WP: Peace Corps Option for Military Recruits Sparks Concerns

[Pirate Smile]

Peace Corps Option for Military Recruits Sparks Concerns

By Alan Cooperman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 2, 2005; Page A11

The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is offering to allow recruits to meet part of their military obligations by serving in the Peace Corps, which has resisted any ties to the Defense Department or U.S. intelligence agencies since its founding in 1961.

The recruitment program has sparked debate and rising opposition among current and former Peace Corps officials. Some welcome it as a way to expand the cadre of idealistic volunteers created by President John F. Kennedy. But many say it could lead to suspicions abroad that the Peace Corps, which has 7,733 workers in 73 countries, is working together with the U.S. armed forces.

"Does this raise red flags for the Peace Corps community? I'd say yes -- emphatically so," said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association, an organization of returned volunteers, staff and supporters. "We think a real or perceived linkage between the Peace Corps and military service could damage the Peace Corps and potentially put the safety of Peace Corps volunteers at risk."

Congress authorized the recruitment program three years ago in legislation that drew little attention at the time but is stirring controversy now, for two reasons: The military has begun to promote it, and the day is drawing closer when the first batch of about 4,300 recruits will be eligible to apply to the Peace Corps, after having spent 3 1/2 years in the armed forces. That could happen as early as 2007.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/01/AR2005080101310.html

[noamnety]

1. awful

One more way for recruiters to mislead kids.

(fine print: if there's a crisis we can call you back to the military.)


And the eventual obvious path will be that the peace corps is pulled into supporting roles in military actions.

[meganmonkey]

2. ?????

No f'ing way.

:crazy:

[bullimiami]

3. plus. oh you signed up for the corp (the peace corp) so now we got you

whenever and wherever we want to put you.
just like the reserves, just like the national guard.

[burrowowl]

14. Jezuz! Talk about embedding!

Combat trained Peace Corps members to be activated at will by the maladministration!
Are they suppose to train children and parents in how to make IEDs to fight who the U$ doesn't like?!?!

[bspence]

34. I don't think so

My brother was in the Peace Corps and they'll never be able to call him into military service.

[Gloria]

4. Ted Kennedy must be having a stroke....the bunch of thugs

now want to screw up the Peace Corps.

Everything they touch, the ruin. Of course, how many Democrats voted for this crap without reading whatever bill it was buried in???

[halobeam]

5. Nothing good in our name will be left.

This sucks.

[intheflow]

6. This is not a good idea.

How stupid do they think the people are?

[YOY]

7. are Peace Corps Volunteers going to get real money after they serve???

and assistance to finding federal employment?

I got 2K and a few job leads/scholarship opps.

No offense to veterans, but PCVs serve too and there are no ticker tape parades for PCVs. No one calls us patriots. PCVs get raped, physically assaulted, and there have been some very negative episodes among our little group.

I can just imagine PCV group divvying themselves up between the military and the regular volunteers. I can imagine being looked down upon by the military volunteers.

and an US RPCV I SAY F*** THIS WITH A F***ING CHAINSAW!!

Are there any more RPCVs here. I CANNOT STAND THE IDEA OF THIS!

[phusion]

15. I have just been nominated to serve in the PC

This really blows...I thought the PC was supposed to CLEARLY be seperate from all other government orgs or activities.

Argh...Can you say second thoughts?

[YOY]

17. Enjoy your service.

I as well as many other RPCVs would very much like to know how the service is changed.

Granted you have no knowledge of how it was prior and I suppose you won't see any changes take place until the end of your service though.

Welcome to the club. It used to be far more exclusive.

[shanti]

19. don't you have to have a college degree

to serve in the peace corps?

[phusion]

20. Not a necessity...

But to be competitive you have to have either that or extensive work experience. I think about 90% of volunteers have an undergrad degree.

[rodeodance]

8. the stupidity of it all.

[54anickel]

9. McCain and Bayh - and the Peace Corp knew nothing about it until

it was passed. How can we put an end to this BS of rolling pet projects (that have no chance in hell on their own) into other bills?

Geez, there is soooo much about our gov't that should be changed. I doubt we'll ever get the chance. Between the neocons, corporatists and plutocracy, we the people don't stand a chance short of a revolution. And that would be hard to pull off since they've got "the people" at each others throats in a culture war and fighting over wedge issues.

snip>

Two longtime proponents of national service programs, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), devised the legislation "to provide Americans with more opportunities to serve their country," said Bayh's spokeswoman, Meghan Keck. When it stalled as a separate bill, aides to the senators said, they folded it into a 306-page defense budget bill, where it did not attract opposition.

Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez, who was appointed in 2002 by President Bush, said in a recent interview that the Peace Corps was unaware of the provision until after it became law.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. This will make any Peace Corps volunteer a target for

anyone who is opposed to U.S. military ventures.

[YOY]

11. and allow

certain people in who may not have "Peace Corps Interests" at heart.

Your site mate could be gathering intelligence!

