What would you do?

The Mandarin was honored to serve as a Field Artillery officer in the US Army during the Vietnam war. And, being an Asian language expert, he volunteered for duty in Asia (the Mandarin checked "Yes" in the box marked "Asia - any country"). Expecting orders for Vietnam, he ended up serving his time in Oklahoma. Go figure. Anyway, the Mandarin read this little item in the press today and is wondering whether to help bail Rummy and Shrub out of their little problem in Eye-raq.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, fresh off missing its latest annual recruiting goal, has launched an unprecedented effort to coax former troops to sign up again for active-duty military service, officials said on Tuesday.

The Army this month began contacting 78,000 people who previously served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps to pitch them on the idea of leaving behind their civilian lives and returning for another stint in uniform, said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon.

Unlike in the past, they now can return to the Army without giving up their previous rank or undergo the rigors of basic training, said Hilferty, who described it as the first program of its kind for the Army.

Hmmm....