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Time magazine had a story this week that asks a great question, but they’ll never find the right answer if they continue to see our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as "wars" and not "occupations".
I’m glad they’re asking the question about military recruiters, and glad people are reading about it, but here’s the part that shows they’ll never find the answer:
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now the longest waged by an all-volunteer force in U.S. history. Even as soldiers rotate back into the field for multiple and extended tours, the Army requires a constant supply of new recruits. But the patriotic fervor that led so many to sign up after 9/11 is now eight years past. That leaves recruiters with perhaps the toughest, if not the most dangerous, job in the Army.
The problem is not that we are less patriotic or that no one wants to serve. The problem is that these are occupations and no one wants to continue fighting wars that we won years and years ago.
Last year alone, the number of recruiters who killed themselves was triple the overall Army rate. Like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, recruiter suicides are a hidden cost of the nation’s wars.
Yes there is a problem here, and yes the recruiters need help, but mostly we need to get out of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Even with this economy, poor kids don’t want to go into the military any more. Would you?
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Dugg right here — please join me!
And recommended.
The recruiters have neither the toughest nor the most dangerous job in the Army. Far from it. They do have one of the most public. The writer seems unlikely to have served in the military or faced the business end of a weapon or someone trained to wield it.
I agree: the best course is to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan. This use of military force would be endless, leading to the deaths of many more than a few recruiting sergeants, while achieving little but making arms merchants wealthier.
Does anybody know how many permanent military bases the U.S. had outside the U.S. prior to WWII versus now? Seems like we would have more than enough volunteers (and a lot more money) if we didn’t feel compelled to staff installations all over the planet. Apparently we are still fighting the Cold War.
Dugg and recommended !
Anything to help out a fellow pup !
Good to hear from you Cassandra, I think this issue deserves much more attention keep plugging away at it !!
It is odd how both of these wars are treated like the weather; except in addition to not doing anything about them, we’ve almost given up talking about them. We’ve always been at war with Eastasia. Pathetic. Great post, and great grasp of the real point.
Excellent Kassandra. Nicely put. Even with this crappy economy which usually provides sufficient cannon fodder from the lower classes no one wants to be part of, well, part of a what, exactly?
lol, i went to the recruiter and they locked my account on goarmy.com
TimeWarner has no clue about anything Cassy they think its their job to mold the Plebian mind.
The Patricians think they know everything. Why are Army recruiters killing themselves? Guilt about dead solders and having to see the parents of the solders they sent to die when they go out recruiting more solders.
But Time cannot answer that question they can’t even think about the OBVIOUS answer.
Time thinks that we have to stay in Iraq and Afghanistan to prove we are tough. Time thinks that they have to keep saying we should stay there.
Time can’t even admit that this stance is so unpopular that their readers are leaving.
Time never has admitted that Bush was bad for the economy and Time.
Dec 10, 1999 Time stock price $274 a share today $22.24 a share after a reverse split did nothing to boost the stock price.
Look at the Google Time Warner 10 year chart.
Sorry here is the link for my previous comment
http://www.google.com/finance?q=NYSE:TWX
All Volunteer Army? With the way Bush ran the economy? What real choice did many of these young men have sure we all love our country but no jobs is a pretty big motivator.
The troops will do what we ask but how many of them
think our being in Iraq and Afghanistan is worth it? How many think we are doing more harm than good?
How many think that the reason we stay is to prevent everyone from killing each other over there?
How many think that that is what will happen the second we leave no matter how long we stay?
How many think that we are bringing peace and stability there that will last longer than a year or two?