[. . .]
An estimated 5,500 men and women have deserted since the invasion of Iraq, reflecting Washington's growing problems with troop morale.
[. . .]
And of course the Pentagon acts nonchalant:
[. . .]
The Pentagon says that the level of desertion is no higher than usual and denies that it is having difficulty persuading troops to fight. The flight to Canada is, however, an embarrassment for the military, which is suffering from a recruiting shortfall for the National Guard and the Army Reserves.
[. . .]
But, being that we have a tenth of the number of troops in Iraq that we had in Vietnam, the desertion rates work out about the same:
[. . .]
During the Vietnam war an estimated 55,000 deserters or draft-dodgers fled to Canada. There were amnesties for both groups in the late 1970s under President Jimmy Carter, but many stayed.
[. . .]
It all boils down to the fact that we're building the same fucking mess we did in Indochina 40 years ago. We'll probably be witness to the same sort of hurried departure we had in Saigon too. I just hope, that if Bush is planning to cut and run, he does it before too many more American lives are lost and too many more young Americans make a decision that could ruin the rest of their lives. (Thanks to DemVet for the link.)
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