In time of war, National Guard finds recruits, parents reluctant

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/28/in_time_of_war_national_guard_finds_recruits_parents_reluctant/

WASHINGTON -- Brian Moody signs up more soldiers for the Army National Guard than just about any other recruiter in Indiana. Across kitchen tables around the state, he has usually had an easy time convincing young people and their families that the military offers them what they want.

Until he met Jeff Fayette's mom.

"I came out of that house, and the dad had not said anything, and the mom said: `The people at work tell me you're trained to lie to me. My son is not fighting for anybody in Iraq. He's going to stay right here and he's going to be my baby,' " Moody said. "That's the kind of feeling we're up against now. I tell you, it's real easy to get depressed."

As the war on terrorism stretches into its third year, and the violence in Iraq drags on, Moody and other military recruiters across the United States are starting to get nervous.

So far, the war's bad news has not translated into a widespread falloff in recruiting and retention. But in the National Guard, which for decades has bolstered its ranks by signing up high school juniors such as 17-year-old Fayette, the deepening anxiety is beginning to take its toll.

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[thebigidea]

1. poor dear

"I tell you, it's real easy to get depressed."

I find it hard to have much sympathy. Try guarding a convoy in the Sunni triangle, hmmm?

Gawd, what a horrible job to have at this point. A NG recruiter - "just one weekend a month... oh, and a couple years guarding pipelines in the middle of fucking nowhere."

[BiggJawn]

8. He's depressed 'cuz he see his cushy job evaporating...

Worse than selling cars on straight commission. He fails to make his "nut", he's out of the recruiting command and soon to be guarding that pipeline.

[PATRICK]

2. Full page spread in one place

A giant photo of two very crestfallen older soldiers(looked old enough to have been in Viet Nam). I see a lot of papers and very few cover Bush on the front page anymore unless it is one of those special moments, some of which have been sour lately. His photos are starting to look bad. And there is the inevitable gutwrenching photo of a deceased soldier's child weeping.

Most of the papers do front page local trivia in times like these.

And they think they can expand their conquests without a draft? People will fight. You can't nuke them all. The steam has already gone out of the American fighting spirit because it has been criminally misdirected- again.

[T Roosevelt]

3. NBC News had something on this last night

Because of the shitty economy, military recruitment is up - people are desperate for jobs, and when they're not there, they join the military. Great news for * and his warmongering group...bad news for America.

[dbt]

5. Consider the NBC source:

They're owned by General Electric, long-time manufacturers of jet engines. Of course recruitment is up. Gotta have some humans to fly those jet fighters into sandstorms so the engines can fail and GE can sell some more to the Regime, doncha know.

:freak:
dbt

[PaDUer]

10. They're making false promises

to these guys..they'll tell them anything just to recruit them, but when and IF it's time to collect, it's NOT there...What does it take for people to see the truth.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

11. Old news

My recruiter lied to me, also-- in 1973.

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Jeff Fayette's mom is kewl.

`The people at work tell me you're trained to lie to me. My son is not fighting for anybody in Iraq. He's going to stay right here and he's going to be my baby,'

[saigon68]

7. The Chimpanzee needs your children

To re-make the world into a better profitable corporate environment.

Don't forget it for one instant.

The CHIMP stands only for this principle.

Duty, honor, honesty etc etc. all take second place.

This is what the Chimp's handlers thrive on, it is the guiding doctrine of these evil men.

[Melsky]

6. What did they expect?

I think you would have to either be insane or having no contact with the news to join the national guard right now. Sad. It's hard to imagine anyone's mother encouraging them to join!

[tlcandie]

9. Army is making its quoto on recruits .. sadly enough...

At least at one recruitment center near Milwaukee who ranked number one for their area and exceeded thier goal :(

Nothing to back this up, but reports from son-in-law who is a recruiter. Hate it, hate it, hate it!

[prolesunited]

12. Well, of course, recruitment is up

Poor man's draft. In a weak economy and faced with increased educational costs, people with few options and job prospects, particularly those in rural communities and small towns, see the military as their only option.

