Probe Sought Into Alleged Military Reenlistment Coercion

A Colorado congresswoman called yesterday for an investigation into accusations that Iraqi war veterans near the end of their duty were given a choice between re-enlisting or being sent back to Iraq. "They can't meet re-enlistment goals, so they're putting this hammer over their head, which is just wrong," Rep. Diana DeGette said at a news conference in Denver. "In the long term, the integrity of our military is going to suffer." According to reports in the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Carson, Colo., were told they faced reassignment to units expected to be deployed to Iraq or Korea if they did not either re-enlist by the end of the month or extend their duty until the end of 2007. Those who re-enlisted or extended would stay with the 3rd Brigade, which already was deployed for a year in Iraq. Fort Carson spokesman Lt. Justin Journeay said soldiers recently were given a form with three options; the third -- neither extending nor re-enlisting -- came with the understanding they could be reassigned. [more