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They are meeting their goal because they have lowered standards. Which I am not sure is a totally bad thing.
I'm not sure that's worth a big "Hoo-yah", you know what I mean?
Congratulations on your Installanche.
dove,
You have something to support your allegations with?
Out Here
Rodney Graves
rodney.g.graves@gmail.com
Oh wow. Pretty cool.
I think that may be the third one this month...
Rob,
Kinda like a modern, digital rendition of Moses and the burning bush. Congratulations, indeed.
A. MEMORANDUM, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF, G-1, HQDA, 10 MARCH 2005, SUBJECT AS ABOVE.
B. AR 635-200 (ENLISTED ADMINISTRATIVE SEPARATIONS), PARAGRAPHS 1-1C,1-16A, 1-19C, D, AND E.
2. ALL MACOMS WILL SEND A MESSAGE VIA E-MAIL TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF THIS MESSAGE: DAPE-MPEINBOX@HQDA.ARMY.MIL
3. WE ARE AN ARMY AT WAR AND INCREASING LEVELS OF ATTRITION OF FIRST-TERM ENLISTED SOLDIERS IN BOTH THE TRAINING BASE AND UNITS IS A MATTER OF GREAT CONCERN. WE NEED YOUR CONCERTED EFFORT TO REVERSE THE RECENT NEGATIVE TREND IN FIRST-TERM ATTRITION. BY REDUCING ATTRITION ONE PERCENT, THE ARMY CAN SAVE UP TO 3,000 INITIAL-TERM SOLDIERS THAT'S 3,000 MORE SOLDIERS IN OUR FORMATIONS. EACH SOLDIER RETAINED REDUCES THE STRAIN ON RECRUITING COMMAND AND OUR RETENTION PROGRAM, WHICH MUST REPLACE EVERY SOLDIER WHO DEPARTS THE ARMY EARLY.
4. AS AN ADDITIONAL MEANS OF REDUCING ATTRITION, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY SEPARATION AUTHORITY FOR FIRST-TERM ENLISTED SOLDIERS IS ELEVATED FROM THE BATTALION COMMANDER TO THE SPECIAL COURT-MARTIAL CONVENING AUTHORITY (SPCMCA) FOR THE FOLLOWING SEPARATION CATEGORIES PRESCRIBED BY AR 635-200: FAILURE TO MEET PROCUREMENT MEDICAL FITNESS STANDARDS (PARAGRAPH 5-11); PREGNANCY (CHAPTER 8); ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUG ABUSE REHABILITATION FAILURE (CHAPTER 9); ENTRY LEVEL PERFORMANCE AND CONDUCT (CHAPTER 11); UNSATISFACTORY PERFORMANCE (CHAPTER 13); SELECTED CHANGES IN SERVICE OBLIGATIONS (CHAPTER 16, PARAGRAPHS 16-4 THRU 16-10); AND FAILURE TO MEET BODY FAT STANDARDS (CHAPTER 18). WITHHOLDING OF SEPARATION AUTHORITY FROM BATTALION COMMANDERS, AND ELEVATING IT TO SPCMCA LEVEL, IS DIRECTED BY HQDA PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 1-19E, AR 635-200. SEPARATION AUTHORITY FOR CHAPTERS 5, 10, 14, AND 15 REMAIN AT THE SPCMA LEVEL.
Further, compare the regular military folks on TV, the net, blogs, podcasts, with your average, run-of-the-mill journalist, celebrity, academentian, politician. The competence, articulate speech, character and can-do spirit and attitude of our volunteer forces are head and shoulders above what you'll see in the others. People who join the military are vastly more admired by the American people than journalists, celebrities, the ivory tower crowd and especially politicians. There's a reason for that and lowered standards ain't one of them.
Glenn nailed it. "There are two Americas. One of them is defending the other." And thank God for that.
Ahem... I believe you've forgotten something:
[quote]5. THE FOREGOING DIRECTION APPLIES TO SEPARATION PROCEEDINGS IN PROGRESS OR PENDING INITIATION. IT WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL AT LEAST 1 JUNE 2006, AT WHICH TIME IT WILL BE REVIEWED FOR CONTINUATION OR TERMINATION.