It's kind of like playing the lottery with your life. If you manage not to get killed, you may come out ahead.

There a variety of reasons those in power have no desire to improve the economy and this is just one of them. They're not incompetent. Their goals are simply different from ours.

[The Magistrate]

13. But Beyond That, Ma'am

These call-ups of Reserve and National Guard personnel to lengthy foreign service are devestating politically to the reactionaries now in power. Not only are they unpopular, they are unpopular particularly among persons who form the base of their mass electoral strength.

[lcordero]

16. Actually, there is no way to come out ahead

Half of the Gulf War I vets have claims in VA for disability because of the shots and medicine they had to take in the gulf. I have heard plenty of horror stories about the VA giving the runaround or the shaft to one veteran or another.
Also, a lot of soldiers and families have to watch out for the military ruling a lot of the deaths as suicides or as negligence on the part of the dead soldier. This will prevent the families from getting any compensation whatsoever.

[Mari333]

14. Hell yes!! We did Everything to keep Our Son from going

snd he is not going...he served his 6 years and hes out in November..we even hired a lawyer...there is no way he is going.



here's an email from Military familes against the war I got this morning...they are hopping mad......

Dear Military Families Speak Out Members,

House Majority Leader Tom Delay has indicated that the $87 billion supplemental appropriation to continue the U.S. military occupation of Iraq will come to the floor of the House the week of October 6th. Congressman Delay also said, "I see this as a second resolution on the war,"...."It answers the unfounded charges that have been made" in opposition to the war.

Many inside and outside of government are saying that this money is needed to "support our troops."

Military Families Speak Out says: THIS FUNDING WILL KEEP OUR LOVED ONES IN HARM'S WAY FOR NO GOOD REASON. It will allow a deteriorating situation to get worse for our troops and for the Iraqi people.

We are gearing up for a major campaign to oppose even one more dime for the continuation of the U.S. military occupation of Iraq. Congress needs to hear the voices of military families loud and clear: "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS -- BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!"

There are many things that you can do right away: contact your Congressional Representatives and Senators (letters and phone calls are more powerful than emails) and express your opposition to the $87 billion appropriation. Whatever you can do RIGHT NOW to start this campaign is great.

In the very near future we will be:
sending out talking points to help with your meetings, phone calls and letters to your representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.
sending out contact information for active Veterans for Peace (VFP) chapters so that MFSO members can work with Veterans in their cities and regions to plan joint activities (for example, joint visits to Congressional offices, joint vigils or rallies, joint press conferences, etc.)
sending a link to help identify your Congressional representatives and their contact information.
For right now, we wanted to alert you to this campaign, and to send you a list of all Military Families Speak Out members in your state who said it was o.k. to share their contact information with other MFSO members.

Now is the time to get in touch with each other (if you haven't already) and begin to plan activities in your cities, towns and states to get our message out: SUPPORTING THE TROOPS MEANS NO MORE FUNDING FOR THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ; SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS MEANS BRING THEM HOME NOW!!!!

One year ago, between October 10th and 16th, the House and the Senate voted to turn over their power to declare war to President Bush. The anniversary of that wrong decision should not be commemorated with another wrong decision. Let's make our voices heard!!!!!!

Let us know if you have ideas for what MFSO can do in addition to what we've talked about in this email -- and we will get them out to MFSO members. And -- we hope to see many of you at a large demonstration in Washington, D.C. on October 25th. We are planning to have an event for Military Families Speak Out on the evening of October 24th in D.C. -- details to follow.

In Peace and Solidarity,
Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson,
for Military Families Speak Out
www.mfso.org
www.bringthemhomenow.org

[7th_Sephiroth]

15. the mliltary has been after me since

i turned 18 (now 19) i get recruitment letters daily, i keep expecting that they will send a recruiter over to try to sell me some pitch, and it think it will give the neighborhood a good laugh to see this pitch-man fleeing in fear while i chace him with my sword, what do you think?