Whether or not you support the U.S. policy and actions in the Middle East, the fact remains that our troops are there. No amount of analysis, finger pointing, strategizing, or bickering here in the United States negates the fact that bullets are flying in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now as we enter year 5 of military actions, we learn that our military is stretched to its limit. The simple fact is that certain military branches need more people. This fact personally poses a dilemma for me because I am faced with one question, " Do I need to serve my country?"

As one watches the national media express their approval or disapproval, a recurring theme is prevalent. The U.S. military is at an all time low both in terms of manpower and equipment. The extended campaign has worn out existing equipment and military depots are scrambling to keep up with demands placed on them.
At first, I was skeptical of the media reports because I felt they present an unfavorable bias against the war. Although I still feel this to be true, I decided to go "directly to the source".

I spent hours and hours watching Congressional Hearings and debates on CSPAN in order to see what the top officials of the respective military branches had to say. One could conclude that the military is struggling but succeeding in meeting its current supply and personnel demands. This scrambling of sorts for troops is reflected in the demands placed on services that usually aren't taxed so strongly in combat theaters. For the first time in American history, the mainstream military is relying heavily on National Guard and Reserve components to help fulfill its mission. This has resulted in a greater need for troops in these services.
Despite high retention rates, each respective service is failing to meet its current recruiting goals. This failure to meet goals has resulted in a lowering of admittance standards that could theoretically cause the services some issues.

If the U.S. military is struggling to meet its recruiting standards, what does that mean for the average citizen? More to the point, ground forces are being deployed more often than in any previous U.S. war. Young men and women are being sent in harms way not once or twice, but sometimes three and four times. One must consider that each time a troop is deployed, the deployment can range from 9 to 15 months. That is asking them to be in harms way and away from loved ones longer and more often than troops in previous

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