U.S. soldiers at risk in Iraq re-upping by the thousands

BUHRIZ, Iraq — It was nearing midnight as Pfc. Nicholas Outen and his platoon moved silently down an alley in this Sunni enclave of canals and palm groves, on a night of raiding houses with the Iraqi police. The patrol paused, and Outen had just crouched at a street corner when a large blast threw him backward.

"I saw a flash and a boom and was smashed against the wall," recalled Outen, 20, of Baltimore. His shoulder was ripped by shrapnel from a bomb that exploded 15 feet away, killing an Iraqi policeman. Five in Outen's platoon were wounded, including his team leader, Sgt. Nathan Rohrbaugh, who lay bleeding on top of him.

The Nov. 17 attack would draw together an already tightknit platoon, now on its second tour in Iraq. For Outen, it was doubly significant: On the same day that he became eligible for a Purple Heart, he re-enlisted in the U.S. Army.

U.S. soldiers risking their lives daily in combat are also re-upping by the thousands, bolstering the Army's flagging manpower at a time when many young Americans are unwilling to serve. Since 2001, the Army has surpassed its retention targets by wider margins each year, showing an unexpectedly robust ability to retain soldiers in a time of war.

While the force is facing a shortfall in recruitment of new soldiers, it raised its retention goal this year by 8,000 people and still exceeded it, with nearly 70,000 soldiers, or 108 percent of the target, choosing to stay in the Army.

On palace rooftops and pockmarked streets, GIs are re-enlisting in rituals that range from dramatic to harrowing. Soldiers have taken the oath in gaudy former residences of Saddam Hussein and in the spider hole near Tikrit where the gray-bearded fugitive was captured in December 2003.

More than 4,000 soldiers from Outen's 3rd Infantry Division have re-enlisted in the past year, including 117 who raised their hands together at a mass ceremony north of Baghdad in April. The division, whose tanks led the U.S. invasion in 2003, was the first to serve two tours in Iraq.

Even so, this year it chalked up the highest retention rate among the Army's 10 active-duty divisions, hitting 137 percent of its goal.

To be sure, the hardship of repeated, yearlong combat tours away from families is discouraging some soldiers, and retention is likely to slip among lower-ranking officers and enlisted soldiers, who bear the brunt of grueling overseas assignments, according to Army officials and military analysts.

To compensate, the Army this year offered new deployment bonuses and career incentives for soldiers who chose to stay, distributing tens of millions of dollars in tax-free payments. Meanwhile, sergeants tasked with persuading soldiers to re-up are working overtime to meet bigger quotas.

Despite the risk and long months away from home, many soldiers such as Outen say serving in Iraq gives them a sense of purpose, a chance to use their skills and cement a bond with fellow soldiers who become like an extended family.

Outen's infantry unit, Bayonet Company of 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, has lost three soldiers and received a dozen Purple Hearts and awards for valor. Yet the company of about 150 men met its retention goal two months early in 2005.

At a dusty base in Baqouba, a city on the Diyala River just north of Buhriz, Outen tended to his wound and reflected on staying in the Army.

"I'm only good at a few things — camping in the woods and shooting a weapon. So I figure I can use my talents," said Outen, who was on his high school's marksmanship team. "The pay is decent, you have benefits, they help you with legal problems. It's kind of like having a big brother watching out for you all the time."

Outen knows that he will be back in Iraq. But he finds a bright side even to being wounded. As a Purple Heart recipient, "I'll get free license plates for life."

For Sgt. Scott Brown, duty in Iraq is — above all — a steady job.

"I re-enlisted because I have two girls at home," Brown, 37, of Saginaw, Mich., said as he pulled on his body armor and headed out on a midmorning patrol in Baqouba. "This is a good way to support my family."

Brown said he tried leaving the Army once for civilian life in the mid-1990s, driving a forklift for an Ace Hardware store in Seattle, but found it lacking. "You didn't have a lot of benefits," he said. "It's pretty hard out there if you don't have something lined up." He recently signed up for another six years, earning a bonus of $17,500.

Brown is typical of many midcareer soldiers who already have spent six to 10 years in the Army and plan to stay until the 20-year retirement mark.

About four-fifths of the eligible soldiers in this category are re-enlisting today, a figure that rises to 90 percent for those who have served more than 10 years.

As they rise in rank, soldiers such as Brown gain opportunities to go to school or serve as recruiters or drill sergeants — cutting down on the frequency of deployments.