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http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/080705/new_20050807010.shtmlMemo: National Guard morale low
Associated Press
CHICAGO -- A memo written by a top-ranking officer shows mounting concern over morale, leadership and declining retention within the Illinois Army National Guard, according to a published report.
With recruitment numbers down for the year, the document identifies some of the problems Illinois National Guard officials are facing as they try to prevent a personnel shortage from taking place.
A survey of 1,200 Guard troops who had been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and U.S. bases last year showed that "the majority of soldiers feel they are poorly informed, inadequately cared for, and that training in their units is boring and unorganized," Brig Gen. Charles E. Fleming wrote in a non-classified memo obtained by the Chicago Tribune and detailed in a story published today.
The Jan. 29 memo also raised concerns about the widely held perception that officers are more focused on lining up promotions than their troops' well-being.
Seventy-two percent of those surveyed disagreed with the following statement: "Officer leadership during the (mobilization) had a very positive effect on the unit's morale."
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