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Wearing Out America's Warriors
NY Post ^ | October 16, 2009 | Ralph Peters

Posted on 10/16/2009 3:24:01 AM PDT by Scanian

THANKS to a mix of patriotism and high unemployment, every one of our military services exceeded its recruiting goals for fiscal year 2009.

That's the good news. The bad news is that, after eight years of indecisive war and ravaged personal lives, the Army's losing the experienced officers and NCOs it needs to train and lead those new recruits.

The Army's tough. But after years of voices crying wolf for political purposes, there's real trouble looming on the personnel front. I joined a broken Army after Vietnam. I don't want to see an Army resembling that one again.

Yes, we have volunteers today and Vietnam was fought with a draft. But Nam was one year in-country and a Freedom-Bird flight home (in WWII, most soldiers served less than a year in a combat zone). Only a hard core of career officers and NCOs served repeated tours — and they had more time between deployments than today's leaders

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: battlefatigue; bhodod; deployments; military; officers; ralphpeters; recruiting; usmilitary

1 posted on 10/16/2009 3:24:04 AM PDT by Scanian
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To: Scanian

I have a Marine friend who has served two tours in Iraq and is now in Afghanistan under the new ROE, He says if he survives this he is done.


2 posted on 10/16/2009 4:13:09 AM PDT by Venturer
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To: Venturer

If this continues on for another three years...which is what I expect...then I’d say that the bulk of the Army will have mental and emotional issues for the next decade or two. I’ve seen the effects of a 12-month deployment on a guy at the end...and the guy knew that in fifteen months that he’d be returning. After two or three tours...it will wear out the emotions of a guy.


3 posted on 10/16/2009 4:21:36 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Scanian

Peters is sure right about this situation.


4 posted on 10/16/2009 4:32:30 AM PDT by Travis McGee (---www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com---)
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To: Scanian

It seems more like the U.S. has the only large, battle-seasoned and hardened and educated army in the world.

Too bad our politicians in charge are a bunch of slimy eels.


5 posted on 10/16/2009 4:37:18 AM PDT by RoadTest (Religion never saved anyone, and never will.)
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To: Scanian

Wasn’t there an Osama campaign pledge to increase the size of the active duty force?


6 posted on 10/16/2009 6:01:23 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Hey Obama. Where is Osama Bin Laden?)
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To: Scanian
the Army's losing the experienced officers and NCOs it needs to train and lead those new recruits.

It's a known fact that NCOs 'really' run the Army. Without them we are screwed (Ditto for the Marines).

Experienced 'Aviators' (Pilots & Warrant Officers) are also. That was our advantage in WWII over the Luftwaffe and the Japs. We brought ours home to train new pilots. The Germans and Japs had to stay in Battle. Pretty soon it was no contest.

7 posted on 10/16/2009 7:24:13 AM PDT by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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To: Condor51

We also have a lot of solid young men and women reupping on a regular basis.

Those that leave will be replaced, and soon, we’ll have a military nearly completely free of soldiers and leaders trained up under peace time theories and SNCOs and NCOs raised up under the silliness of long term garrison games.

We’re, in all reality, heading toward a military that is healthier than it ever has been.

It’s going to have its rough spots, and there’ll be ups and downs, that’s just part of any process that has humans in it. But, over all, this military of ours is getting stronger, not weaker.


8 posted on 10/17/2009 2:18:31 AM PDT by Grimmy (equivocation is but the first step along the road to capitulation)
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