Octogenarian receives Army recruiting letters inviting him to re-enlist

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - The last time Dr. Floyd Baker served in the U.S. Army, Harry S. Truman was president, Dinah Shore's "Buttons and Bows" topped the music charts, "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" won an Oscar and the bikini made its debut on American beaches.

So the 84-year-old semi-retired dentist from Philadelphia was a little surprised last August when he got a letter from a local Army recruiting station inviting him to re-enlist.

"I was honorably discharged in 1948," said Baker, who was drafted in 1946 and left the Army with captain's bars on his shoulders. "I thought the letter belonged to somebody else, knowing when I got in the Army and when I got out. I thought it was a mistake."

He started believing that maybe it wasn't when he got a similar letter two months later offering him a $30,000 signing bonus, a $58,646 loan-repayment option and a "generous retirement plan" to re-up.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/10906027.htm

[Inland]

1. Bush finally finds way to merge SS "crisis" and permanent war machine

[slackmaster]

2. If I were in his shoes I'd show up and demand the $30K

In exchange for not making a big stink about it.

:evilgrin:

[kitty1]

16. Not to worry. Rumsfeld has top notch scooters

available for the enlisted that are over 70. Those puppies are fully loaded with hidden assault rifle and scope. Armored to the teeth. (The poor soldier probably doesn't have any though)

[slackmaster]

18. A friend of mine suggested the concept of "Rascal Jousting"

Putting elderly people with their little electric scooters or wheelchairs (e.g. the Rascal®) onto a padded field of battle, and give them Nerf weapons with which to attack each other.

[cliss]

20. LOL! Kitty, that's so funny.

Welcome to the DU!!!:smoke: :toast: :party:

Great post. Keep 'em coming.

*note: This is the most ridiculous thread I've ever read after arriving on the DU about 2 years ago. The army wants 80-year olds to serve? This is almost as bad as the thread about the church whipping the Easter Bunny last April.

[Liberty Belle]

22. They should start with W's dad, who went parachuting in his '80s.

[Skink]

3. Somebody call Michael Moore....

[clydefrand]

4. I'm going to notify them that my 70 year-old husband would be

a better soldier!!!

He did encryption? in early 50's but he has figured me out yet!

Hmmm, maybe he wouldn't work so well after all. I guess I'll just keep him home.

[classof56]

11. My husband's 70, and I've had this awful feeling...

they're going to call him up. He did his time in regular army (in the 50s) and National Guard for many years, out for over 30 years, but he's also a computer genius and thus might have 'em lickin' their chops.

And what do I say? Hell, no, he won't go! But wait--are they offering $30k? Hmmm...since we're both at risk of losing our SS, maybe I should rethink this thing...but wait again! Who'd keep my computer crankin' if he were conscripted? Oh, the conflict!

Just in closing--I hate Bush and everything he stands for.

Tired Old Cynic

[Cha]

14. LOL!

I'd tell bush to stuff it up his nose and activate his own reserve status.

When is this Country going to catch on as a major Majority to the machiavellian, faustian behavior of this gang of rogue elephants?

[NuttyFluffers]

5. i can't write a farcical universe better...

each day the neo-cons create a world of madness and contradictions far greater than even my sick imagination can concoct.

it's one of the reasons that makes me think there must be some evil genius behind the whole thing -- it is so above and beyond the everyday calculated malice and absurdity of life.

[deadparrot]

6. Good lord.

I really can't say much else.

[superconnected]

7. outside, republicans clear across the nation will

insist bush is brilliant, and recruiting 84 year olds is important and necessary to keep us safe from the hostile iraqis.

Luckily the one I work with is home sick today so I don't have to hear it...

[Turbineguy]

8. ........

youth is wasted on the young....

[Robb]

9. Beating the dead horse that is irony

...when will it end?

[DemoTex]

10. GOP Social Security "fix"

Draft the old, toothless motherfuckers! Make them earn that paltry pension. But off-set SS by any combat pay earned. It is the Bu$h way. Comply or die!

[Cha]

12. How much is your life worth,

baby?!

[rodeodance]

13. well, at least they invited him--He can decline

[sweetladybug]

15. Hell, my Dad's almost 82 yrs old and I'm going to ask him if he wants

to make some extra money by reenlisting into the Army. He was discharged in 1946. That extra money could sure help him out since he's on a fixed income. Now the Army might need to have someone to help him walk and to drive him around in order for him to from one place to another since he has poor eyesight. He also has problems with his bowels and he goes to the bathroom alot, but hell I'm sure the Army could give him his own porta potty. And I'm sure the Army would furnish him a hospital bed instead of a cot since he has problems getting in and out of a regular bed. Come to think of it, maybe the Military could put up reenlistment booths in every nursing home since most of these people are on fixed income and could sure us the extra money.

