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The Military Recruiting Crisis: Even Veterans Don’t Want Their Families to Join
The Wall Street Journal ^ | June 30, 2023 | Ben Kesling

Posted on 06/30/2023 3:25:54 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

Sky Nisperos’s grandfather came to the U.S. from Mexico, and became an American citizen by serving in the U.S. Navy. Her father, Ernest Nisperos, is an active-duty officer in the Air Force with two decades of service. For years, Sky planned to follow a similar path.

“I wanted to be a fighter pilot,” the 22-year-old said. “It was stuck in my head.”

Now, one of the most influential people in her life—her father—is telling her that a military career may not be the right thing.

The children of military families make up the majority of new recruits in the U.S. military. That pipeline is now under threat, which is bad news for the Pentagon’s already acute recruitment problems, as well as America’s military readiness.

“Influencers are not telling them to go into the military,” said Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an interview. “Moms and dads, uncles, coaches and pastors don’t see it as a good choice.”

After the patriotic boost to recruiting that followed 9/11, the U.S. military has endured 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan with no decisive victories, scandals over shoddy military housing and healthcare, poor pay for lower ranks that forces many military families to turn to food stamps, and rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.

At the same time, the labor market is the tightest it has been in decades, meaning plenty of other options exist for young people right out of school.

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


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: army; military; woke
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1 posted on 06/30/2023 3:25:54 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

I was just talking to a friend about that today. I know a few guys, a couple who are career military advising their kids to not serve.


2 posted on 06/30/2023 3:27:39 PM PDT by cyclotic
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To: MinorityRepublican

Join to fight for globalism...not inspiring to potential recruits.


3 posted on 06/30/2023 3:30:44 PM PDT by toddausauras (Trump Lake 2024....Go down swinging!)
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To: MinorityRepublican

They interviewed the Soldiers after DESERT STORM.

They didn’t trust their Battalion Commanders and higher.

The word commander comes from the old Sanskrit language.

It means:

“The person in whom we entrust the lives of our beloved.”

That’s why.


4 posted on 06/30/2023 3:32:09 PM PDT by blueunicorn6 ("A crack shot and a good dancer” )
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To: MinorityRepublican

Veteran here. I refused to allow my son to join the Marines. Even spoke with the recruiter. My son has now moved on with his life.


5 posted on 06/30/2023 3:32:22 PM PDT by Obadiah
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To: MinorityRepublican

When he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mullen said if service members didn’t agree with gays serving openly, they could leave. So after serving 27 years. I did. Since 20 January 2021 I don’t recommend it to anyone (including my own son).


6 posted on 06/30/2023 3:33:02 PM PDT by Falling Crow
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To: cyclotic

It has little to do with the reasons stated. Between the gays, transgenders, DEI woke bullshit, and focus on everything but warfighters and preparedness, there is no reason to serve today and less reason to serve a country that doesn’t care about the Constitution the military is sworn to defend.


7 posted on 06/30/2023 3:33:06 PM PDT by usafa92 (Donald J. Trump, 45th and 47th President of the United States of America!)
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To: Obadiah
Veteran here. I refused to allow my son to join the Marines.

We're going have to bring back the draft at some point.

8 posted on 06/30/2023 3:34:07 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: All

I’m surprised that they are surprised by this


9 posted on 06/30/2023 3:34:09 PM PDT by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: MinorityRepublican
the U.S. military has endured 20 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan with no decisive victories, scandals over shoddy military housing and healthcare, poor pay for lower ranks that forces many military families to turn to food stamps, and rising rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.

The reporter seems to have missed one - four letters, "Woke".

10 posted on 06/30/2023 3:34:10 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: MinorityRepublican

They don’t mention DEI in the first seven paragraphs. They also don’t mention WOKE or quotas in promotion either. Nor protecting our borders which should be job one.


11 posted on 06/30/2023 3:34:45 PM PDT by alternatives?
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To: MinorityRepublican

If you already ARE A U.S. CITIZEN, why bother?!


12 posted on 06/30/2023 3:35:10 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (A man in NM is killed over a movie theater seat. The azhos in The Swamp think guns are the problem. )
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To: MinorityRepublican

I’ve talked two from going to my military academy alma mater. The Honor Code there has degenerated to the point where the Supt lies about low IQ DIE crap.


13 posted on 06/30/2023 3:37:33 PM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: MinorityRepublican

No sane person would want to be part of the Groomer-in-chief’s woke libtard military.


14 posted on 06/30/2023 3:39:28 PM PDT by Newtoidaho (All I ask of living is to have no chains on me.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

We have young family members graduating high school - strongly advised not to join the military by other vets in the family. The current ‘Commander in Chief’ isn’t fit to be in charge of a lemonade stand & the ‘woke’ brass are ‘beyond the pale’ (no pun intended).


15 posted on 06/30/2023 3:41:59 PM PDT by Qiviut (I'm not out of control, I'm just not in their control. $hot $hills: Sod Off)
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To: MinorityRepublican
My son, myself, my father, my grandfather, and my grandfather all served in the U. S. Army. I highly encouraged my son to serve. To my knowledge, he was the only commissioned Officer.

His boy is still very young, but he will not encourage him to serve. Incidentally I am the only one of the 5 without combat experience.

16 posted on 06/30/2023 3:42:19 PM PDT by Radix (The perfect Tag Line is recognized by its conciseness and brev)
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To: usafa92

“It has little to do with the reasons stated. Between the gays, transgenders, DEI woke bullshit, and focus on everything but warfighters and preparedness, there is no reason to serve today and less reason to serve a country that doesn’t care about the Constitution the military is sworn to defend.”

Indeed ... essentially, the U.S. military is no longer a meritocracy ... skin color, gender, who you like to make boom-boom with, QWERTYness, and a whole host of non-merit based criteria predominate over plain-jane competency, loyality, and willness to work hard ...


17 posted on 06/30/2023 3:47:46 PM PDT by catnipman (In a post-covid world, ALL "science" is now political science: stolen elections have consequences)
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To: MinorityRepublican

So far as families joining - the military is not a democratic institution. One sins up and then one is a GI. Government issue.

One has to follow orders.
Once one signs up that is.

The military operates to protect and defend the constitution period.

Within that non democratic institution, the structure serves to protect the constitutional rights of the GI.

Once congress pushes unconstitutional demands on military members it is a whole different structure. No one needs to sign on to that. And they won’t. And their combat veteran families won’t blink.


18 posted on 06/30/2023 3:47:46 PM PDT by stanne
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To: Billthedrill

> The reporter seems to have missed one - four letters, “Woke”. <

That’s certainly a factor. But I think it’s more than just that. Who would want to send a child to die on a hill in the middle of nowhere, just to advance some neocon goal?

Think of all the poor service members who were wounded or died in Bush II’s invasion of Iraq. How did their sacrifice help America? I would say that it helped not at all.

G_d bless Donald Trump in this regard. He kept America out of unnecessary wars.


19 posted on 06/30/2023 3:49:04 PM PDT by Leaning Right (The steal is real.)
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To: MinorityRepublican

“ We’re going have to bring back the draft at some point. ”

Drafting people then pushing unconstitutional demands on them is not going to fly.


20 posted on 06/30/2023 3:49:08 PM PDT by stanne
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