50-year-old war vet stunned by new deployment to Iraq

By GottaLaff

Think: What better place to look for potential soldiers in tip-top shape to fight a fraudulent war in Iraq... than AARP:

A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq.

The last time Paul Bandel, 50, saw combat was in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. [...]

In 1993, Bandel took the option of leaving the Army without retirement and never thought he would be called back to action."Here he's 50 years old, getting his AARP card, and here he's being redeployed with all these 18-year-olds," said Paul's wife, Linda Bandel.

Clint Eastwood, maybe, but Paul Bandel?

Involuntary recall allows the military, regardless of age or how long someone has been out of service, to order vets back into active duty.

Call it what it is: A draft.

"Anger's not the word. I was more concerned about the financial impact it's going to do. My pay's probably cut in half," said Paul Bandel.

There's that.

And there's also that whole "we're winning" thing that BushCo insists on bellowing whenever a camera focuses in on their pompous mugs. If we're such victors, why are they forcing 50-year-olds to fight a war we've supposedly won?

The last missile system the veteran was trained to operate is no longer used by the military.

Calls to the Army and the Pentagon about how many men and women in their 50s are being called back to duty were not returned Wednesday. Paul Bandel will be deployed overseas until 2010. His wife plans to move in with her elderly parents until his return.

The veteran is dusting off his old uniforms and torn between his duty to his country and obligations as a grandfather.

I'm sure they'll give him all the training he needs to dodge all those pesky IEDs. Think how physically fit he'll become! That should be of some comfort to his grandchildren.

Video here.