This is the first time I've been mad enough to hurt someone. I do not like it.

this and WHAT SKILLS DO AN ENLISTED MAN BRING? We (PCVs) have functions (agricultural, TEFL, business consultants, ecologists).

[me b zola]

22. I believe that is the intent of this slimy piece of work

~snip~

"In his 2002 State of the Union address, Bush called for doubling the size of the Peace Corps, from 7,000 to 14,000 volunteers, within five years.

~snip~

"The president has been very supportive of the Peace Corps and has requested budget increases each fiscal year that would allow for this"

~snip~


The neo-whores are calculated at every move that they make. They do NOTHING for the good of humanity----they ONLY act to advance their agenda.

As for McCain & Blah, they are not innocent in this endeavor. They chose to dance with the devil they knew, and they know as well as we the neo-con's agenda. :grr:

[YOY]

25. and I remember hoping...

That this constituted a better budget. More marketing for additional volunteers.

Nope...just FASCIST SPIN. Putting the military where it doesn't belong. Just what we freaking need: a bunch of 19 year old testosterone induced kids who have been de- and reprogrammed...

I can easily imagine a group of military PCVS with strange clandestine overtures, retribution upon anti-American locals, harassment of the gay volunteers....the nightmare just goes on.

[me b zola]

31. I remember thinking the same thing myself

When it all began in 2000, I knew bush was horrible for the nation, but I had no idea of the depth of the evil of the bush cabal or the neo-con agenda. I did not have a computer so I got the "news" from the MSM.

Since coming to DU last Nov, I have spent *many* hours reading mounds of info compiled by our many wonderful researchers. Wow, what an eye opener. Also since being here I have been able to watch in real time the neo-cons lie and manipulate the press and the message as they pursue their slimy agenda.

Never again. If something is put out by the neo-cons, no matter how benign it appears on the surface, I now know that only a small amount of digging will reveal the lurking evil intent. I only wish the Dems in DC would treat the neo-cons with the same open eyes.

[YOY]

32. I just recalled!

Here's another snip for you:

Ann Coulter's little comment on the Today Show at the end of her little confrontation with Katie Couric (I think it was Katie).

Something about making the Peace Corps more effective.

Like sacred words coming out of the mouth of a devil that one...

[daleo]

12. Orwell - War is Peace

Bush - Peace Corps are War Corps.

This sounds like a sucker ploy anyway.

[lovuian]

16. Daleo your on it =Democracy = Fascism

Bring Peace to the world = Bring War

I've been watching the vocabulary of Cheney and the others and its total corruption of our language... Yes Orwell had it!!!

[leftchick]

38. yep, more ways for bushco** to spread more wars

oops, I mean democracy. :(

[rainbow4321]

13. Army battling steep decline in black recruits

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/080205dnintblackrecruits.d405a2c.html

The Iraq war is drying up at least part of a pool of recruits the Army has relied upon for decades: black Americans. The Army has long enjoyed a special relationship with black Americans, who have filled its ranks at rates far beyond their share of the population since the draft was abolished in 1973.


"A lot of black kids, they don't want to be in it," said DeTorrian Rhone, 18, a 2005 graduate of Bryan Adams High School in East Dallas. He talked to Army recruiters but decided to go to Texas Southern University instead.

"Most of the kids say they don't want to fight for a country that's pickin' on other countries," he said. "I don't want to fight because this war was stupid, it wasted money. Army people are getting killed for nothing, and we should have stayed in our own business."


Ever since the Army became an all-volunteer force in the 1970s, it has relied on blacks for roughly a quarter of its soldiers, though they constituted less than 15 percent of the population. And for historical and economic reasons, they have answered the call.

[gratuitous]

18. So join Brethren Volunteer Service

Totally separate from the government, and the Church of the Brethren is working now with Selective Service to certify BVS as alternative service for {ahem} draftees. Not that there's a draft imminent or anything, so stop saying that.

Anyway, the info about BVS is here:

http://www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org/

And it isn't just limited to draft age folks.

[YOY]

26. thanks but if I wanted to be a missionary

I would have done so in my own religion. (No faith based insults intended)

There is no religious involvement in the PC.

and NORTHERN IRELAND!!! How one must suffer there! :eyes:

[gratuitous]

28. You aren't asked to be a missionary in BVS

Perhaps you should read the web site. There is no evangelism in BVS, no "mission" work beyond being of service in the assignment (from the website):

Brethren Volunteer Service is persons giving their time and skills to help a world in need. It is a way for people to work at issues greater than themselves, recognizing that their efforts may not immediately solve deep-rooted problems, but can be part of on-going work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.

Sharing God's love through acts of service

Volunteers bring hope to shattered lives, offer food and shelter to those in need, and build understanding between individuals, groups, nations, humanity, and the world we share.

BVS seeks persons willing to act on their commitment and values. We challenge individuals to offer themselves, their time, and their talents to work that is both difficult and demanding, rewarding and joyful.

