So Much for Family Values

US soldiers serve 12-month tours in Iraq

War swells US army divorce rate

The number of US army officers getting divorced has soared in the past few years, the Pentagon says, a trend blamed on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2004 the rate of divorce was more than three times as high as in 2002, figures showed.

"The stressors are extreme in the officer corps, especially when we're at war," an army spokeswoman said.

In another sign of strain on the army, it failed to meet its recruiting target for the fourth straight month.

The army actually lowered its target for May, the Pentagon said, but still fell short of the new goal.

Colonel Joe Curtin, a Pentagon spokesman, said the army still hoped to recruit 80,000 troops in the 12 months to September, and hoped things would pick up in the summer months.

"We haven't thrown in the towel yet," he said. [...]