What a nightmare:

WASHINGTON — Up to 2,500 Marines will be recalled to active duty to make up for a critical shortage of specialists to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps said yesterday, the first time since the invasion of Iraq three years ago that Marine commanders have taken the extraordinary step of drafting back into uniform those who have left the ranks.

The former Marines, who had been trained for positions ranging from military police to combat engineer, will be returned to service for up to 18 months and are expected to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan in 2007, officials said. They are among tens of thousands of former military personnel who have been discharged from the service and entered civilian life, but who may be required to return in an emergency for as long as eight years after leaving the service.

The announcement was made a day after President Bush vowed to keep US forces in Iraq for the remainder of his presidency, warning that withdrawing the estimated 138,000 American troops prematurely would be a “disaster.” Nevertheless, the involuntary call-up was unexpected and served as a reminder of the strain on US ground combat units, which have served multiple tours in both conflicts and have suffered the brunt of US casualties. There are 22,000 Marines in Iraq.

And yet:

More than 11,000 men and women have been dismissed under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” since the law was implemented. According to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than 800 of those had skills deemed “critical” by the Department of Defense, including linguistic training, medical skills and expertise in combat engineering.