Beyond the Iraq war, the military says other factors have affected its ability to recruit. More high school graduates are going to college, and the economy is strong, providing lots of civilian jobs. At the same time, only three of 10 people between 17 and 24 fully meet the military standards.

Less obvious factors have also decreased the recruitment pool. They include higher obesity rates, more people diagnosed with mental health conditions such as attention-deficit disorder, more criminal citations due to the increase of the drinking age from 18 to 21.

"The numbers of people who meet our enlistment standards is astonishingly low," said Michael Dominguez, principal deputy undersecretary of defense.


I find the statement above to be a distasteful lie! The pentagon claims it is having a hard time meeting it's recruitment goals due to an astonishingly low standard of kids 18-21 able to meet their enlistment standards. Their enlistment standards???? hmmm........

I know a young man, just sent to Ft. Benning, GA. Even though he is addicted to crack cocaine he was evidently able to meet their tough enlistment standards. He is currently at the Infantry Training Center, and upon graduation he will be sent to Iraq. The Army worked hard to get this young man to join convincing his parents that his standards were good enough.

This young man is one of the few that are attracted to join. He is desberate to kick his habit, and his family thinks his chances of dying are greater if he doesnt join. The Army knowing his problem has convinced them that his addiction can be cured easier, and his chances of survival will be much better in Iraq than in a rehab center. His Father, bless his heart, believes this is best too. I tried, but was unable to convince him that the US Infantry Training Center was not the place to send a young man addicted to crack cocaine.
This young man, and I suspect the Army is accepting more and more just like him to meet their recruiting needs, obviously has an unstable psychy. The Military might help him overcome this mental weakness, but what will it be replaced with? What will happen if he survives combat and comes home to the same enviornment and has to deal with those demons? If he cant handle the ones he has now without substance transferal how will he handle the new demons without it?
This young man is one of my nephews, his father is my brother. I was just wondering if anyone else has evidence of the recruiting standards our military is resorting to to meet its recruitment goals. People say volunteers, I say, ha with the help of his desperate father, this young man was actively recruited, he was blantly coerced, and shamelessly Lied to, by a desperate military when all he did was cry out for help!
He picked the Infantry, because his Uncle Fanta was a grunt, and he wants to be too. His father told me this, thinking I would be proud. I hope the best for my nephew, I hope he fails to complete Infantry training! My concious is clear, I tried to talk him out of it, but my brother and my father have made it very clear to me that I am not to talk to him. They think this is the best thing for him.
What do y'all think? I would like to hear your opinions!

fanta... been in the military???? im guessin no.

He picked the Infantry, because his Uncle Fanta was a grunt!!!

He can read........
and he pays taxes, and he votes!!!!

..... uh huh.....

What is this the cable company?
Are you poor with no education, no silver spoon in your baby pictures, no employment oppurtunities other than McDonalds, or a drug problem? We have just the oppurtunity for you!

Among the changes that have helped attract more recruits:

_ Increasing to $20,000 the bonus for troops who join by Sept. 30 and leave for boot camp within a month.

_ Raising the enlistment age to 42.

_ Allowing recruits to come in with non-offensive tattoos on their hands and neck.

_ Offering a $2,000 bonus to Army soldiers who refer a new recruit.

_ Enlisting recruits who don't meet weight standards and must trim down their first year.

_ Advertising that targets potential recruits' parents.

_ Increasing the number of recruits with general education diplomas rather than regular high school diplomas.

_ Creating a more pleasant boot camp environment.

_ Sending "gung-ho" soldiers fresh from boot camp or war zones back to their hometowns to visit old friends and schoolmates to promote the Army.

_ Increasing to more than 15 percent the number of Army and Army Reserve troops given waivers for medical and moral reasons or for positive drug and alcohol screen tests.

rambutt , why don't you crawl outta the closet and find a real man to date

we know you want to !!!!

but before ya do learn to read ....


ok i will make coffee...sorry for hijacking this but rambutt just is too much to take first thing in the morning!!!

Heard a radio story last week about Drill Insructors acting more as a "coach" in Basic Training than a traditional DI. I don't know about this. For the most part thru history, the old way of basic seemed to work just fine. The "new style" of basic combined with lowering recruitment standards doesn't sound like good news for the military. I think in a lot of ways, we as a society are becoming lazier. Less kids going out for sports,for that matter, less kids out playing period. Most places,restaurants for example, that were a haven for high school kids to work, are now usually desperate for any help they can get. When I go to the track, no matter what time of day it is, I'm usually the youngest person there(I'm 44). I guess we just have too many comforts at home, including the 'net, too keep us from going outside to do anything.

Oh, look around your neighborhoods. Notice the people doing yard work? Now notice how few of them are kids.

Right next door to me knoxman. Two grown men in their ealy 20's. The father does all the work. Been living next door to them for 7 years,the boys never did yard work or any other kind of work either. Sad, really

Fanta,

... I'd want YOU as MY uncle!!!

