"When Baghdad fell we thought that this was not going to be a prolonged battle"

We're winning the war(s)? Tell it to the Marines…..From the Boston Globe:

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…..
The Corps has met its recruiting goals, has been able to retain a sufficient number of seasoned combat veterans, and has been authorized by Congress to increase its overall ranks, but says it is short about 1,200 specialists in engineering, military police work, communications, and intelligence operations.

Slate's explainer talks about the "individual ready reserves" system that allows this Marine recall.