Marines Miss January Goal for Recruits (First time in a decade)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/03/politics/03marines.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

For the first time in nearly a decade, the Marine Corps in January missed its monthly recruiting goal, in what military officials said was the latest troubling indicator of the Iraq war's impact on the armed services.

The struggles of the Army, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard to recruit and retain soldiers have received national attention in recent months. But the recent failure of the Marines, who historically have had the luxury of turning away willing recruits, is a potential problem for the service.

The Marines missed their January goal of 3,270 recruits by 84 people, or less than 3 percent. The Marines last missed a monthly goal in July 1995, and 1995 was also the last full year in which the corps fell short of its annual recruiting quota, said Maj. Dave Griesmer, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.

Richard H. Kohn, a military historian at the University of North Carolina, said, "It's most troubling because the Marines tend to attract people who are the most macho, seek the most danger and are attracted by the service most likely to put them into combat."

<snip>

Sgt. Kimberly Leone, a marketing and public affairs representative at the Marine recruiting station in Chicago, said one new recruiting strategy would involve sending the Marine Corps Band from San Diego to high schools across the country.

[bluestateguy]

1. Good

Sounds like more and more young people are wising up and don't want to be a part of George W. Bush's war machine.

[Ernesto]

5. Let us hope so

This ol' geezer did his time in Nam courtesy of the USMC but my sons will never enjoy that sort of horeshit agony (if I can prevent it). When in boot camp, in late '65, I met many non volunteers. As per the legend, this was the 1st time the Marines needed draftees since the Korean war.
Well here we are again folks! A bullshit war. What a CRUEL way for a government to treat it's citizens.

[Oreo]

2. But it's fun to kill?!?!

It's only going to get worse. Do you feel a draft?

[RockStar]

3. They need to go to The Young Republicans Conventions, John Birch Society,

[Betty]

4. That would be the least likely source

because 99.9999% of repugs are chicken hawks.

[saigon68]

25. They are Cowards

Ask the COWARDLY Cheney or WOLFMAN they had "OTHER PRIORITIES" during Viet-Nam.

Expect nothing better for Iraq-Nam.

[Supersedeas]

27. Chicken Hawk Freepers -- It is time to answer the Preemptive Call to Arms

4% private accounts and a VA Hospital can be part of your future too.

[Anakin Skywalker]

6. Gee, I Wonder Why?

With extended tours of duty (even for National Guards) and all that fun benefits, do you think that the chickenhawk neo-cons might even allow themselves to consider for just one moment that their bu**sh** war in the Mid-East is a cause for the recruitment shortage? Self-examination seems beyond them, you know.

[Anakin Skywalker]

7. Huh?

How is listening to some rah-rah band gonna make me wanna join?

[BadGimp]

8. oh yeah, send out the Marine Corps Band ..

That'll do the trick fer sure!

[zmdem]

9. Miss January ?

Photo please

[Psephos]

16. Grin :-) n/t

[MADem]

10. NO ONE misses JAN goal

This is serious. You can slip in December, because it is tough to get people to go before Xmas, and you have to do ALL your shipping from the 26th-31st (well, not all, but most). You can often con people who will not commit to December to commit to January. Another way of getting around it is to roll people back--you take people in Delayed Entry and slide them back a month or two or three. What this tells me is that they can't slide anyone back, because the larder is bare or the DEP pool consists solely of what are called 11S candidates--just shy of HS graduation.

They're going to have to up the bonuses, big time. It's just not cutting it.

Who wants to get shot at? Apparently not enough youngsters are raising their hands....

[Journeyman]

11. They're going for the big bonus. . .

BushCo wants to up the death payoff from $12,500 to $250,000! Who can pass on a deal like that?! Watch the enlistment numbers start to climb!

Gee, Vern. . . a quarter million, and all I have to do is die a horrible death? Won't Sally and the kids be excited by this benefit!

[MADem]

13. Swear to God, they are going to give

$150K bonuses to SPECOPS guys who stay in for a full career. Of course the odds of making it to 20 isn't too good in that speciality.

You will see enlistment and reenlistment bonuses go up too, sooner than we think. Of course, there will be a catch--if you get shot, if you are discharged due to your wounds, if you die, you won't get the money...that is to say, your loved ones won't get that bonus money.

The "death benefit"/insurance issues are separate from these bonuses.

Course, I knew where you were going with the bonus remark! It's just such a mess. If they can't con these poor kids with no jobs or prospects with the cash, we'll be feeling a draft before too long....

[soup]

19. Speaking of bonus

My 17 year old son received a 'glossy' from the Marines in the mail this week.

SHOW THE WORLD WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF.
DISCOVER WHAT YOU'RE MEANT TO BE DOING AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
STEP UP. FACE THE CHALLENGE. HEAD ON.

RESPOND TODAY TO GET YOUR FREE SUNGLASSES OR SKULLCAP.

Such a deal.

[Ernesto]

23. My son is going to take the sunglasses

But that's all he's gonna do for them.

[Roland99]

33. I figured the death benefit was a selling point to get more to sign up

to die for the Bush lie.

[merwin]

17. Time to start recruiting more seniors! n/t

[MADem]

29. Please!!!! (recoiling in horror...and recognition!)

You know they'll start recalling AD retirees right before they start drafting. There's a whole pool of newly retired folks who have some very useful experience from the first Gulf War....and they are all subject to recall and reactiviation at the pleasure of the President. It wouldn't surprise me if they also recall service personnel with experience in recruit training, especially if they decide to start up a draft...

It sucks!

