sigh. ran across this article in stars and stripes that said that recruitment numbers are down in the armed forces."A senior Defense official says U.S. military recruitment is declining despite studies suggesting the armed forces are more diverse and educated than ever, The Washington Times reported Friday."
now, i doubt like hell that it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why- but here are the 'official' reasons:
"The longevity of the Iraq war, a negative view of military life and rising obesity rates nationwide were cited as principal reasons for the decline, the Times noted."
a negative view of military life. can't possibly imagine why. scandal after scandal has bubbled to the surface- from the 'patriotic' smearing of gold star families for peace to walter reed to forcing wounded soldiers to give back signing bonuses to refusing them mental health services and benefits- to making them buy their own protective gear---still!!!!- i can't imagine why more folks aren't lining up around the corner to enlist. can't imagine why folks have taken to bombing recruitment centers. gee- i wonder.
take a peek at the links at the end of the stars and stripes article- tell me what you think.
7 comments:
Stars and stripes doesn't have a clue! The military will alwayus have those like a few of my sons who just likt it fo some reason.
My oldest son is a lifer and EOD leader who has had multiple deployments and will be beck in Iraq shortly. His biggest angst and disappointment is that most of the good people are leaving being replaced by inadequate people.
That and privatization are his biggest gripes. Believe it or not he just volnteered again to get away from the awesome responsibility of trying to keep a declining shop operating.
I told him it will soon get a lot worse thanks to the chief idiot and he just said at least he'll have a job for 32 years. My response, if you stay alive that long then you will be choked by his future debt!
Stars and Stripes is sounding more and more like the MSM (mainly FOX) these days.
The links at the bottom? Kind of surreal, huh?
The Democrats as Rangel, are for restarting the draft. With all the adventures abroad, it's more seriously being looked at than you would want to think.
Interesting stuff, b. I have also heard they are not really enforcing don't as don't tell cause they need the people so bad.
of course, I hope they catch the people who set the bomb. using violence to stop a war is wrong (if that is what they want), no matter how wrong the war is. still not really sure what they want, but that bomb could have killed an innocent passerby.
yes, people will keep enlisting, but I am sure the numbers are way down. a new president might change that. guess we will see next year.
hope you had a good weekend, b
Which non-neocon will be blamed for this, since Bush escapes all focus.
Given that Americans are more interested in who comes out on top on "The Biggest Loser" than what is going on in Iraq, a draft may be the only way to get their attention. This war won't end until the yellow-magnet crowd actually has something to lose, be it money or their kids.
great post. i love succinct, but powerful, posts. It's sad - when my family lived in India for a few years (no, I never saw the Beatles), we got the Stars & Stripes all the time. And we took it as Gospel. I'd love to see it now and it's d/evolved.
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