Uncle Sam Wants You, forever .

I keep hearing that recruiting and retenion in the military is just fine, but the pentagon keeps calling up people who have been out for years. The New York Times (registration required) reports on several such cases, including that of Rick Howell: "'I consider myself a civilian,' said Rick Howell, a major from Tuscaloosa, Ala., who said he thought he had left the Army behind in 1997 after more than a decade flying helicopters. 'I've done my time. I've got a brand new baby and a wife, and I haven't touched the controls of an aircraft in seven years. I'm 47 years old. How could they be calling me? How could they even want me?'"
That's a good question Rick. He doesn't sound like somebody you would want to be flying missions in a combat zone, unless you were desparate.