likely to serve to a 20-year retirement, officials said.

"These incentives I think will turn it around," said retired Army Lt. Gen. Theodore G. Stroup Jr., who was chief of Army personnel during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "The Army's really not bleeding. The captains are really not leaving in droves."