[MountainLaurel]

34. I'm scared

My uncle turns 55 next year and has been working full time with the National Guard (in fulfillment, or outfitting, or whatever it's called when they make sure the units have the supplies they need) for decades. He's due to retire at the end of the year. I have a nagging anxiety that not only is he not going to be allowed to retire, but that he's gonna end up deployed.

[MADem]

36. Me too!

National security, middle east and southwest asia is my speciality. I wait for the other shoe to drop....ugh!

Keep your fingers crossed for your uncle.

[lovuian]

12. I think the kids are waking up!!!

Its a wake up call to Hawks!!!

[Dr Fate]

14. Should they start going to Young Republican meetings?

???

[daleo]

15. It seems like about 84 trolls showed up today here.

Next time they should have this article pointed out to them, when they get all gung-ho, but can't find it in their hearts to sign up.

[NNN0LHI]

18. How come the Freepers aren't all encouraging their kids to sign up?

Oh, thats right. Republicans just suck at the tax cut tit while some guy who can't find a job has to go off to guard pipelines for Halliburton.

Don

[Katherine2]

32. Freepers think enlistment

is down because of the best ever in the history of mankind economy we're having right now. There are so many good, high paying jobs in the US that people just can't drag themselves away from their high powered and fulfilling careers to join the military.

That's the freepers who will admit the article is accurate. The others just think it's liberal bias against President George W. Bush, soon to be on Mount Rushmore.

[bleedingheart]

20. Color me shocked! Where are all the GOP Patriots who are

called to march behind their leader?

This just can't be....

[NewYorkerfromMass]

21. Proof Bush's cause is not righteous

and he has lost the trust of the people.

[yellowcanine]

22. So they are going to tell H.S. students that being a marine means playing

a horn? What percent of recruited marines ends up in the band - as compared to what percent ends up in Iraq or Afghanistan?

[MADem]

30. If you hear of ANY kid getting that line of band shit fed to them

...you need to tell them that the recruiter cannot make that decision, that the classifier cannot make that decision, either. The person has to make an audition tape and it is that tape which determines if you even have a SHOT at band duty. If you're ugly, forget it--even if you can play like a wizard.

I hate it when recruiters don't tell the truth. I do understand why some of them do it (the pressure is unrelenting, and most of them are NOT volunteers for the duty, and have perfect records--which will soon be RUINED by their failure to compromise their integrity), but I think it sucks.

[gratuitous]

24. Hmmm, maybe we aren't all retarded after all . . .

Let's see, 1,400 KIAs out of approximately 140,000 troops in Iraq.

That's a 1 in 100 chance of getting permanently killed. Even the most stone-brained kid out of high school can probably figure that one out.

Approximately 15% of veterans exhibit symptoms of mental illness within four months of their return stateside and report difficulties in readjusting to life where you aren't in danger of getting blown up minute by minute.

So if you avoid the 1 in 100 chance of getting killed, you have a 1 in 6 or 1 in 7 chance of coming back with mental problems that may or may not be treatable.

Numbers for wounded and disabled are a little hard to come by, as the military hasn't been real forthcoming with that information and the media have been as incurious about that as they have been about anything else connected to the corrupt Bush administration, but I've seen numbers in the low five figures for folks coming back with fewer body parts than they left the country with. We'll call it a 1 in 10 chance to err on the side of caution.

And the recruiters can't get kids to sign on the dotted line to try their luck in that lottery?

[TrogL]

26. I keep reading this as

Marine's "Miss January"'s goal for Recruits

So Sgt. Leone isn't Miss January, is she.

Pity.

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. And some still don't believe there will be a draft.

:shrug:

[DeaconBlues]

31. I heard that if we had a war that two whole divisions of the Army would

not be ready for duty. It must be because people don't want to serve under a president who is so immoral.

Er, sorry. I must have been flashing back to 2000 and one of Bush's campaign speeches. So, how is the military doing now, Chimpy?

[ausiedownunderground]

35. "Put down that Bugle Son! and pick up that rifle!"

Watch out for "National Enlistment Week" - coming to a TV screen near you!
The message will be - "Doing anything less than committing your family members to the war effort is just plain Un-American!"

Question to ponder? If this War was so neccessary and the majority of Americans supported the invasion, why aren't Americans enlisting in droves?

[txindy]

37. They're starting their 'recruiting' very young. With corporate help.

(I know it's not direct involvement by the military, but it has much the same effect...)

I spent the last week at home with one of my kids (He had the flu. First year ever without a flu shot. Gee, I wonder WHY he didn't get that shot?! :eyes:) and was finally able to get out today. I couldn't believe what I saw! In just one week, the boys clothing depts. in some stores have been loaded with military-related patterns, themes, and styles. They had camouflage (old style AND the new digital desert, forest, and urban patterns) pants, shorts, bathing suits, boxers, shirts, and coats. That's not even counting the rah-rah, Yay Military! themed shirts I saw. People are buying them, too, because the racks weren't even close to full. They've been picked over. Unbelievable. They weren't there last week! I know because my kids have been growing like weeds lately and I seem to spend a lot of time in those departments looking for pants that fit them.

My son (who's 12) made an unpleasant discovery this week, too. He found out how saturated daytime television is with Army/Marine/Air Force ads. Particularly Army ads. He was also appalled to found out that Discovery Wings is now The Military Channel. As a lover of science, he found this sad and offensive. He believes the Discovery Channels are about learning, not killing. It's all unnerved, depressed, and angered him.

There's no way either of my children will enlist to serve under Junior and no way I'll let them be drafted. This is going to be an 'interesting' time ahead. They aren't just trying to bribe people. They're trying to brainwash the young. Hitler Youth, anyone? The fiercest, most loyal soldiers in the Third Reich.