Surprise! Military hits recruiting goals across the board
posted at 3:37 pm on May 12, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Many media outlets have assumed that the military has a difficult time recruiting and retaining men and women during a war. The Pentagon released figures today showing that both recruitment and retention continue to meet or exceed goals for the year. Every service branch in both active duty and reserves have made their April targets as well as the year-to-date goals.
Congratulations on a job well done. Will this get much attention in the national media? We’ll have to wait and see.
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How did they do in Berserkly?
GoodBoy on May 12, 2008 at 3:38 PM
Gearing up for an Obama predsidency?
bloggless on May 12, 2008 at 3:38 PM
More fantastic work done by our military. I am not holding my breath re. MSM attention on this one.
Hunt035 on May 12, 2008 at 3:38 PM
They did it in Berserkly with lots of free advertising.
RBMN on May 12, 2008 at 3:46 PM
Bush has kept the military strong, amazing given all the BDS out there.
jp on May 12, 2008 at 3:50 PM
I’ll spare you the waiting and the seeing - no. But I do always like your optimism, Ed.
World B. Free on May 12, 2008 at 3:50 PM
I’d feel stretched too thin if i weren’t so fat.
mymanpotsandpans on May 12, 2008 at 3:51 PM
They do even better in combat units.
tomk59 on May 12, 2008 at 3:57 PM
Is there any validity to the statements about decreasing enlistment requirements? Something to the effect you no longer must have a highschool degree or clean criminal record?
natesnake on May 12, 2008 at 3:57 PM
My guess is that their recruiting goal for the Bay area is “Some Whole Number” :P
apollyonbob on May 12, 2008 at 4:00 PM
That’s because the guys that join the combat units are usually of a different mindset. If the media would talk with the guys that are doing the fighting and don’t complain they would get a better picture. Complaining is what grunts do but it needs to be put into the proper context.
What drives me nuts is the anti war veteran groups seem draw the non infantry types.
TroubledMonkey on May 12, 2008 at 4:06 PM
I blame Bush.
lorien1973 on May 12, 2008 at 4:07 PM
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/enlstandards_4.htm
A GED is acceptable, it just puts you in a different tier, of which fewer candidates are accepted.
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/enlstandards2_2.htm
Depends on the crime, waivers are possible.
I mean, I guess the question is, do you want to disqualify someone from the military because they got caught with pot once? Or got in a couple of fights? Is the military becoming less discriminatory in its tastes as far as recruits go? Probably. But remember these people still have to make it through training just like everyone else.
apollyonbob on May 12, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Suck it Murtha.
fogw on May 12, 2008 at 4:07 PM
Having been combat infantry myself, I endorse your post, TroubledMonkey.
tomk59 on May 12, 2008 at 4:10 PM
Despite what some out-of-touch elitists say, we have brave and intelligent men and women selflessly serving our country.
shick on May 12, 2008 at 4:11 PM
shick on May 12, 2008 at 4:11 PM
Second that!
We are very lucky as a people to have them.
FloridaBill on May 12, 2008 at 4:14 PM
Boy that must mean there are a lot of people out there that can’t read so can’t go to college and must turn to the military. (sarcasm)
bopbottle on May 12, 2008 at 4:16 PM
Shouldn’t this have been posted with the ‘Heartache’ label?
Bill Brasky on May 12, 2008 at 4:21 PM
The best and the brightest join the military just to spite John Benedict Kerry.
God bless each one of them………
Hening on May 12, 2008 at 4:22 PM
Tragic news.
These poor misguided souls have no other options. Somebody “moved the bar.”
They are uneducated and did not know what they were signing.
What did I forget?
EJDolbow on May 12, 2008 at 4:24 PM
I question the timing.
Mike Honcho on May 12, 2008 at 4:38 PM
It looks like the Marines are still the proud, but not so few! They’re 42% above their recruitment goals. Why isn’t Congressman Murtha crowing about this?
Steve Z on May 12, 2008 at 4:38 PM
I wish I could go on a way back machine and join, I did at least do my best when I worked in the DoD for 10 years.
Thanks to everyone on HA that has served. God Bless You.
kirkill on May 12, 2008 at 4:39 PM
Thanks. I hear this stuff fly around the media, but I didn’t have a firm grip on it’s validity.
natesnake on May 12, 2008 at 4:42 PM
I kind of miss my combat arms job (was a Bradley Stinger Crewmember, now I’m a computer geek), and am certainly glad that my time in combat arms has left an indelible mark on how I approach life, and the military. I joined the Army almost 6 years ago, and haven’t regretted it since. I’m glad to see that there are still young(er) men and women willing to serve their god and country in this, our noble endeavour to make all men free and equal.
Spc Steve on May 12, 2008 at 4:42 PM
Wow, so many poor, innocent children being sent to die at the hands of Bushitler-Halliburton’s war for oil. They are so young and naive, they probably don’t even understand what they sign when they enlist! /
NTWR on May 12, 2008 at 4:43 PM
Hey, my libtard tag didn’t come through! I was being sarcastic- don’t flame me.
