Posted on 07/01/2005 5:14:36 AM PDT by OESY
The announcement this week that the Army met its recruiting goals for the month of June is welcome news. Unlike the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, the Army had missed its targets for the previous four months -- in large part, the conventional wisdom goes, because of the violence in Iraq, where 105,000 of the 139,000 U.S. troops serving there are Army. Well, maybe -- but the war on terror is the Army's best recruiting tool too.
Uncle Sam's biggest recruiting challenge is mothers, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey told us a few weeks ago during a visit to the Journal. Like moms everywhere except perhaps in ancient Sparta, they aren't keen on their sons and daughters going to war. The current economic prosperity also hurts recruiting because young high school graduates have more job opportunities.
The Army's response has been twofold. One is financial -- bigger signing bonuses, a $1,000 "signer's fee" to soldiers who introduce recruits, and other incentives. Equally important is the "call to service" effort, which focuses on "the nobility of service," Mr. Harvey says. That includes community speaking programs and the deployment of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to work side-by-side with recruiters. On the "nobility" front, it's worth noting that re-enlistment rates are strong -- as high as 150% of target among deployed troops, the Army Secretary says. Retention is high for the other services as well.
Or, as Marine General Peter Pace put it Wednesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee, "Those [in] uniform serving this country get it." Most Americans "get it" too -- and we join with them in saluting our nation's service men and women on this Fourth of July.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
-- Betsy, betsyspage.blogspot.com/
Former Marine Recruiter Bump.
I'm one of those recruits.
We don't appreciate the fact that our grunts are safer in Iraq than a college age person here at home who is subject to auto accidents, drug abuse, foolish and immature behaviors, liberal college professors......
"We don't appreciate the fact that our grunts are safer in Iraq than a college age person here at home who is subject to auto accidents, drug abuse, foolish and immature behaviors, liberal college professors......"
Please don't minimize the danger these volunteers are subject to. I'm sure their families would have less stress if they were on a college campus somewhere. Remember there are also 13,000 wounded!!
Thank you for your service.
Gee, I am sure that the MSM will be mentioning this fact as often as they brought up the shortfalls for other time periods. /sarcasm
In the winter...from the pool halls
In the winter...from the pool halls
In the winter...from the pool halls
Congratulations, and thank you!
What branch?
Army of course.
Better than nothing ;)
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