Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
Posted on 06/05/2011 10:07:38 AM PDT by PROCON
(Reuters) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates bluntly told Marines on Sunday that they won't be able to opt out of their enlistment just because they disagree with a government decision to end a ban on gays serving openly in the military.
Gates, who is on a tour of Afghanistan to bid farewell to the troops before stepping down at the end of the month, was quizzed by a Marine sergeant about the controversial policy during a question and answer session at a base in southwestern Helmand Province.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Now let’s hear from the recuiters. Is this years crop of high school grads avoiding them? What about the 2007 grads who are finishing thei 1st hitch. Hmm.
I can’t remember anymore how the draft worked. Was there an option, once drafted, for what branch they’d serve in? Or, were draftees put in different branches on some rotating basis? All the Marines I knew had signed up voluntarily.
Our all-volunteer military is very impressive vs. having a bunch of draftees who don’t want to be there. But I do think we need something, some way for all our citizens to have some personal investment through service of one form or another to the country. As it is, there’s a limited number of men/women and their families who really have a stake and who bear the burden.
All of this “political correctness crap” can’t last forever, because it will succeed in creating a high finite number of new problems! Down with all political correctness, asap and please!
Our recruited military would revert rapidly to conscription if we had a war like Korea, Vietnam or anything else which faced a force comparable to our own. As long as our enemy is weak, we can afford to lower standards.
My son is in Navy JROTC and says he’d never join under these conditions with this idiot CIC in the White House!
Thunderstorm heading, turning computer off and will ping later.
Did it occur to you that since Obozo's agenda is the destruction of the United States, decimating the Military is high up on his "bucket list"?
Regards,
GtG
That waits to be seen.
Right now, retention rates are so high that Gates has advocated pay cuts and the Navy, for one, is kicking out sailors left and right.
Enlistment and reenlistment goals are being met in all branches of the military.
The Navy and Air force will always have high retention rates because a majority are not involved in land combat, living in the trenches, and getting mortared and rocketed on a daily basis. Marines and Army are going to be greatly impacted by this policy, and I expect to see more of the infantry types leave at a higher rate than normal. The going is good in the navy and air force these days, I wouldn’t leave either.
How about the sodomy training, is that meeting its goals too?
Army and Marines in particular have always had trouble with their retention rates; especially when the going gets tough (iraq pre-surge,) and I expect a drop in land combat forces after this policy is enacted and after the summer surge by taliban forces. Our land forces are suffering in morale and I continue to see it drop especially with the ridiculous ROE, and our lack of initiative to take the fight to the enemy in Pakistan.
They're just making room for all those Village People fans who can't wait to live out the lyrics of their favorite camp tune.
The Navy is kicking people out because they don’t have a problem with retention - no one wants to get out. Hell I would’ve stayed for 20 years if I wasn’t getting deployed to garbage heaps and shot at on a daily basis.
I know, I was making a joke about the repeal of DADT......Apparently, it bombed.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
No argument here. Yet look at the numbers. All four branches are currently meeting manning quotas, Army and Marines included, and they're doing so without waivers. Try getting into the military today with a DUI or drug conviction on your record. No thanks. Tats below short-sleeves? There's the door!
Now, obviously the lousy economy is playing a huge part in this. Will the DADT repeal by itself bring the numbers down? I honestly don't know. My money says that retention and recruitment goals will continue to be met (perhaps begrudgingly) until the civilian economy improves. There's just not much out there right now.
Not so sure I want to serve with people who settle on the service as a last resort. Sort of like well I never wanted to go into the military, but I can’t find any other work. That’s not the type of people I want to serve with IMHO.
Be easier for the fags to leave. After all, their sh!t has already been packed......................................
...................
Rest assured that the leeway to reward problem behavior will quickly leave once the new policies are in force. There will be a protected class of recruit, to the detriment of all services.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.