Free Republic

Claims that "woke" Pentagon policies are fueling a massive U.S. military recruiting crisis are overblown – and the criticisms may only be making things worse, one expert said. Peter Feaver, a Duke University professor and former member of the National Security Council during the Clinton and Bush administrations, said concerns over so-called "woke" policies have been blown out of proportion by politicians and critics. The main driver of the crisis are issues such as the current labor market and the shrinking pool of young Americans who are qualified to serve, he said. . .

‘Symphony of sewage’ out of White House deters veteran’s son from military service amid recruitment shortfalls Aden Gilbert grew up watching war movies, fighting enemy combatants in video games and listening to his dad's Marine Corps stories. He considered following in his father's footsteps but changed his mind as he saw the country and its leadership heading in a direction antithetical to his values. "If we're prioritizing being woke, and we can't actually protect the majority of American people . . . what's the point of having a military?" Gilbert asked Fox News. "Is it really worth joining and putting...

More than two-thirds of America's youth would fail to qualify for military service because of physical, behavioral or educational shortcomings, posing challenges to building the next generation of soldiers even as the U.S. draws down troops from conflict zones. The military deems many youngsters ineligible due to obesity, lack of a high-school diploma, felony convictions and prescription-drug use for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But others are now also running afoul of standards for appearance amid the growing popularity of large-scale tattoos and devices called ear gauges that create large holes in earlobes.

$65,000 Reward Offered for Information in Search for Bomber in 2008 Times Square Attack Bomber May Have Also Been Involved in Two Other Unsolved Bombings—One at the British Consulate in 2005, the Other at the Mexican Consulate in 2007 FBI New York June 18, 2013 SNIPPET: "Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Police Department announced a reward of up to $65,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the suspect or suspects involved in the unsolved 2008 bombing of the United States Armed Forces Recruiting Station in Times Square. Also released today...

Ok,a co-worker is looking to join the USAF. He called the recruiter and after answering a few "get to know you questions" he then asked where he went to high school. My buddy replied he was home schooled and has a High School diploma thru PA homeschool. The recruiter told him that was a problem because the military doesnt take homeschooled grads. Now, this guy has a degree from a state college and is smart. I have never heard of such a thing. My question is has anyone heard of this and what recourse does he have. Thanks in advance

This picturesque community among the redwoods, once dubbed "the Berkeley of the north" for its reputation for unabashed liberalism, has repeatedly thumbed its nose at the federal government. Over the years, its civic leaders have declared this city a sanctuary for military resisters to the Persian Gulf War and barred local enforcement of the Patriot Act. If they had had enough pull, President George W. Bush would have been impeached at least once. Now Arcata is at it again, with a law blocking the military from recruiting anybody in town under the age of 18. And this time, the law...

Hasn't the MSM learned anything from the unfortunate episodes of John "stuck in Iraq" Kerry and Stephen "if you don't read you've got the Army" King? Apparently not. Once again, the liberal media, this time in the form of the AFP, has perpetrated the canard that the our military is the last resort of the poor and uneducated. An AFP article of May 16 reported the story of Army sergeant Matthis Chiroux, who has refused deployment to Iraq, claiming he considers it "an illegal war." Chiroux has said that he was "from a poor, white family from the south, and...

FBI To Address Attacks Dear Pro-Troop Supporters:I have some great news to share with you!! Please also pass along this information to others who will appreciate the good news.As you know there has sadly been an increasing campaign of violence against military recruiting centers across the nation - conducted by anti-military radicals (who are erroneously referred to as "peace activists" by a sympathetic media). We at Move America Forward researched the vast array of these incidents and compiled them together in "The Sedition Report" which we provided to members of Congress and law enforcement.Today Move America Forward's legal team received...

Last year, the Washington Post let itself be so badly misled by a "study" on military recruiting from a far-left think tank that WaPo ombudsman Deborah Powell felt obliged to write a lengthy column about the matter, diplomatically taking her paper to task for failing to "tell the full story." So when the same think tank came out with another recruiting study this year, surely WaPo would take it with a large grain of salt, right? Think again.

A senior Pentagon official has rejected as false and misleading recent media headlines, based on an AP story, depicting military recruits receiving waivers as 'ex-cons.' An example is this story: Military Accepting More Ex-Cons.Said Bill Carr, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy: "For those who have a felony waiver, not only are they not ex-cons, they are not felons for the most part. If one is charged with a felony offense, even if the charge is dismissed or the conviction is reduced to a misdemeanor, even under those circumstances the waiver still goes forward under our rule,...