6. COMMANDERS AT ALL ECHELONS ARE ENJOINED TO REVIEW THE GUIDANCE ON COUNSELING, REHABILITATION, AND RETRAINING OF SOLDIERS PROMULGATED IN AR 635-200, PARAGRAPHS 1-1C AND 1-16A.
7. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE 1 JUNE 2006.[/quote]
Although it would be easy to look skeptically at this message (remember Dan Rather and the TANG documents?), it certainly would make sense for the Army, or any organization to want to retain as many experienced young members as possible. In many cases, if not most, the Army's biggest investment is in the new recruit.
Attempting to retain more of those coming off their first enlistment, those who are young and experienced, rather than replacing them with more raw recruits, isn't a matter of lowering standards at all. On the contrary, its an attempt to raise the overall level of experience and competence.
Let's not forget that required military manpower levels are actually set by Congress via the budget process. The more experienced troops that are retained, the fewer new recruits required. This isn't a lowering of standards at all. This is simply good personnel management.
"7. THIS MESSAGE WILL EXPIRE 1 JUNE 2006."
[URL=http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001771355836343914][IMG]http://aycu38.webshots.com/image/18037/2001771355836343914_rs.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001789188583960085][IMG]http://aycu38.webshots.com/image/15597/2001789188583960085_rs.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
[quote]$20,000 Enlistment Bonus!
The Guard is now offering $20,000 to Non-Prior Service members who enlist in one of our Top 10 Critical MOS's. Click a code to view the job.
Top 10 Critical MOS List
* 11B - Infantryman
* 13B - Cannon Crewmember
* 13F - Fire Support Specialist
* 21B - Combat Engineer
* 21E - Heavy Construction Equipment Operator
* 31B - Military Police
* 63B - Light-Wheel Vehicle Mechanic
* 74D - Chemical Operations Specialist
* 88M - Motor Transport Operator
* 92F - Petroleum Supply Specialist [/quote]
I am a veteran and live in Korea, which has a large contingent of troops in garrison (about 25,000 active duty plus dependents and camp followers). It appears from this perspective that since 2003 there has been a relatively sharp "bump" in Army criminal shenanigans out in town. And loutish stupidity is way, way up. Now, the level of criminality is still quite low, but it's more than it used to be. My friends still on active duty are grousing that it's because recruiting standards have been "lowered" to make up recruiting shortfalls with "low-quality" troops who would otherwise be bothering folks in America.
Qualified Active Duty recruits may be eligible for a combination of bonuses up to $40,000.
ACTIVE DUTY EDUCATION BONUSES
Qualified applicants who enlist for two or more years in any Army Military Occupational Specialty may receive one of the following bonuses for civilian education:
* Bachelor's degree--$6,000
* Associate or two-year degree--$5,000
* High school graduates with 60 or more college semester hours--$4,000
* High school graduates with 30 to 59 college semester hours--$2,000
[/quote]
I enlisted in January '79 at 17. Parental signature required. Had there been combat ops ongoing at the time I would have been barred from deployment to such ops. Then as now.
Am quoting this 2007 report
http://www.alternet.org/story/51889/
It's interesting to speculate about what the situation would be if the Ds hadn't folded like a house of cards under the MSM assault, beginning with the creation of the illusion that eliminating WMDs was not only the primary but the sole reason for taking out SH.
As for risk, I recently saw a comparison of American KIA/day figures for conflicts from WWI to OIF. It rose from hundreds to thousands WWI to WWII, declined to 20 in Vietnam, and stands at 2 in OIF.
We do, however, for the same reason that achieving them is difficult--and it isn't the war itself, it's the continual barrage of anti-war propaganda that the major media organizations disguise as news.
Just this morning I heard an excellent example of this phenomenon on NPR's Morning Edition. You'll find the audio [url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10318800]here[/url]
The piece is astonishing for its ghoulish willingness to make a political point by using the grief of a man who lost his son one week ago. I've put the transcript below for you.
