Last summer, a 52-year-old Navy captain decided, after 20 years of service, to go back to civilian life. He asked to be retired. The Navy approved, then yanked a 58-year-old reserve commander out of civilian life to fill his job. Boiling mad, the reservist went to see his Congressman, Pennsylvania's James E. Van Zandt, a naval reserve captain himself. He found a ready audience. Van Zandt and many other Congressmen had decided that too many able, relatively young officers were retiring.
Lieut. General Elwood ("Pete") Quesada, one of the Air Force's top...