I'd decided to get out of the Air Force after serving two four-year terms. In the final months of my commitment, I went in to fill out some paperwork. The clerk said "You've got about two months of leave stored up. Do you want to take terminal leave or do you want us to pay you for the time?"

I asked "What's the difference?" Well, for 14,000 Army vets, and now about 2,500 Marine veterans, the answer is now all too clear. Call it a backdoor draft.