Back door draft?

Kerry has been fond of the phrase "back door draft". I giggle every time I hear it. I see Kerry in a pair of those old fashioned PJ's with the buttoned up door in the booty. But I digress. What is this back door draft? Well, here it is from someone currently in Iraq:

Too many people have been complaining about the situation here without realizing that all of us are volunteers in this war. Stop loss is nothing more than your inactive reserve commitment being fulfilled.

Read his blog Candle in the Dark if you really want to see Iraq through a soldier's eyes. His post Battle Stress or We Are not as Scared as You Think is particularly good. Another quote:

All soldiers have to give a total of 8 years in a combination of active duty and reserve time. That reserve time can be inactive or active reserve, or National Guard. Where does this lie of soldiers being "involuntarily" extended come from. The fact is that most of the soldiers complaining aren't up to par with the game anyway. Many of the ones [complaining] I personally know are not the kind of guy you want around you in combat but the fact is that they are trained for this job and are needed now.

Good stuff. Check him out now.