Military Update: Army National Guard seeks to boost recruitment

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=26217

By Tom Philpott, Special to Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday-Sunday, December 25-26, 2004

To reverse a sharp drop in recruiting since citizen soldiers became 40 percent of U.S. ground forces in Iraq, the Army National Guard and Army Reserve this month announced increases in enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses.

But in an interview for this column, Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said the Army “probably is two years away” from moving to shorter tours for members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Yearlong combat tours, he conceded, aggravate the recruiting problem.

“I would like to get to a rotation where we do nine months active duty tour time with six months boots-on-the-ground,” said Blum. That would cut current rotations by half.

“But we are not ready to go there yet,” Blum said.

The chief of Army Reserve, Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, told The Dallas Morning News in mid-December that Reserve recruiting is in a “precipitous decline” that, if not stemmed, could reopen debate over a military draft.

more

[acmavm]

1. So, does this mean the freepers and the fundies who are so 'pro-war'

and rah-rah kill them Iraqis aren't enlisting in droves? Silly me, I would have expected to see them lining up at the recruiters office putting their asses where their mouths are.

[NNN0LHI]

2. Doing their part by purchasing made in China support the troops magnets

[Career Prole]

5. There was once a freeper republic thread linked here at DU which

was very illuminating...I believe it was when they first started recalling some inactive ready reservists regardless of their age or how long they'd been out of the service.
One freeper after another proclaimed their readiness to go to Iraq and "defend our freedom if only it weren't for this bum knee"...or these flat feet...or this bad shoulder...or this cyst on the ass.
Cracked me up...not a single freeper was ready to jump...each had their pissy little excuse.
Never mind that they're patching "the army we have" back up after they're wounded and sending them back to fight again and again.
Freepers are cowards, plain as can be.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. If a soldier is seriously injured in Iraq,

and can't fight anymore, will they be required to pay back these bonuses like that poor Guardsman who lost both legs was told he'd have to do?

[MichiganVote]

9. The bonuses are prorated on a yearly basis

[atreides1]

4. My Question

Besides the Fundies, where are all of those Young College Republicans?

You remember, the ones who support Bush and his war.

[teryang]

6. Opportunists spouting patriotric prattle never sign up

It's all talk about supporting the troops and little else.

They shouldn't be collecting for care packages, they should be at boot camp.

They make the inappropriate comparisons to WWII but they don't do what college students did during WWII, drop out and enlist.

[Menshevik]

7. They are cowards too

an old but good article: http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/9556221.htm

In more than a dozen interviews, Republicans in their teens and 20s offered a range of answers. Some have friends in the military in Iraq and are considering enlisting; others said they can better support the war by working politically in the United States; and still others said they think the military doesn't need them because the U.S. presence in Iraq is sufficient.

"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles,

Lee said she supports the war but would volunteer only if the United States faced a dire troop shortage or "if there's another Sept. 11."

"As long as there's a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East.

Recruiters should start going to College Repub meetings to look for recruits. Hey Vivian Lee, your country needs you....ENLIST YOU COWARD!

[Sara Beverley]

8. Lot's of Luck!!!

Anymore "pre-emptive" wars and we are through!

[this_side_up]

10. But that 70+ yr old grandma volunteered

to go over there and work so why aren't ALL
Republicans male and female, of all ages,
signing up?

Some can join the military, others can volunteer
to drive trucks in the convoys. A person with
one eye can drive a truck. Others can
be cooks and other kitchen people.

In January, at least 20 million Reps should
sign up for immediate duty. In Nov 2005,
another 20 million can sign up.

[Historic NY]

11. My niece home on emergency leave and her military friends .....

all think a draft is going to be necessary. Enlistments a way down and most of those already on duty a trying to find ways to get out. The have a few novel approaches, refusing to take promotions, failing pt, etc, anything to get reclassified. She thinks her next stop is Afghanistan once this 18-20 month hitch is over, as that is the scuttlebutt coming down the pike. She should be home by July but is not betting its going to happen. They told her to expect redeployment by Feb. 06. her obligation ended last Feb.and they are not letting people go. To her this is a draft.

[yorkiemommie1]

12. my bushie stepdaughter and husband in Orange Cty, CA (bushland)

think there will be a draft. they were saying how their friends are being called up. well, i didn't want to get into it but i said we will be in there for decades. they have two toddler boys so i hope this hit home.

i wore my peace sign necklace and bracelet to their house!!!

[VegasWolf]

13. Bush say's don't worry, god told him it would all work out and bush

would be remembered as the greatest pretzledent in history.
God will fix it so no more people die.

[VegasWolf]

14. There's no reset button when your arms and legs are blown away!

[merwin]

15. I was warned to NEVER EVER EVER join the reserves, because

they are the ones that get shat on. They are the bottom of the barrel when it comes to going to war. They get the least training, the worst equipment, and the least care given to their well being.

Basically, the purpose of them is to build up cannon fodder during times of non-war, so when war does eventually occur, they can be carted off and "disposed of" over in the war zone.

Really, what is the point of joining the RESERVES during a time of war? You'd have to be pretty dense to think that you're not going directly to Afghaniraq.