You'll see that the reporter, Fred Thys, makes the most desultory effort at hiding his tracks by quoting the dead soldier's sister, Jennifer Bacevich:
[quote]I think a lot of people think that this is a story just about a professor that was against the war, that had a son that died in the war. And it's not, you know. More than anything, I think, we think our brother was just a -- he was a fantastic human being, and a really...[/quote]
The result is painfully ironic, however, because Thys's piece is, in fact, nothing but [i]a story...about a professor that was against the war[/i]. It's 3 minutes long. We learn nothing else of consequence about the younger Andrew Bacevich. It's all a set up for the elder Andrew's regret, his sense of guilt, and it's all constructed to close on this zinger:
[quote]Prof. BACEVICH: What kind of democracy is this when the people do speak and the people's voice is unambiguous, but nothing happens.
THYS: Our voices, he says, are simply lost.
[/quote]
And that's it. So: any question where NPR stands? Or how much they care about any of the Baceviches? Couldn't leave him alone for a while, eh?
Transcript:
Critic of Iraq War Remembers Son Lost in that War
22 May 2007
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
The father is a retired Army officer who served in Vietnam and has become a noted conservative critic of the war in Iraq. The son was a first lieutenant who is killed in that war on Mother's Day. Young Andrew Bacevich died in s suicide bombing north of Baghdad. The elder Andrew Bacevich teaches at Boston University.
Fred Thys of member station WBUR went to Walpole, Massachusetts, to talk to him and his family.
FRED THYS: Andrew Bacevich's sisters, Amy, Katie and Jennifer, meet in a coffee shop near their parent's home to talk about their brother. Jennifer Bacevich says they don't want his memory lost in the fact that he was the son of a prominent critic of the war.
Ms. JENNIFER BACEVICH (Sister of Andrew Bacevich, Jr.): I think a lot of people think that this is a story just about a professor that was against the war, that had a son that died in the war. And it's not, you know. More than anything, I think, we think our brother was just a -- he was a fantastic human being, and a really...
Unidentified Woman: ...and we will miss him. Yeah.
Ms. J. BACEVICH: We will miss him very much.
THYS: Bacevich graduated from Boston University in 2003. After working briefly for Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, he enlisted in the Army as a private, rising to first lieutenant. The older Andrew Bacevich agreed to talk about his son on the family's screened-in porch. Bacevich served in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971. At a time, he says, it was clear that that war was not going to be won.
Professor ANDREW BACEVICH (International Relations, Boston University): And my son goes to Iraq in 2006 when, at least it's apparent to me, that this war is not going to be won and is probably headed for some dismal conclusion. So our kinship is that we -- he and I had a knack for picking the wrong war in which to serve.
THYS: Bacevich never shared these thoughts with his son because he didn't want to burden him with them. In his grief, he's asking himself what his obligations are as a citizen and as a father.
Prof. BACEVICH: I mean, one of the things that I've been really struggling with over the last several days is to try to understand my own responsibility for my son's death.
THYS: Bacevich says he thought his responsibility as a citizen was to give voice to his concerns about the war. His loss, he says, has made him question the lasting value of his criticism.
Prof. BACEVICH: What kind of democracy is this when the people do speak and the people's voice is unambiguous, but nothing happens.
THYS: Our voices, he says, are simply lost.
For NPR News, I'm Fred Thys.
So... quantitatively speaking... What were the recruiting standards before, and what were they lowered to now? What's the time frame on this? Have the standards always been higher than today's? Remember... be quantitative.
Are you going to push to get back in longrange trigger mode?
NOFP, good point. I wonder what BlackRock is offering currently? Or for that matter Schlumberger or GeoMechanical Downhole Services is paying in recruiting bonuses and Per Deim. Hell, they probaly rate higher for Nigeria and Venezuela than Iraq/Kuwait right now.
Don't even tell them that they'll have to work their first Saturday in four years... You wanna see grown men (and women) cry?
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/06/us-...
See ARMY WRONG to hear the other side: www.armywrong.net
There's a counter-recruiting goin' on.