Bush intends to keep the US in Iraq for the foreseeable future, after starting a war based on lies and non-evidence. Busy secretly negotiating agreements he says are beyond the scope of congressional approval. Easy for him to commit since he doesn’t actually have to serve in Iraq.
Clearly the Iraq experience is traumatizing to many soldiers. Not only is morale incredibly low, but
There were 23 suicides among American soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait last year, all but one by gunshot, and most involved young enlisted white men who faced personal financial problems, failed personal relationships or legal problems, Army officials said. (NYTimes).
The vets who make it home aren’t doing much better. The New York Times recently uncovered 121 cases of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans standing accused or convicted of murder since their return to the States.
Seems entirely understandable that few are jumping at the opportunity to join the Army. Slate columnist Fred Allen sheds further light on the new soldier recruitment issue:
They show that the percentage of new Army recruits with high-school diplomas has plunged from 94 percent in 2003 to 83.5 percent in 2005 to 70.7 percent in 2007.
…80 percent of high-school graduates finish their first terms of enlistment in the Army—compared with only about half of those with a General Equivalency Degree or no diploma. In other words, taking in more dropouts is a short-sighted method of boosting recruitment numbers.
His article is worth a read as it covers a number of the dangers in continuing to lower the standards for entry into the Armed Forces. Aptitude exam scores are dropping which has a lasting effect on field performance in terms of skill, strategy, and retention.
If we’re going to continue overtaxing our Armed Forces abroad, dropping standards lower and lower will soon cease to suffice, given the poor returns from the bottom of the barrel. Seems like draft talk could wind up back on the table out of desperation with the next adminstration because of a lack of sufficient options.
February 2, 2008 at 8:52 am |
the war is all sorts of despicable. been saying so since the beginning.
February 2, 2008 at 4:58 pm |
It’s good to know that someone is really paying attention and keeping a critical eye on Bubba Bush. I am counting down to the next president…whoever it is, anything has got to be better. My brother served in Iraq, and we are all eternally grateful that his service was up and he came home in one piece.
April 8, 2008 at 8:21 pm |
[...] US government is dependent upon these private firms because of the shortage of qualified enlistees, as well as the ability to plug and play, since many of these guns-for-hire were originally trained [...]
August 11, 2008 at 9:33 pm |
[...] been lost this year, with more on the way as the economy continues its downward slide. Given the recruitment issues experienced by the Armed Forces, expanding US war activity to several more fronts could generate plenty of jobs via mandatory [...]
August 12, 2008 at 7:37 am |
[...] been lost this year, with more on the way as the economy continues its downward slide. Given the recruitment issues experienced by the Armed Forces, expanding US war activity to several more fronts could generate plenty of jobs via mandatory [...]