You wrote:

"... The Military might help him overcome this mental weakness, but what will it be replaced with? What will happen if he survives combat and comes home to the same enviornment and has to deal with those demons? If he cant handle the ones he has now without substance transferal how will he handle the new demons without it?... "

I say that war is a huge 'convention' of all of man's perversions.

How can one expect the perversion of perversions to 'heal' another perversion, is one of man's best kept secret.

My understanding of 'perversion' is that it IS a psychic disorder. It will provoque a significant deviation of normal tendencies and mental structures, and translates into a behavior disorder which by nature, causes harm to self and others.

War, is the ultimate deviation of man from his spirit: his higher nature. War is the ultimate barbaric refuge: what is lowest in man.

I have to entirely agree with you Fanta: the king of perversions can only make another perversion WORSE, regardless of your family's good intent towards your nephew.

how to recruit the next alcoholics/drug addicts/psychotics and wife beaters of the future!!!!

enlist them into the military!!!

no one comes home ok...and i don't care how many of you stand up and say ..."hey look at me !! i'm ok!!"

because you know and i know that is a crock of ####

'rambill',

I'll try and see if I can do someting to fix 'bl8ant's keyboard. Obviously there has been a mispelling of your 'nickname'.


... sorry 'rambill'! Just wnet through a complete refit of 'bl8ant's keyboard, no defect found. But have no fear, I'll keep looking, and I'll find the source of the 'nickname-spelling' error.

(I'm concerned now?!?!? could it be that I have been spelling your 'nickname' wrong all along?!?!? Whatever, I'll get to the buttom of this.)

oh oh oh ...and i thought i was bad!!!!


Voileazur...... he can't help it.... we prolly need to exercise compassion....sigh


he was born there.... he's been bred and raised .... since the playpen...fed on preservatives and food colouring, antibiotics and hormone fed beef and chicken and who knows what...then he's prolly pickled his liver...


maybe we should call in the next of kin?????

Actually to be accurate our army should have corporate sponsors displayed on their
uniforms...like Nascar ....a patch for Nike...or maybe Dell...or Standard Oil....Gatorade
the generals could have a Viagra patch...this war brought to you by __________ ....
Proud sponsor of the Iraqi invasion....

:)

That would be rigt in line with its perverse nature, 'Davinci'!

bl8ant,

'Checking out' your keyboard for defect, was the extreme limit of my sense of compassion! :)

It must be a mantra of sorts.

"We need weapons"

"We need war"

Must be going round like one of these Chinese Prayer Mills in some peoples heads. They don't really read the posts, just glancing over them, and then they start to chant their Mantra again.

The military has been recruting heavily since the war began. The military was actually, as many are aware, besieged by recruits following 9/11. However, as time went on and recruitment lagged standards were, as you mentioned Fanta, relaxed to allow more, less traditional, new recruits.

What hasn't gotten as much press, and I believe everyone should be aware of, is that soldiers currently serving have had there service extended and retired military have been called up to come back.

Partly this is something that can always happen in war, but it has some serious consequences. One of my friends was in the reserve with a wife and 7 (yes seven they are seriously catholic) children. His primary job was a a civilian employee of the federal government. When his wife became pregnant with their 8th child his reserve period was almost completed so he requested his discharge date.

His paperwork was in the approval process when War was declared. His discharge was denied and he was called up full time and within a few months he was sent overseas. He was held on active duty for an additional two years. Many people are not aware that for current military when their enlistment is up they can still be kept in due to "needs of the federal government". So if you do enlist (voluntarily) and want to get out you may not be allowed to be dischared even if your initial term of service is complete.

So Fanta you just might want to make sure they all know that he will not necessarily be out when he was promised- especially if recruitment continues to be so low...

You said 'invisible',

''... It must be a mantra of sorts. "We need weapons" , "We need war"...''

'weapons and war' make some very few, very rich people's world go round!!! (and weapons and war need LOTS OF OIL, ... still!)

And to keep the rest of us still and docile, they feed us that war and weapons are necessary to preserve our hard earned 'freedom' and 'way of life'. Then of course they have to tell us that we're 'WINNING'!!! Otherwise, why keep fighting what they made us believe is this 'JUST WAR' ?!?!?

Thus the propaganda (elevation out of proportion) of a 'maybe' few lost souls (Al Quaîda) presumably switching side!?!??

Why propaganda? Because none of that kind of popcorn event, whether true or not (switching sides), will change anything to those rich boys thirst for weapons, war and oil to ensure that THEIR WORLD KEEPS GOING 'ROUND !!!

Fanta..getting back to the topic...I wish the best for your nephew bud. I have seen many "troubled" kids find a new direction in the military. As much as some of you like to portray the services as just one big war machine, it still consists of very good men and woman regardless who controls where or what mission they must fullfill. It gives young men and women self confidence, training in fields that can provide a brighter future. (other then how to shoot a weapon) Fanta My friend..I sincerely wish the best for your family and maybe they did the right thing.. from what you say..his future didn't seem like it would be a positive one.I know this is one time you wouldn't mind being on the wrong side. Only time will tell...best to you and your nephew bud