[movonne]

17. How would he use ihis "generous retirement Plan" ....

[MADem]

19. DENTISTS are in HIGH demand

Not only because of the "dental readiness" regulations (you must be dentally ready for deployment, can't be having a toothache in combat, it can affect your ability to do your mission) so they need them to fill those teeth, fix 'em up, and send 'em out.

But there is another reason, that they don't want to admit--a lot of more experienced dentists are skilled in detailed and difficult restoration work, especially the geezers. When you take a blast to the areas that aren't protected by helmet or body armor, if it isn't a limb, it's the face...and the teeth.

I'm sure that's what they're looking for. I can imagine what sorts of wounds are out there....poor kids.

[keopeli]

21. I have a different take on this

First, let it be said that this looks like a glitch in the recruiting system. I don't think the Army really intended to recruit an 80 year old man.

Our Military (like others) uses young post-adolescent men and women to populate the military. These susceptible young people are easily manipulated. I think we should have a more age-neutral policy. After all, I would argue that an 80 year old may have MUCH more to offer his/her country than a 19 year old. And, an older soldier would possibly exercise better judgement in knowing which orders to follow and which orders to abandon. Imagine Abu Grahib prison if it were run AND manned by 50 year old men and women! Surely the tragedy would have been less likely to occur!

I know there are many issues involved, but dismissing his qualifications outright just because of age strikes me as short-sighted and biased.

Keo

[LynnTheDem]

24. Sure a lot of "glitches"

Retired Army colonel, 70, sent to Afghanistan
http://www.marionstar.com/news/stories/20041211/localnews/1731211.html

By the Thousands, Soldiers 50 and Older are Being Deployed

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/102104C.shtml

CBS News | Old Soldiers Back On Duty

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/03/60minutes/main658994.shtml

And then there's;

Army sent mentally ill troops to Iraq

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040312-042634-9733r

[MADem]

29. Congress has passed an exception to policy

This happened years ago, mind, not under the weecowboy. It authorizes Service Secretaries to override the requirement that the person being placed on active duty in the services be able to complete 20 years of active service prior to reaching age 55. Normally, you have to be ACTIVATED (not in training, ACTIVATED) prior to reaching your 35th birthday in order for this to happen.

Why was this exception made? It was for CHAPLAINS, initially. Many chaplains come to their profession late in life, either due to extensive schooling or just not getting "the call" when they were young and vigorous. What pushed creation of the policy was that there were shortages in specific faith groups (Catholics, mostly). Each major faith has a guy who is responsible for forwarding names of those who like to serve, and the Catholic church had a habit of only forwarding the names of geezers (by geezer, I mean over age 35), and that became problematic for the services...come to find out, a lot of them were in trouble with the church, and were sent to the military as punishment...but that is a story for another day.

Anyway, as certain, mostly STAFF CORPS, specialities became harder fill with the shift to an all-volunteer force (we're talking doctors--thoracic surgeons, particularly--as well as dentists, chaplains, and other "specialty" types) they have become more aggressive with the waiver process, extending it to other staff corps specialties besides chaplains.

The odds are that this guy would not deploy if he opted to go active--he'd go to a boot camp, and the fit young dentist filling that slot would go off to war.

I have to say I don't agree that this is a glitch. They married the personnel listing (all who have ever served) with the accredited dental listings from all of the states and came up with a hit--that's why he got the letter. Perhaps someone at Army Personnel should have culled the list manually to screen out those of advanced age, if they had a mind to do that, but I'm betting that is how they came up with his name.

[jab105]

23. Could Rummy himself re-enlist...

while we are at it, what about O'Reilly, Rush, Hannity, Boortz, Alan Greenspan...hey, we got plenty of enlisters:)

[Sgent]

25. My uncle got reactivated

about two years ago -- he was 64 at the time.

His problem -- retiring as a one star General from the Air Force Reserve.

The reason he was called up is he is an opthamologist, and had done flight physicians for the SE region for years. They decided they needed him for that reason. He let his medical license expire (had been retired professionally for years) and they sent him home...

[Renew Deal]

26. The guy looks great.

Get him in a uniform. ;) At least he got some recognition for his service. :yourock:

[hughee99]

27. Oh great, a "Generous Retirement plan"

That will come in really handy at the age of 84. He'll be at least 87 by the time he gets out. I guess they've figured out a way they can "minimize" their retirement benefits.

[PartyPooper]

28. Be all you can be in the Army, aka Bu$hco's neocon war machine-FOREVER!