Re-Enlistment

NPR ran a story about soldiers who re-enlist in Iraq, and painted it as wholly due to "patriotism, duty, and the need to protect the homeland from terrorism."

For the sake of balance, I wonder if they would care to mention that story by the LA Times which lays out the plain fact that $500 million dollars has been spent on re-enlistment bonuses in the past year, and which quotes a number of soldiers who say the money, combined with the security for their family (housing, health care, etc.) convinced them to re-enlist.

Now, re-enlistment bonuses have been around since the Revolutionary War (remember the Bonus Marchers after WWI which were shot at in DC?), but clearly the practice is being expanded. The average bonus is $11,000/person, not bad for a young person with kids and no job prospects. There isn't much call in the domestic marketplace for a munitions analyst.

Also absent from NPR's study is the need by military men not to abandon their team on the battlefield. This is taught from day 1 in basic training. The mentality of "no man left behind" is ingrained into their consciousness. Is the sense of duty really to country or to the other members of their battalions?

I do not doubt the veracity of those quoted in the story, and the answer for what's really driving re-enlistment undoubtedly lies somewhere in the middle. But I wish that NPR would show both sides of the story.