there's no better recruiter than a veteran who goes back to his or her home community, and is proud of what they did.

I think so much of it comes from the improvised explosive devices, where people are inside vehicles and you have this echoing impact that a regular blast, in other wars, did not really experience.

That's a huge leadership question, too, when you turn around to people who are out there really having to do the hard work, and you can turn around and say somebody came in for a change of command for 2 days and got this huge break.

A Veteran--AD, Reserve, NG, or Retired is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.'

The most important issue I feel is community support of the servicemembers and their families.

there is a notion of a moral contract.

Thank you.

We'd like to ask for your support and leadership in helping us break through some of the stovepipes and bureaucracy at the DOD.

If the argument goes that if you cast a wider net, you'll get a better candidate...

Thank you.

I just find that mind-boggling.

I think you're right on the mark with regard to your view of this as a moral contract.

I encourage you to express your views candidly and to tell us what is working well, and to raise any concerns and issues you may want to bring to this subcommittee's attention.

I tend to agree with your comment, too, by the way, on ROTC, have for a long time.

This is a really relevant question, in terms of whether or not we get the DOD budget under control.

I believe you made a comment that the cost of the DOD healthcare system has tripled in the last 10 years.

I think we were putting 51 cents out on the accrual accounts when I was in the Pentagon.

I don't know why that happens. I think we have computers now--you can figure out how many days people are in theater, if you're paying these sorts of benefits.