Soldiers threatened to force reenlistment as Iraq spirals into Vietnam

When I was cadet, one of my mentors -- who actually administered my commissioning oath when I graduated -- was an Air Force lieutenant colonel who had served several tours of combat in Vietnam as an enlisted Navy Seal. He told me on more than one occasion that he came back into the service after Vietnam in part so he could make sure our national leaders would never again do to do our men and women in uniform what they did then. I couldn't help think of him when I read the following stories:

Soldiers threatened with being sent to Iraq if they don't reenlist: From the Rocky Mountain News:

"They said if you refuse to re-enlist with the 3rd Brigade, we'll send you down to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which is going to Iraq for a year, and you can stay with them, or we'll send you to Korea, or to Fort Riley (in Kansas) where they're going to Iraq," said one of the soldiers, a sergeant.

Things in Iraq are getting worse: This from Republican senator and Vietnam veteran Chuck Hagel (Neb.) (WashPost):

"We've got to be honest with ourselves," Hagel said. "The worst thing we can do is hold ourselves hostage to some grand illusion we're winning. Right now, we are not winning. Things are getting worse."

Most senior US military officers now believe the war on Iraq has turned into a disaster on an unprecedented scale: From the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper, via Daily Kos:

General Odom said: "This is far graver than Vietnam. There wasn't as much at stake strategically, though in both cases we mindlessly went ahead with the war that was not constructive for US aims. But now we're in a region far more volatile, and we're in much worse shape with our allies."

Terrill believes that any sustained US military offensive against the no-go areas "could become so controversial that members of the Iraqi government would feel compelled to resign". Thus, an attempted military solution would destroy the slightest remaining political legitimacy. "If we leave and there's no civil war, that's a victory."

General Hoare believes from the information he has received that "a decision has been made" to attack Fallujah "after the first Tuesday in November. That's the cynical part of it - after the election. The signs are all there."