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Despite a rising tide of combat deaths and the prospect of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan for years to come, Americans continue to volunteer for duty and are re-enlisting at record rates.

NORFOLK, Va. --Despite a rising tide of combat deaths and the prospect of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan for years to come, Americans continue to volunteer for military service and are re-enlisting at record rates. The services believe a combination of patriotism and the economy is driving people to the military and keeping them there. "The war is not only not having a negative effect, but it is helping to reinforce the number of people who want to join," said Cmdr. John Kirby, a spokesman for the Navy's Bureau of Personnel. Even the Army National Guard, which has had 150,000...

U.S. armed forces report volunteers on the rise Despite a rising tide of combat deaths and the prospect of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan for years to come, Americans continue to volunteer for duty and are re-enlisting at record rates. The services believe a combination of patriotism and the economy is driving people to the military and keeping them there. “The war is not only not having a negative effect, but it is helping to reinforce the number of people who want to join,” said Cmdr. John Kirby, a spokesman for the Navy’s Bureau of Personnel. Even the Army National...

WASHINGTON, March 29 — Senior American commanders and Pentagon officials are warning of an exodus of the military's most seasoned members of Special Operations to higher-paying civilian security jobs in places like Baghdad and Kabul, just as they are playing an increasingly pivotal role in combating terror and helping conduct nation-building operations worldwide. Senior enlisted members of the Army Green Berets or Navy Seals with 20 years or more experience now earn about $50,000 in base pay, and can retire with a $23,000 pension. But private security companies, whose services are in growing demand in Iraq and Afghanistan, are offering...

XX DROP IN TOP OPS XX Senior American commanders and top Pentagon officials are warning of an exodus of the military's most seasoned Special Operations forces to higher-paying civilian security jobs, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to front on Tuesday, just as those troops are playing an increasingly pivotal role in combating terror and helping conduct stability operations around the world. Newspaper sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT, TIMES pentagon reporter Eric Schmitt will detail how senior enlisted Army Green Berets and Navy Seals with 20 years or more experience now earn about $50,000 in base pay. But private security...

BALAD, Iraq -- Talking to soldiers leaving Iraq after a year of tough duty, Gen. John Abizaid made a plea: Please don't leave the Army, too. It needs you and your combat experience in the global war on terror. Abizaid, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, made a point during a recent visit at Balad and other American outposts in Iraq first to thank departing soldiers -- and then to urge them to stay in uniform.

Saturday, February 14, 2004 With retention high, Air Force cuts re-enlistment period from 12 to 3 months By Lisa Burgess, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Friday, February 13, 2004 ARLINGTON, Va. -- Beginning March 5, active-duty airmen will have only a three-month window during which they’ll be eligible to re-enlist, instead of the current 12 months, Air Force officials announced this week.The window will open three months before an airmen’s term of service expires, according to Master Sgt. Maria Cornelia, the Air Force’s chief of retention and bonus programs at the Pentagon.“We’re asking our members to make this life decision a...

Waves Of Soldiers Return After Year In Iraq POSTED: 10:28 p.m. EST February 1, 2004 FORT STEWART, Ga. -- The families of many Florida National Guard soldiers are celebrating the return of their loved ones, as waves of soldiers return to the United States. Nearly 100 jet-lagged Orlando soldiers from C-Company 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment arrived at Fort Stewart late Saturday to the cheers of families and the music of an Army band. C-Company was called to active duty shortly after Christmas 2002. Seven hundred National Guard soldiers are due back from war duty, after long months of...

Up early because I've got a cold and needed some honey, lemon and tea. So as the water boils, I flip on the TV and there on C-SPAN (The "All A.N.S.W.E.R. All The Time Channel") is USMC Commandant Hagee testifying before some committee of Congress. He's speaking to a proposed eight percent increase in USMC end strength, i.e., numbers of bodies to those who don't speak "Beltway BS". And he's saying that he and the Joint Chiefs do not feel that they need that increase. In fact, as far as retention goes, in the first 3 months of the current...

