Nearly 350 GIs have died on bikes since the 2001 terrorist attacks compared with 259 killed while serving in Afghanistan, according to safety records kept by each service. The number who die in crashes each year -- nearly all in the United States -- has more than doubled since 2001, hitting new levels in 2005. Nearly 1,000 more have been injured, draining power when the Pentagon needs every soldier.

A big part of the problem, say commanders at North Carolina bases, comes when soldiers return from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan with months of tax-free salaries and extra pay for combat and overseas service. They buy high-powered motorcycles and hit the streets to burn off adrenaline, testosterone and boredom.

Dying on American roads after months or years of combat abroad seems to survivors like cruel irony.

"When the doctor told me that he was dead, I told him that wasn't acceptable, it just wasn't acceptable," said Andrea Strickland, 22, the widow of Marine Lance Cpl. Mark Strickland. "I said, 'He just got back from a war zone, and you're going to tell me that he died doing something he loved?' "

Strickland, 24, was one of five Camp Lejeune Marines involved in serious motorcycle crashes in October. Four had been home just a few weeks from combat in Anbar Province, the most dangerous part of Iraq. Three were killed; another lost a leg.

This month and next, 20,000 Marines and sailors will return to bases in the Carolinas, most to Lejeune.

"Our goal is not to see the same thing happen," said Lt. Gen. James F. Amos, commander of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, which has its headquarters at Lejeune.

After the October crashes, which Amos described as "a cold shot to the heart," he ordered a crackdown. The base ceased normal operations for a day in November to focus on safety, particularly for motorcyclists. It added safety programs and re-emphasized existing ones, such as mandatory safety classes and a mentor program Amos created that is being considered as a model for use corpswide.

The Army also has struggled with motorcycle deaths, suffering more than 40 in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. In December, the Army chief of staff issued a memo urging experienced riders to cut the accident rate by taking beginners under their wings.

The military needs healthy fighters more than ever. The long string of repeated deployments for the two wars is taxing the military so much that two reports released last month -- one commissioned by the Pentagon, the other by Congressional Democrats -- said it was close to breaking. On Jan. 26, the Army boosted its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 39 and doubled maximum enlistment bonuses to $40,000.

Seeking dealers' aid

In one sign of how seriously the Marines view the crash issue, Maj. Gen. Robert C. Dickerson Jr., who oversees most of the Corps' East Coast facilities, has visited area motorcycle dealers to seek their help. He has asked dealers to pass out Corps-funded $100 vouchers for the safety classes to Marine customers.

Dickerson is a Harley-Davidson man himself and empathizes with riders.

"I've owned three motorcycles, and they're a lot of fun, but you've got to be careful," he said. The Marines need risk-takers, he said, but it's crucial to draw a line between courage and recklessness.

"Riders who have been in accidents have told us that it's the legal crack cocaine," said J.T. Coleman, a civilian spokesman for the Army's Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Ala., which tracks accidents among soldiers. "They say it gives them the same adrenaline rush they get driving their tank through Baghdad or whatever."

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