Posted on 07/21/2019 8:27:59 AM PDT by Towed_Jumper
As the Army, Navy and other services contend with a thriving economy and a directive to expand their ranks, there is a growing debate over whether the military should consider lowering the minimum enlistment age from 17 to 16. More than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, already have adopted the policy.
Critics say the idea is deeply flawed and presents a host of societal problems, but supporters argue that the Pentagon needs to think outside the box if it wants to continually overcome one of the toughest recruiting environments in decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Better to open the support roles to us old farts, especially veterans. Each one of us driving a desk frees a youngster for lead-launching duty.
I was 26 when I went to war (Desert Shield/Desert Storm). I spent the whole time in a truck. I’m 55 now and could do it all again. Garrison duty? Please.
In 13 years of service, the only time I exerted myself was at PT. Wartime actually suspended that for the duration.
Exactly. We are trained to deal with volunteers. Russians are allowed to beat the sh*t out of their conscripts to keep them in line. We're not, nor are we trained to administer discipline this way. And make no mistake, this is what would be required when dealing with malcontent draftees.
Well, they said I was too old at 30, which I thought was dumb. At that time they said the cut-off age was 27.
Maybe they should recruit older people, instead of younger.
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I agree. Old people send young people off to fight endless wars for ungrateful nations. And their offspring rarely do military service themselves.
Let the 16 year olds enjoy their youth. Let the chicken hawks step up before they send the youngsters. Our wars would be fewer and a lot shorter if that was the case.
Involuntary servitude.
No thanks. I can’t think of a better way to indoctrinate young minds into accepting collectivism than making them slaves for part of their young lives.
Another solution: no more “preemptive” wars and nation-building expeditions in the Middle East and other distant lands. If our military was used for its proper purpose - to defend America’s borders and sovereignty - I promise you enlistments would rise
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Yep.
And so far, President Trump has done a good job of keeping us out of ‘em. Even though the usual suspects are trying double extra hard to get us into ‘em.
It was Russia, then it was North Korea, then Syria, then Venezuela, now Iran.
That’s the wars the clowns have tried to get us into in just the last few years.
It's 1550 or so per month.
What are they doing, making their guns out of scrap wood?
E-1 with under two years of service gets a base pay of $1680 per month.
In July 2019, that soldier (in a garrison unit) works 21 days: 23 weekdays minus 4-5 July. Counting PT and not counting off for shower/breakfast time and lunch time, it’s a 10 hour workday, 210 hours for the month.
1680/210= $8 per hour.
So far, so horrible, right?
Now consider:
Food = 0.
Rent = 0.
Utilities = 0.
Medical-Dental = 0.
Uniforms: issued. Annual clothing replacement allowance. Able to claim for replacement of clothing ruined in the line of duty beyond fair wear and tear.
That $1680 per month could be 100% saved. A fellow soldier / barracks roommate of mine did save 2/3 of his. The ones who choose to spend it on beer or new cars or whatever ... that’s their lookout.
It took longer than I thought it would to get to this point when they went to "All Volunteer".
Better Solution: Bring Back the Draft. Let's turn a few snowflakes into productive citizens.
Yep.
I was in the process of enlisting, had scored very well on the asvab(I think that is what is was called), had a SAT score in the top .05% SAT score and was super fit and the minute I showed a bit of interest at 18 they wouldn’t leave me alone and promised the world
My dad, who was in the south pacific on his 18th birthday killing people (he enlisted on 17th birthday)and was somewhat crippled during the war looked at me and said don’t a g******** thing they tell you and don’t do it.
there is no good side to this....I see it as a recruiting tool for the homosexuals.....they must be salivating...
How about we pull back from some of the 161 countries we currently have forces in now?
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Agree. And how about we actually fight to win now and then? Many of our military engagements seem to be for dubious reasons, last way too long, and enrich the wrong people. Shorter, more purposeful engagements and deployments might attract more enlistees.
Also, our military is held to certain standards that put everyone in potential legal jeopardy. Who wants to fight under such strict constraints and face possible jail time for making mistakes in the heat of battle?
I’m a veteran and the son of a retired service member. I think we overextend our military and demand too much of their families. The military should only fight when necessary; and when that is the case they should go all out to make the conflict as short as possible.
I don’t want our 16 year old kids used as cannon fodder for politicians who can’t do anything right for the country.
So we can ship them off to war 11 years before we can expect them to drop off their parents’ health insurance?
Ok then, let’s say the voluntary enlistment thing totally shits the bed and they cannot even come close to the needed numbers. What’s your answer?
they [recruiters] wouldn’t leave me alone and promised the world
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I was talking to a family not long ago and they were enthusiastically buying all the crap the recruiter was feeding them. It was as if their child was going on an all expenses paid vacation and was going to get all their college paid for as bonus — while they were on active duty. Anything to get them to sign. This fantasy was sold to them by a marine recruiter.
People believe what they want to believe I guess.
If you can pass the armed services tests you can pass the GED. Most 14 year olds could pass the GED out of Jr High if they had a real education.
I know old machinists dudes who had trig in the 9th grade. Along with Shakespeare. But high school wasn’t a thing in the hills of Kentucky back then.
Raise wages, stay out of wars, automate, whatever is necessary that does NOT include involuntary servitude
We haven't had a war for National Survival since the Civil War.
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