[fsstnotch]

And lets not forget... the NUMBERS!!!

As of Feb 2007 there were roughly 126,000 AMERICAN contractors in Iraq and 135,000 US troops. Almost half the people over here fighing are contractors! The US has moved to a COMBAT military. Most of those less combat positions in the military have been phased out and contracted. And that is not just here in Iraq, that is country wide. So in most cases, the only way they would be able to make up that 126,000 (I'd bet 75-90% of which are prior service) is to reactivate those military positions and stop FORCING people into less desireable positions. If I wanted to be a cop, I would have signed up to be a cop! If you sense some bitterness... it is because I WANTED to stay in the Air Force. But I didn't want to stay if it meant I had to change careers. I spent 6 years learning the communications field, why would you throw that experience away to take a job that has less future like... loading bombs? Last I checked, there isn't much future in the civilian world for that.

At some point every military man/woman will have to hang up the uniform that last time. I would like to have the ability to be able to provide a nice life for my family when that happens. So, my choice was to hang it up early and jump into the contractor world while it's hot.

Wanna know the real funny thing... guess who would be protecting his A$$ if he did come for a visit? Blackwater!!! guess who is providing security for those FBI officials investigating Blackwater's "crimes"... ya, BLACKWATER!!! Obama makes it sound like the contractors get treated so much better! Maybe they get paid better. Maybe the real problem is that the military doesn't get paid enough?!