NTWR on May 12, 2008 at 4:44 PM
sarcDamn. Looks like the Code Pink blockade is working…what will we do now?sarc
malan89 on May 12, 2008 at 4:46 PM
This is just a general questiona and does not harbor my opinion on any general sentiment.
While the Military meeting its retainment/recruitment goals are all well and good, the choosen tactic is to sometimes lower the goal in order to meet it. Is there any evidence that that has not be done here, or any evidence to the contrary?
PresidenToor on May 12, 2008 at 5:26 PM
This is really wonderful news. I thank every single man and woman who are willing to serve and defend our country.
L
letget on May 12, 2008 at 5:39 PM
Take that, Berkeley City Council!
You and your moonbat Code Pinko buddies!
pilamaye on May 12, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Well, the literacy rate has been dropping…..
Kafir on May 12, 2008 at 5:48 PM
PresidenToor, I was wondering the same thing… here is what I found. It looks like the Army & Navy only met their recently reduced goals. The Marine’s goals are all over the place, but they still had a banner month. The Air Force increased their goals and still met. I’m not trying to pour water on the fire, but my private employer pulls stuff like this all the time so I’m a born cynic.
craig on May 12, 2008 at 6:19 PM
Dang… the Marines hit nearly 150% of their goal. Semper Fi Marines!!
Maxx on May 12, 2008 at 6:34 PM
I wore the uniform with PRIDE from 61-67, yet when I see these young men and women serving today, I feel humbled.
irongrampa on May 12, 2008 at 7:29 PM
Yes, both the Army and the Marine Corps have opened enlistments to non-violent felons. The Army has also relaxed their quality requirements.
Hogman on May 12, 2008 at 7:35 PM
The Marines have had to go a “little” farther it would appear.
April 21, 2008
Sending in the Marines (to Recruit Women)
By DOUGLAS QUENQUA
THE Marines are looking for a few good women.
Actually, they will take as many as they can get. Faced with the difficulty of recruiting during a long and unpopular war, the United States Marine Corps has started marketing itself to women in a concerted way for the first time. It is running ads in magazines like Shape, Self and Fitness, which appeal mainly to female readers, as well as through more mainstream outlets like “American Idol,” where the message is a unisex one of patriotism rather than macho swagger.
The campaign is a big departure for the Marine Corps, which started accepting women for clerical duties in 1918 but until last year advertised to them only fitfully.
Women are not the only ones being courted specifically. The Marines Corps is reaching out to Latinos with ads in La Raza [Spanish for "The Race" Hey, maybe they can advertise in "Der Volk" too? No wait, what was I thinking, Germans gave that kind of racial dominance and expansionism stuff up decades ago.] newspaper that emphasize family and honor (“Each unit in the Corps is a family, and each member knows they never stand alone”), and to Arab-Americans with a message about nationality and identity (“I am American. I am Arab. I am a Marine … I know where I stand”). [Now this seems rather disturbing to me, as I think that it should be, "I am an American. I am a Marine." During my time in the Army I did not say. "I am an American. I am Germanic. I am a Soldier".]
Given the drum beat of bad news from the lingering conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, where American military casualties recently topped 4,000, the sell can be a tough one.
MB4 on May 12, 2008 at 7:44 PM
I meant to post this…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24243460/
Granted, it’s from MSNBC, however; recruiting stations are seeing an increase in the numbers of sex offenders and other felons applying for military service. The problem is that, as far as the Army is concerned, applicants that are qualified for service will not be denied.
From http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/03/army_AUSA_waivers_030108w/
That tells you that one in five applicants for the Army were originally disqualified and the Army either granted an exception to policy or waived a disqualifying condition.
For those of you that do not know, TRADOC is the higher command for recruiting, ROTC, and all training bases. So GEN Wallace is a big wig.
Hogman on May 12, 2008 at 7:56 PM
The Army is marketing to the Latino population as well. In recent years, the numbers of African Americans applicants has started to drop off. (I could tell you why, but that would be racist.) The Army is hoping that the Latino population will help replace the drop in the African American enlistmens.
Hogman on May 12, 2008 at 8:00 PM
James Dunnagin’s Strategypage has an article on “lowered” standards today.
njcommuter on May 13, 2008 at 1:52 AM
Someone will have to break the news to Stephen King and John Kerry.
Gentleness optional.
Noocyte on May 13, 2008 at 2:42 AM
If you can’t serve - work for a contractor to get our military the best possible tools for the job. Everything we do in industry to provide the warfighter the best tools multiplies the effectiveness by orders of magnitude over their foes.
Well done US armed forces - and for all those questioning the entrance requirements, get a life. Our equipment is ultra high end and has to be used in a very challenging fast paced environment - definitely not for the mentally challenged. Those folks who don’t have a proper education and can’t handle the challenges end up as liberal democrats and traitors and in academia (the preserve of those who can not make it on their own but need to suckle at the teet of the working folks in the USA - see our universities).
Colonel_prop on May 13, 2008 at 7:22 AM