Posted on 06/02/2005 11:39:05 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Two years into the war in Iraq, as the Army and Marines struggle to refill their ranks, parents have become boulders of opposition that recruiters cannot move.
Mothers and fathers around the country said they were terrified that their children would have to be killed - or kill - in a war that many see as unnecessary and without end.
At schools, they are insisting that recruiters be kept away, incensed at the access that they have to adolescents easily dazzled by incentive packages and flashy equipment.
A Department of Defense survey last November, the latest, shows that only 25 percent of parents would recommend military service to their children, down from 42 percent in August 2003.
"Parents," said one recruiter in Ohio who insisted on anonymity because the Army ordered all recruiters not to talk to reporters, "are the biggest hurdle we face."
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
To some extent, the term "Global War on Terror" encompasses non-Islamic terrorists like FARC and ETA - the principle is that non-state military groups are no longer acceptable. However, since the Islamic fundamentalist groups are far and away the most dangerous, they're the ones to actually go and fight.
Do you suggest we leave Iraq now since we have all the terrorist right where we want them?
No. I think we should remain and kill as many of them as possible, and continue to train the Iraqi armed forces to kill as many of them as possible.
Is the long term strategy to allow the terrorist in Iraq and then leave without defeating them?
The long-term strategy is to kill as many Al-Qaeda militants as possible, and to starve them of money and personnel, while continuing to break their organizational network.
I am not sure why you thought my post advocated withdrawing from Iraq. We should remain until we have accomplished our goal - establishing the closest thing that the Middle East has to a Western nation, in order to exert catastrophic pressure on Syria, terrify Iran into submission, stabilize the Gulf states, strengthen pro-Western factions in Saudi Arabia, and give Lebanon and Egypt a chance to follow in Iraq's footsteps. So far, so good.
But that 'rate' would be a smoke screen - if say, for example, out of the 535 members of congress, 35 had family/children in uniform today (and that would not include members who actually have served in uniform, such as former President Bush, Sen Inouye, etc...), that would be roughly 6.5 percent of the body. Compare this to the general population; almost 300 million Americans, from which roughly 3 million currently active or reserve - or 1 percent. Again, I use the above numbers as an example, because I don't have the exact figures; but the above example is generally correct.
As for your feelings on the Gulf War, you'll get no critiques from me for freely expressing your beliefs in a sober and respectful manner.
As a Vet, I can tell you that even as I am the last to wish a war, I am also in favor of this necessary war and only wish we would prosecute it on the other critical fronts more effectively - but that is another thread.
God Bless, and please tell your sobrina that she goes with our prayers and expectations that she will be a worthy representative of the Greatest Military the World has ever known.
Bush in his own way has fought this war accordingly. We want the boarders closed for added security and other reasons but many in government want illegals to come across the board for the lower wages. You and I do not agree with that but we are not making those decisions.
I agree. It's always been us on the lower end doing the fighting. Unfortunately I'm no senators son. That's just the way it is. Don't let any of these arm chair generals get to you. It's easy to talk the talk but how many have said there goodbyes to an indefinite deployment, it's not fun. It makes me sick to my stomach that over 1600 men and women have died for this foreign adventure.
But you're looking at it through the media's eyes.
The Iraq created by the media and the real Iraq are two very different animals.
Have been reading through this thread and the responses amaze me - hence my directing this present remark to all.
Let's get a grip here, freepers. Remember...
(A) this is the ny SLIMES reporting this.
(B) the above bird-cage liner sophisticatedly (is that even a word???) leaves the impression that no-one in Congress has familial representation in the war. That is simply Not True, and - as in a previous response I wrote to ChurchillBuff - their familial representation is proportionally larger than is that of the total US Population / current Military force correlation.
(C) As for the "rich kids don't fight; the poor have to" canard???? Again, another lie; with roots in the leftist media propaganda Big Lie born in Vietnam. 58000 dead in that war, 8,000 of them were officers (14%).
And this b/s about the poor joining up for the money? Does anyone here (who's not military...) know how much money a buck private makes? Trust me, it's not for the money.
More Lies...Blacks and Hispanics doing the dying, LBJ doing the lying??? That was as false 35 years ago as it is today. Most of our military in Vietnam were volunteers; ALL of our military today is volunteer. Ck out the below link for Vietnam casualties:
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/vietnam_war_casualty_lists/statistics.html#race
The above even has a statistic showing selective service (ie: draftees) deaths as part of the total - 17,000 out of 58,000 total deaths, or 29 percent. Blacks? 7,000 deaths, or 12 percent. Total Negro representation was 14 percent, at a time when their proportion in our population was 11 percent. Caucasian (amongst which Hispanics were counted...) - 50,000 deaths, or 86 percent.
I could go on, but please remember... We Freepers have to remember that anything coming from the media about anything will always have a slant. Sometimes the charges are so onerous that it rightly (and quickly) gets our Irish up... most times, though, the lies are fed and repeated to us in measured tones, whispered asides in our ears, imprinted with such an obviously reasonable delivery that we let our guard down to their seductiveness until we ourselves become repeaters of the diluted propaganda quip. Like babies having their tummies rubbed to go asleep... or frogs in a pot of water being slowly heated to boil...
This is all very simple, clear as Night & Day. Never trust the fourth estate, for they are become the Fifth Column. Never, Ever, Ever, EVER take the word of someone whose foundation stone in-whatever-passes-muster-as-their relativistic Truth-of-the-moment is universally anchored in the belief that America is Always Wrong.
Sir, you understand the situation perfectly and express yourself with clarity. Thank you.
America Victa! Semper Paratus! Sic Semper Tyrannis!
I guess I am just an armchair general.
Wars between the middle east and the west has been going on for thousands of years. If we win this as I hope we do, I think it is actually possible this over all fight will finally end.
The key to this war is that sharia law and freedom can not co-exist. This will force change to the religon, no one said it would be easy.
Really? Does that include the two young women in my family who are in the Air Force and headed to the Middle East? No, just because I oppose a particular policy of politicians (ie the Iraq invasion) -- just as I opposed Clinton in Kosovo -- it does not mean I "hate the military." Only someone who cannot or refuses to think logically would insist on that conclusion. Rightly or wrongly, Lincoln opposed the Mexican War. That did not mean that he "hated the military" Gen. Omar Bradley opposed MacArthur's plan for a war with China over north Korea. That did not mean that Bradley "hated the military." Ah, but I fear that this level of logic is wasted on you.
..."Parents," said one recruiter in Ohio who insisted on anonymity because the Army ordered all recruiters not to talk to reporters, "are the biggest hurdle we face."....the biggest hurdle the recuiters face is the nightly news interviewing each family of each soldier killed and gladly putting it on tv every day......Here in Seattle it starts with...Another soldier was killed today...Well, I wonder if those killed are being honored at all on the nightly news......
I've got over 23 years service as an officer in the U.S. Navy on active duty and the reserves. And I agree with churchillbuff completely.
why don't we draft all the border jumpers. every army needs wall fodder, right? then these guys will have earned right to live in the us.
Shh...you're not allowed to mention socio-economic class on FR, silly. Just simmer down and have a sip of this Koolade. It's delicious!
/sarcasm
Well put. I would prefer also bringing the battle to them than having it on US soil. The consequence of not brining the battle to them would mean a police state in the US to keep everyone safe. I would choose option 1.
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