John Kerry's notorious "stuck in Iraq" statement, echoed by actor Matt Damon, suggesting that the United States military is a last resort for those without the education or finances to pursue other options, has been roundly refuted by Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Bill Carr. Among other areas, Carr has responsibility for recruiting and retenton. Secretary Carr appeared on yesterday's edition of my "rightANGLE" TV show. In addition to commenting on a wide range of recruitment-related topics, Sec. Carr had this to say about the Kerry-Damon remarks: "Two-thirds of those entering the military are drawn from the top half, so...

Earlier this summer, I wrote a column in which I concluded that the veracity of military recruiters compares favorably to that of most American colleges and universities. Scott Key of Fresno Pacific University’s faculty had claimed that the former were misleading. “All branches of the military have increased the size of cash bonuses,” he wrote, but added, “It is important to note that taxes will be taken out of these bonuses.” “Are you suggesting that a tax cut is in order for these troops?,” I asked him in an e-mail on June 26th. By the time that I posted my...

Author Daniel J. Flynn believes that last month’s Supreme Court case of Rumsfeld vs. the Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (FAIR) was about the hypocrisy of higher education. “Faculty and administrators rarely have trouble accepting military money through government contracts, but have problems with students accepting military money [through service],” Flynn said at an Accuracy in Academia event called “The Ivory Tower’s War on the U.S. Military.” So the decision of the Supreme Court made the hypocrisy obvious and illegal by telling colleges and universities that they cannot continue to get federal funding while banning military recruitment on their...

A group of anti-war activists wants a citywide vote this fall on whether military recruiters should be allowed on Seattle city property and in schools. Recruiters will have the same access regardless of the outcome. Schools risk losing federal funds if they don't let recruiters in, and the city allows recruiters in public places as part of their right to free speech. So the proposed College Not Combat Initiative, I-86, would be largely symbolic. Organizers say it's a chance for Seattle to go on record against the war in Iraq, a step toward outlawing recruiters and an opportunity for an...

Members only but I just got ahold of this in print from an unnamed source and decided to share some excerpts with you: In a section called Upfront on pg. 11: Trading Spaces Sure, your lawmakers went to school years ago, but do they remember? During the weeks devoted to testing, or the months when the school budget can't cover the cost of paper, it seems the statehouse is oh-so far from the classroom. Getting community leaders into schools, so that they can see what really happens, was the goal of dozens of Indiana teachers, who hosted "Legislators as Teachers"...

WASHINGTON - Uncle Sam wants YOU, that famous Army recruiting poster says. But does he really? Not if you're a Ritalin-taking, overweight, Generation Y couch potato - or some combination of the above. As for that fashionable "body art" that the military still calls a tattoo, having one is grounds for rejection, too. With U.S. casualties rising in wars overseas and more opportunities in the civilian work force from an improved U.S. economy, many young people are shunning a career in the armed forces. But recruiting is still a two-way street - and the military, too, doesn't want most people...

Supreme Court upholds college military recruiting law By Gina Holland The Associated Press WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled unanimously today that colleges that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus, despite university objections to the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays. Justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law school professors who claimed they should not be forced to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision, which was unanimous. Law schools had become the latest battleground over the "don't ask, don't tell" policy allowing gay men and...

Just Breaking!!!! Supreme Court Upholds "Colleges who accept Federal Funds must allow Military Recruiters"

AS MY FELLOW MINNESOTAN Garrison Keillor likes to say, I am a tax-and-spend liberal. I have always been one and I suppose I always will be. I'm also a first lieutenant in the United States Army, attending Harvard Law School in preparation for active duty as a Judge Advocate General's Corps officer. Some assume that the military is only a province of political conservatives and I suppose that the stereotype has some truth in it. But that doesn't mean that only conservatives are welcome in the military and it certainly does mean that its ranks are filled with only Republicans.But...

A congressman says comedian Bill Maher's comment that the U.S. military has already recruited all the "low-lying fruit" is possibly treasonous and at least grounds to cancel the show. Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., takes issue with remarks on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, first aired May 13, in which Maher points out the Army missed its recruiting goal by 42 percent in April. "More people joined the Michael Jackson fan club," Maher said. "We've done picked all the low-lying Lynndie England fruit, and now we need warm bodies." Army Reserve Pfc. England was accused of abusing prisoners at the...