Jan 20, 6:41 PM (ET) By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Seeking to avert an exodus of part-time soldiers, the chief of the U.S. Army Reserve on Tuesday faulted the Army's treatment of reservists and proposed to give them a firmer notion of when they may be plucked from civilian life for active duty. The Army has been stretched thin by operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and has relied heavily on part-time Army Reserve soldiers, as well the Army National Guard. Army Reserve soldiers have complained about getting very little notice before being summoned to active duty, repeated mobilizations, and...

Chu Outlines Challenges in Management of Reserve Forces By K.L. VantranAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2003 – Recruiting and retention has "held up nicely despite stress on the force as a whole," Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David Chu told members of the House Armed Services Committee here today. And a survey of military personnel, active and reserve, which is done every four months, shows a "higher level of satisfaction with military life than three to four years ago," he added. "Their intentions to stay (in the military) remain strong." "The nation can be proud...

Almost a third of teachers leave the field within their first three years and half before their fifth year, according to a NCTAF report.School districts acted fast in the late 1990s when experts warned about an impending shortage of 2 million teachers. They offered hiring bonuses and housing loans and even imported teachers from as far away as the Philippines. Then, just as quickly, headlines proclaimed the shortage over, thanks to a recession that pushed new applicants into the field. As it turns out, though, it's not exactly a happy ending. For one thing, the right kinds of teachers...

                 10/2/2003 — National Guard Meets End Strength Goals FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARLINGTON, Virginia — The Army and Air National Guard met their end strength goals for fiscal year (FY) 2003, announced Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau today. “This is what sets us apart … the ability to recruit and retain good people,” Blum said. The Army National Guard’s programmed end strength for the fiscal year was 350,000. As of today, they have 351,091 members. The Army National Guard has achieved its end-strength mission for seven consecutive years. The Air National Guard’s...

Jack Fletcher, professor of developmental pediatrics at the University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center, said that reading and comprehension skills are essential for students to learn other subjects. "Years back, schools stopped emphasizing reading as much," Fletcher said, "and now we're realizing that if children are not reading by grade level in third grade, they remain behind even in high school." Melanie Pritchett, TEA associate commissioner for statewide initiatives, agreed that reading may not have been emphasized enough to current high schoolers. Recent test scores prove that. "Absolutely, a large part of the problem with high schools is reading comprehension,"...

Even before 9/11 and America’s global war on terrorism, U.S. military leaders argued that force levels needed to rise, or worldwide commitments needed to fall, to avoid wearing out troops and creating personnel shortfalls. Two years, two wars and two prolonged U.S. occupation forces later, the strain on forces is broader and deeper than at any time since an all-volunteer force began 30 years ago. The Bush administration has kicked the pace of operations into overdrive with the war in Iraq, on top of Afghanistan, homeland security, peacekeeping in Liberia and rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Still, the...

03/14/03 - WASHINGTON -- The assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and reserve affairs has authorized the use of Stop-Loss to retain specific skills needed to meet national security objectives. Effective May 2, 43 officer and 56 enlisted specialties will be affected by Stop-Loss. "We do not take this action lightly," said Secretary of the Air Force Dr. James G. Roche. "Stop-Loss is designed to preserve critical skills essential to supporting the global war on terrorism, while ensuring we're prepared to meet other contingencies." "We've implemented Stop-Loss to ensure we have the necessary skilled personnel to conduct operations,"...

DOJ: Two-Thirds of Former State Prisoners Rearrested U.S. Newswire 2 Jun 16:30 Two-Thirds of Former State Prisoners Rearrested for Serious NewCrimesTo: National Desk Contact: U.S. Dept. of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), 202-307-0784; stu@ojp.usdoj.gov After hours contact: Stu Smith, 301-983-9354, stu219@hotmail.com WASHINGTON, June 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Sixty-seven percent of former inmates released from state prisons in 1994 committed at least one serious new crime within the following three years, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. This was a rearrest rate 5 percent higher than that among prisoners released during 1983. State prisoners with the...

Merit Retention & Mandatory RetirementOf Justices Of the Supreme Court Merit retention is a system of selecting Justices established by the voters when they amended the Florida Constitution in the 1970s. Under merit retention, the Governor appoints new Justices from a list of three to six names submitted by a Judicial Nominating Commission. The Governor must select from the list. Once appointed, Justices eventually must face the voters in a "yes" or "no" vote as to whether they should remain in office. New Justices face their first merit retention vote in the next general election that occurs more than one...