WASHINGTON — Young Army officers, including growing numbers of captains who leave as soon as their initial commitment is fulfilled, are bailing out of active-duty service at rates that have alarmed senior officers. Last year, more than a third of the West Point Class of 2000 left active duty at the earliest possible moment, after completing the initial five-year obligation. It was the second year in a row of worsening retention numbers, apparently marking the end of a burst of patriotic fervor during which junior officers chose continued military service at unusually high rates. Mirroring the problem among West Pointers, graduates of reserve officer training programs at universities also are increasingly leaving the service at the end of the four-year stint in uniform that follows their commissioning. To entice more to stay, the Army this year is offering new incentives, including a promise of graduate school on Army time and at government expense to newly commissioned officers who agree up front to stay in uniform for three extra years. Other enticements include the choice of an Army job or the pick of a desirable location for a home post in exchange for an extra three years in […]