Study: Army Stretched to Breaking Point

[LeftyHenry]

Re: President Bush pushing Army to breaking point.

With all respect the people that published these reports might just have a political agenda...........:roll: I will take the word of the commanders in the field.........

You mean the ones that said they had intel that Iraq had WMDs? Or the ones that in 3 years of being in Iraq have trained only one fully effecient battalion?

 

[ProudAmerican]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/13659474.htm


WASHINGTON - Reenlistments for the Army in fiscal 2005 were the highest they have been in five years, nearly enough to make up for a shortfall of about 7,000 new recruits last year, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said yesterday.

 

[Navy Pride]

Re: President Bush pushing Army to breaking point.

You mean the ones that said they had intel that Iraq had WMDs? Or the ones that in 3 years of being in Iraq have trained only one fully effecient battalion?

I believe that was British Intelligence who have nothing to do with our commanders in the field........

 

[Stace]

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/13659474.htm


WASHINGTON - Reenlistments for the Army in fiscal 2005 were the highest they have been in five years, nearly enough to make up for a shortfall of about 7,000 new recruits last year, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said yesterday.

And do you know WHY reenlistments were so high? Do you have any sort of opinion on this at all?

 

[Navy Pride]

And do you know WHY reenlistments were so high? Do you have any sort of opinion on this at all?

There probably a lot of reasons for that to include many the young people are patriotic and believe in the mission they are involved in and want to see it through to its satisfactory completion............

That would be mine if they would take me back............

 

[Stace]

There probably a lot of reasons for that to include many the young people are patriotic and believe in the mission they are involved in and want to see it through to its satisfactory completion............

That would be mine if they would take me back............

My guess? A lot of these guys are being PRESSURED into reenlisting. I can't even count how many times my husband's commanders asked ME to push him to reenlist. Oh, and the big fat bonuses they're handing out can't hurt, either. My friend's husband just reenlisted and got $15,000. Now imagine reenlisting while you're in Iraq and getting that money tax free, especially if you have a wife and children. There simply aren't too many civilian employers that can match that.

Another angle would be that most of these kids are joining up straight out of high school, so they've never been in "the real world" and are too scared to leave the bubble that is military life.

But sure, SOME of them could just be good patriotic folks, and I commend them for wanting to extend their service. Well, I commend anyone that extends their service commitment, but there are a lot of people that do it for all the wrong reasons.

 

[ProudAmerican]

my post was simply to combat the false assertion that the Army is about to fold because its stretched "too thin"

the reasons for reinlistments dont concern me that much.

Honorable, brave young men and women that are willing to give all so I can have a wonderful life are reinlisting in record numbers.

what more would I need to know?

My guess?

at least you admitted its only a guess.

But sure, SOME of them could just be good patriotic folks

and thus, the way the left TRULY feels about our military shines through. I believe EVERYONE that puts on a uniform is patriotic. even you.

there are a lot of people that do it for all the wrong reasons.

and I would venture to "guess" there are many more that do it for the right ones. But I suppose thats the difference in the mindset of a liberal vs a conservative.

 

[Stace]

my post was simply to combat the false assertion that the Army is about to fold because its stretched "too thin"

Just because people are reenlisting doesn't mean they're not stretched too thin. I've seen it with my very own eyes, and continue to see it and hear about it through the friends I still have that are enlisted in the Army.

the reasons for reinlistments dont concern me that much.

But they're very relevant, as I know people that have reenlisted simply because the military is all they know. They know that a civilian employer doesn't typically carry the same risks as the military does, but they also know that it's hard to get a job on the outside that will compensate them in ways that the military does, such as free health care for themselves, and low premiums for healthcare for their families. Not to mention those outrageous bonuses they're now offering. I have NO doubt in my mind that if my husband could have seen into the future and known that we would be expecting a child now, that he would have reenlisted, even though his heart wouldn't be in it, just to ensure that he would be making enough money to support us.

Honorable, brave young men and women that are willing to give all so I can have a wonderful life are reinlisting in record numbers.

I wouldn't really call it "record" numbers, especially with the number of people I've seen separating, but that's really neither here nor there.

what more would I need to know?

Plenty.

at least you admitted its only a guess.

Oh, it's more than just a guess, but then again, I can only speak from what I've seen and what I know, I can't speak for EVERY person that's reenlisted.

and thus, the way the left TRULY feels about our military shines through. I believe EVERYONE that puts on a uniform is patriotic. even you.

Um....not exactly sure what you're trying to get at here....

and I would venture to "guess" there are many more that do it for the right ones. But I suppose thats the difference in the mindset of a liberal vs a conservative.

Hardly. It's also quite obvious that you know very little about the mindset of a liberal.

 

[aquapub]

Actually doing something about foreign threats does tend to get troops killed. We won't go back to Clinton's Al Queda-friendly, do-nothing policies, get over it.

At least its our troops getting hurt now and not our civilians anymore. Bush was right to take us to Iraq.


And if the evil neocons had their way and we would NOT have done the massive post cold war military scale down in the Clinton years, we could actually fight our enemies AND keep a well-staffed military.

Imagine that.

 

[LeftyHenry]

At least its our troops getting hurt now and not our civilians anymore. Bush was right to take us to Iraq.

Say something of substance for once!
:doh

From what I heard before the war started, Bin Laden was in Afghanistan. NOT Iraq, but AFGHANISTAN. Now if we were really after Al Queda we'd go after the leader, right?

And since there were so many WMDs found in Iraq and all kiinds of Al Queda links, there was alot in there that had to do with the 9-11 attacks.

Oh and BTW civilians are getting hurt. 30,000-100,000 have died. (30,000 being Bush's jelly beans in a jar estimate, and a 100,000 according to a study one by BBC).