Volunteers receive room, board, medical insurance, transportation to project and a monthly allowance of $60-$80. Volunteers may live in a group situation, an apartment, or with a family. (In most cases, educational loans may be deferred.)

It is essential that each volunteer bring a willingness to serve. Important work towards peace, justice, meeting the needs of humanity and the environment calls out for persons willing to serve.

[YOY]

29. I did...and you are "technically" right but

there is religious motivation behind it. Even if it has that motivation it can be seen as a missionary effort in some developing countries.

If there is such an issue in the PC it is personal and not brought to the forefront.

I'm sure it is noble...but it is not a substitution.

[despairing optimist]

21. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Truth.

We're getting there, and we're only 20 years off schedule. Apologies to Orwell until he gets vaporized too.

[krkaufman]

23. Wonderful... all Peace Corps volunteers will now be targets...

... since combatants will view them as potential military personnel. Just freaking ignorant.

[bspence]

35. They were already doing that

My bro was in the PC and his phone was tapped, he was watched all the time, strangers would come up to him asking him what he was doing and where he was going...

Countries already think they're CIA agents, now they're thinking that PCVs are outright military.

Horrible news.

[cire4]

24. I sure as hell hope they let them do Peace Corps service FIRST

I question whether or not these soldiers would be mentally fit to serve in the Peace Corps after serving in a war-like environment. The last thing we need is Peace Corps officers going into the towns and villages with a war-conditioned mindset (i.e. suspicious, hesitant, and potentially violent).

It would be much better to let them do Peace Corps service first so they can develop a sympathetic connection to the unfortunate people of foreign countries. Maybe then, when they enter into war, they won't be torturing or needlessly killing these people.

[K-W]

33. Nope, heres how it works.

They go through basic training, serve actively for I think 18 months, then go into the Individual Ready Reserve for a couple of years, then they have the option of serving the rest of thier time in the peace corp.

[SammyWinstonJack]

27. Seems they'll do anything to avoid an actual draft until they are

left with no choice at all. Peace corp/military service. :crazy: They want to ruin everything decent and good.

[noamnety]

30. "The words 'civil-military operations' are now in the Army lexicon,"

-- 2004 quote from Victor Anderson.

http://www.defense.gov/news/Apr2004/n04292004_200404295.html

[CHIMO]

36. War and Peace Corps: Are Pentagon Ties Endangering Volunteers?

War and Peace Corps: Are Pentagon Ties Endangering Volunteers?

Peace Corps volunteers are raising alarm bells about legislation that allows the U.S. military to recruit young people by holding out the option of a two-year stint in the Peace Corps to fulfill service obligations. We speak with the National Peace Corps Association, a Washington Post reporter, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, and a Peace Corps parent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the U.S. military scrambles to meet recruiting goals, controversy is emerging over a new initiative that allows members of the armed forces to join the Peace Corps to fulfill part of their eight year service obligation. On Tuesday, the Washington Post published an article on the Peace Corps option for military recruits. The partnership was established through legislation backed by Senators John McCain and Evan Bayh and passed two years ago by Congress. It's only now, though, that the miliatry is heavily promoting the Peace Corps option to recruits through its National Call to Service program. And 2007 will see the first batch of recruits who will be eligible to participate in the Peace Corps after fulfilling a 15-month stint in the military. The program is part of the Individual Ready Reserve, which consists of active duty troops and trained military personnel who can be called up to active duty to fill vacancies.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/03/1420205

[Wind Dancer]

37. Amy Goodman covers this story today.

http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/03/1420205

War and Peace Corps: Are Pentagon Ties Endangering Volunteers?

Part of interview with Alan Cooperman:

-snip-

AMY GOODMAN: Can you just lay out what it is you learned, and specifically is it possible that the Peace Corps, the head of the Peace Corps, didn't even know that this option was in place until now?

ALAN COOPERMAN: Well, what I learned was that this program has really been in effect for more than two years. The legislation was actually passed in 2002. But very few people in the Peace Corps seem to know anything about it. I contacted Peace Corps -- current Peace Corps workers around the world. Virtually none of them had heard of it. I contacted a lot of Peace Corps former officials, well-known folks around the country, some of the founders of the Peace Corps. They were unaware of the details of this program, and many had no idea that the program even existed. And the reason is because it's really only now going into effect. Nobody has yet entered the Peace Corps through this route. Now, in all fairness to the sponsors of the legislation, it's clear, I think, that they intended this both to be a tool for military recruiting and, I think, in their minds, to be something good for the Peace Corps. I think that the idea was national service of all varieties, whether it be serving in a New York City inner city school as a teacher through AmeriCorps or in an African village through the Peace Corps or in the military, that all of those are valid forms of national service that should be honored, and in some sense, honored equally. And I think that that was the underlying intent of this legislation, but you are quite right that once word about it began to filter through the Peace Corps, and now it has begun to move very rapidly through the Peace Corps, quite a bit of concern has built up and I think growing opposition, and I think there are going to be moves to try to change the program legislatively.

much more................