GIs marching away from re-enlistment

[lebkuchen]

COLORADO SPRINGS - Army re-enlistments have dropped suddenly and dramatically at Fort Carson and several other posts where combat units have recently returned from Iraq.

The surprising decline within the past 21/2 months has jolted recruiters and military analysts and provoked questions about the war's effect on the Army's recruiting ability.

Since Fort Carson units began coming home in April, post recruiters have met only 57 percent of their quota for re-enlisting first-term soldiers for a second hitch, according to an Army report.

More disturbing, recruiters say, is they're re-enlisting only 46 percent of the quota for "mid-career" noncommissioned officers. These are the young sergeants with four to 10 years of experience who are the backbone of the Army - its skilled soldiers, mentors and future senior NCOs.


http://www.insidedenver.com/drmn/america_at_war/article/0,1299,DRMN_2116_2961385,00.html

A special thanks to Buzzflash for following so closely events related to our military.

[mike_c]

1. check out Tuesday's Doonesbury cartoon....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1791648

[crossroads]

3. Cool toon...

doing his share to raise awareness...
:eyes:

[lebkuchen]

6. Thanks. I'd seen it and was about to post a commentary

until I saw today's Stripes headline, which I will post, and then go to Doonesbury.

And Trudeau thought back in Nov. 2000 that the Bush administration would bring cartoonists a few laughs to bounce off of. With one of his character's legs amputated, he knows we're way beyond that now.

(this message was meant for you, here--I had to move it)

[crossroads]

2. Risking life and limb for peanuts while contractors are paying big money

for security guards doing the same job... it's nuts... looks like our guys are wising up. Can't blame em. :shrug:

[lebkuchen]

5. How does the Bush administration plan to solve this crisis?

...by closing US army bases in Germany, one of THE incentives for (re)enlisting, and moving the 1AD and 1ID to Poland, Romania and Bulgaria unaccompanied. I kid you not.

Stripes says the 1AD will be returning 15 July from their 90 day extension, but the Pentagon isn't saying where they are returning "home" to yet. Their families are in the Baumholder area.

The 1ID's phaseout is to begin after their Iraq tour is over, which is supposed to be in Mar/Apr 2005 pending their 90-120 day extension. Base meetings to discuss the move are slated for Feb. 2005, after the election.

Surely Kerry sees the lunacy in such a plan and will never implement it.

[struggle4progress]

4. Boy George has really ruined the volunteer army.

[lebkuchen]

7. 1ID COLs giving briefings on their Iraq mission before deployment...

had no idea who would be replacing their unit, that's how slipshod this whole operation is. Rumors about the 1ID extension were raging a week after the division had deployed.

The expensive unit rotation that Rummy has implemented has been forced into a partial individual personnel rotation because of the high number of casualties the coalition (the US) has sustained. Fucked up mission from beginning to end.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Control and Domination depends on Force...among other things.

This Force for America is our Military.

But, in this case, the Force is being misused and worse, along side mercenaries making 20 to 40 $K per month, they feel cheated with such low pay by comparison and facing far greater danger. Whoa, something outawhack here.

Such is reality and common sense. Why re up for shit pay? Better to go Merc.

[Hekate]

9. I'm surprised anybody at all re-ups...

...our troops are getting royally screwed over by their so-called Commander in Chief. "War president" my foot.

The Privateers are making obscene amounts of money, while the Privates (and sergeants and lieutenants...) are making pennies for risking their lives while their families back home are facing ruin.

:argh:

Hekate

[leftchick]

10. "surprising decline"?

surprising to whom? aWol* and rummy?!?

[lebkuchen]

11. "Surprising" my ass. Stripes published its morale survey Oct. 2003

¶ Noncommissioned officers predict problems in re-enlistment, although military leaders say enlistment rates historically drop after conflicts. Nearly half of the troops surveyed said they do not plan to re-enlist. No re-enlistment figures from Iraq are available at this point, while generally the overall military re-enlistment rates appear to be satisfactory or better.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=&article=17515&archive=true

Compare "nearly half" to the reenlistment figures we have now, from the article I'd posted. The Stripes survey's stats were right on the money.

More disturbing, recruiters say, is they're re-enlisting only 46 percent of the quota for "mid-career" noncommissioned officers. These are the young sergeants with four to 10 years of experience who are the backbone of the Army - its skilled soldiers, mentors and future senior NCOs.

[Maeve]

12. Contrast and compare with this article from May

http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=1887214&nav=2FH5NKW9

"Despite the recent negative reports coming out of Iraq, more soldiers are re-enlisting in the military.

The Marine Corp recruitment office in Lufkin says there's been about a 20 percent increase in re-enlistment since the conflict in Iraq started. Even so, there has not been an increase in registration with the Selective Service. That program requires men between the ages of 18 and 25 to sign up, which makes them eligible for a draft into the military"

THIS is what they trumpeted less than a month ago--now we hear that's not quite right---gee, who's surprised at THAT? :eyes:

[lebkuchen]

13. The army was touting its (re)enlistment figures a few months ago

until you read the fine print, which said that the bar had to be lowered twice, by 1500 bodies each time, to achieve the goal.