Time: Where Are the New Recruits?

[hadrons]

Critical to the war effort in Iraq, the National Guard and Army Reserve are drawing fewer enlistees. Will the troop shortage worsen?
By MARK THOMPSON

Even as the Iraq war has dragged on, offering no foreseeable end, top Pentagon officials have maintained that the nation's Army is fit enough and big enough to fight it. But last week the military's taut tendons--at the breaking point for better than a year--could be heard painfully snapping from the Pentagon to the Sunni triangle. First came a warning from the head of the Army Reserve that those troops are "rapidly degenerating into a broken force." Then Army officials, speaking privately, conceded that a long-standing policy limiting deployments of National Guard and Army Reserve forces is likely to be scrapped. That's going to make the already difficult job of recruiting--and retaining--such part-time soldiers even tougher. Finally, they added, the continuing instability in Iraq will probably force the Army to make permanent what was supposed to be a temporary addition of 30,000 troops to the active-duty force.

....

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld--who has long opposed a permanent hike in the Army's 500,000-strong active-duty force--made himself scarce as these troubling indicators surfaced. The Defense chief has argued that retooling the Army--turning cooks and accountants into trigger pullers and hiring contractors to perform such civilian tasks, among other steps--should generate efficiencies that would ease the strain on the Army without having to boost its size. But other Pentagon officials doubt that such measures will suffice. "We're growing increasingly concerned about the health of the force," an Army personnel officer says. "These deployments are really beginning to take a toll."

....


AN ARMY OF ONE? Erick Davis, 24, was the sole enlistee at a ceremony last week at a National Guard recruiting center in Alexandria, Va. His wife Shawnique watched

Need some recruits, I know where not to look ... any chapter of the Young Republicans

[tabasco]

1. Freepers! Get your asses to the recruiters NOW !

Your country needs you in the noble Iraq war !

I'm a dirty liberal and I served twelve years in the infantry. It is time for you super-patriots to back up your tough talk and get your ass in the bush !

[jeff30997]

3. Well said.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

4. kick

[MindPilot]

2. using civilians in support roles

Where are these contractors going to come from? Are they Americans, or locals? If they are going to use locals, that will just open the gates for all kinds of subversion and sabotage. I'm going to suggest that is not a good idea, but going there in the first place was not a good idea.

I would've thought with all the support for this war, the recruiters would have to add staff to handle the intake. Is it possible someone misunderestimated the man-date?

On edit BTW, done my time: USN, 72-73, Vietnam

[sweetladybug]

5. All of the Young and middle age Republicans need to go sign up TODAY!

HURRY! HURRY! Our country needs you all! Since you believe the lies told to us all by Jesus Bush and his crime family, you need to go for it and show us what you are made and you can be a hero and say "Bring it on". You wanted the illegal war and you justifed the illegal war and you support YOUR President you need to take your asses over there and fight Bush's war for the oil. Anyone that voted for Bush and doesn't sign up and go to fight in Iraq are nothing more than a CHICKENSHIT just like their leader and they are ALL TALK AND NO ACTION. While my husband had his life on the line in Vietnam, CHICKENSHIT BUSH was hiding and not even fullfilling his time in the Texas National Guard. By the way, my husband was in Vietnam at the same time John Kerry was there.

[yardwork]

6. Ever single person who voted for chimp should enlist or volunteer

If you're too old to enlist, then volunteer for the war effort in some way. And too old means too old - the military is bringing 60 year olds back out of retirement to serve, so apparently the correct age is anywhere between 18 and say, 65.

If you voted for W and you're between the ages of 18 and 65 there is no excuse for you not to enlist.

[sweetladybug]

7. yardwork, very well said! They all need to enlist and if over 65 they

need to volunteer for the war effort! They all need to do it TODAY! THEIR leader is calling for their help!

[LevelB]

8. I do not know where they will find them

But they damn sure will not get my son, even when the draft is re-started.

B.

[sweetladybug]

9. LevelB, one of my son's served in the Army in Iraq during the

Persian Gulf War. I understood why we went to war at that time. The UN countries fought along with us during that war. (I really didn't want my son in harm's way, but I understood WHY we were there at that time, so I didn't protest that war) But this time it's nothing more than an illegal war. We invaded Iraq same as Saddam Hussain invaded Kuwait and that is wrong! And how anyone voted for Bush after his lies is totally unbelievable (they have to be brainwashed) I'm with you, they damn sure aren't going to take another one of my sons or grandsons and send them over to Iraq into this illegal war. They can send themselves and their kids and the people who voted for Bush over to Iraq and they can put their lives on the line for the oil and leave my loved ones alone. If they try to start the draft back up, I WILL be protesting!

[LevelB]

10. I could live with my son serving

and defending this country.

But Iraq is not worth it.

B.

[buddysmellgood]

11. So Boosh says troops won't come home in 05. Does that mean the poor

folks over there now have to stay indefinitely? Who is going to replace them? How long can you make a Nat Guard stay over there?

[cap]

12. wouldn't it be a hoot to get a membership list of young republicans

and forward them to National Guard Recruiters???