Kids now are ‘alien force’ to Navy

[unhappycamper]

Kids now are ‘alien force’ to Navy
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 28, 2007 17:42:39 EDT

Today’s civilian pool of potential sailors is made up of “narcissistic praise junkies” and constitutes an “alien life force” to older Navy recruiters, according to a presentation on selling the Navy to the so-called “millennial” generation — people born in the mid- and late 1980s now in their late teens and early 20s.

The presentation was part of the Annual Navy Workforce Research and Analysis Conference at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., which addressed a wide array of recruitment and retention matters.

The PowerPoint slides from the presentation, available online, appeared on popular blogs Friday and sparked broad discussion on the Internet; Wired magazine’s Danger Room blog called the presentation “unintentionally hilarious.”

In the slides a Navy presenter described the patios of the young, a mishmash of acronyms and nonwords used in text messages and social networking sites; in one sample exchange a hypothetical young person asks “wat up dude” and another responds “nmu (Translation: Not much. You?).”

Potential Navy recruits are “coddled” and “unrealistically impatient,” the presentation says, and would “expect an open and transparent environment” if they enlisted. It also advises commanders to expect young people linked together by the Web and cell phones to “share their Navy experiences” and that “some of them may not be worth bragging about.”

In another set of slides, the Navy reports the effect that the Iraq war has had on recruitment: Survey results from 2003 juxtaposed with 2007 indicate a spike in young people who call themselves “less patriotic” and “less likely to join the military.” The vast majority of youths in the Navy’s target recruiting range — almost 90 percent — say they want to go to college, not join the military.


Article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/09/navy_recruiting_presentation_070928w/



uhc comment: This is another reason that ROTC and NCLB is pushed upon our children.

[glowing]

1. military = patriot.... hmm what Orwelian times we tread in...

[NYVet]

2. Another reason that the ROTC is "pushed"

is that you learn a sense of teamwork and leadership abilities are honed while part of the ROTC.



Frankly, I think that military service should be required if you are going to be a politician, because those who have served would understand the consequences of sending men and women into harm's way.

[unhappycamper]

3. ROTC is pushed because the military needs fodder.

Things ain't going very well with all those West Point grads getting out.

[NYVet]

6. Army retention rates for units that have deployed are well above those of non deployed units

and when I ask the those who have been over to Iraq or Afghanistan about their deployment, they say that they want to finish the job.

My brother, who has deployed with an active duty unit, is getting ready for another deployment.
I did 2 1/2 years stateside and I am preparing for a deployment as well.

[unhappycamper]

7. Speaking of 'the job' you mention.

What exactly is needed to finish it? How many more dead and maimed do you think we'll need? How many more years will it take? About how many tax dollars do you think we should spend before we call it a day?

I was in Viet Nam for Tet of '68 and was also in the invasion of Cambodia in 70, so I'm not a keyboard commando.

[NYVet]

8. My opinion

What is needed to finish it?

The Sunni and Sh ia to realize that killing of each other is not going to benefit them, long term and the realization that they need to have a sit down and "come to Jesus" moment to work out how to run a country.

How many more dead and maimed do you think we'll need?
We do not need 1 more, however, that answer is dependant on how soon the Iraqi people realize that those who hide in their midst and plant bombs are doing nothing more than causing heartache and agony for everyone.

How many more years will it take?
It took us 10 years to get a functioning government in Germany and Japan after WW2, so I do not know.


About how many tax dollars do you think we should spend before we call it a day?
As many as it takes.

[unhappycamper]

9. My reply

What is needed to finish it?

The Sunni and Sh ia to realize that killing of each other is not going to benefit them, long term and the realization that they need to have a sit down and "come to Jesus" moment to work out how to run a country.

So we are there because the Sunni & Shiites aren't having a "come to Jesus" moment? I got a news flash for ya - they've been at this since 632 AD. Do you believe we can get them to change their minds anytime soon?


How many more dead and maimed do you think we'll need?

We do not need 1 more, however, that answer is dependant on how soon the Iraqi people realize that those who hide in their midst and plant bombs are doing nothing more than causing heartache and agony for everyone.

Why do you think these guys are planting bombs? The unemployment rate is above 50%. 4,000,000 of its occupants have fled their homes. Over a million Iraqis have been killed since March 19, 2003 when dubya invaded Iraq looking for Weapons of Mass Destruction.

Let's reverse that a little bit.

Say this country (US of A) is invaded by a brutal oppressor who cannot keep the electricity on, cannot keep the water and sewer running, cannot keep the schools open, cannot stop the death squads, and cannot keep the peace. Personally, I would be out there doing the same thing they are doing - trying to liberate my country in any way I could.


How many more years will it take?

It took us 10 years to get a functioning government in Germany and Japan after WW2, so I do not know.

So we should plan on another six years there to the tune of $3,000,000,000 a week? That's almost a trillion dollars. At some point, reality must set in.


About how many tax dollars do you think we should spend before we call it a day?

As many as it takes.

To date this adventure will cost us at least a trillion and a half dollars once the costs are tallied up. Where is it coming from? China? Japan? how long do you think that's going to last?



Lastly I ask this question: Why should we continue to spend money and lives in Iraq when the US of A is falling apart? Our bridges are crumbling. We still have a major American city (NOLA) that desperately needs help. We import more than we make, excepting our fine war materials industries.

[babylonsister]

5. Yes, this post sure emphasizes the Navy's 'leadership abilities'.

I kid.

[babylonsister]

4. That's an awful lot of criticism being heaped on future recruits imo.

I can't imagine that attitude helping with any recruiting efforts.