Talked to a few Army recruiters today, Word is the Draft is near.

[Old Vet]

Right from the horses mouth, Ive mentioned this before on these boards. They said theres a extreme need for a influx of new recruits, There numbers haven't been this bad in memory. Nobody is hitting the minimum recruitment numbers needed, And that goes for all the services.

[FarPoint]

1. Bring it on...

It is a necessary instrument to evoke social change.

[cyclonefence]

36. Yep

The sooner we get a draft, the sooner we'll stop sending young men and women to die overseas. When white kids have to go, government pays attention to protests.

[Warpy]

45. Poor kids don't matter, neither does their skin color

and rich kids will never have to go. The middle class is gone.

You were saying?

[Floyd R. Turbo]

46. Same as it always was!

[cyclonefence]

54. I think you miss my point.

[Warpy]

55. I lived through the draft, peacetime and wartime

Did you?

It doesn't work the way you think it will. Ever.

[cyclonefence]

56. I'm 70 years old

and it's been nice talking to you.

[braddy]

61. That white kid thing is a draft myth, during the more than 30 years of the most recent draft, and in

our current wars, whites are overrepresented in the war dead totals, in WWII, all of the services drafted and 93% of the Army, were draftees, in Vietnam 30% of our dead were draftees, in WWII, about 70% were.

[NYC Liberal]

79. That worked so well for the Vietnam War.

That war went on for five more years and many thousands of Americans were killed after the draft was instituted.

How many people pushing so hard for the draft to return would be eligible themselves?

[HoneyBadger]

81. That is an excellent point

We should draft only people over 50 years old. In these days of button pushing and riding in armored vehicles, youth is not needed for at least half of the jobs in the military, and those can be filled with enlisted.

[still_one]

84. You beat me to the punch. Actually our involvement in Vietnam lasted almost twenty years, and when

the draft was in full force in the sixties into the early seventies, even with the body bags and casualty figures being reported daily, as you said it went on strong for 5 more years

[still_one]

83. don't count on it. Vietnam was almost 20 years, and the privileged will always find a way out

The draft was in full force in the sixties into the early seventies, even with the body bags and casualty figures being reported daily, it went on for years after

[loyalsister]

43. I think that every war resolution should call for a draft

For one thing, soldiers should not be sent back repeatedly. And another, I think it is a disincentive. If the IWR had included a requirement for a draft, I think it's possible that fewer legislators would have voted for it.

[SammyWinstonJack]

50. No!

[nini]

51. No thanks

I'm planning on leaving the country to save my grandson if I have to.

Fuck this bring it on shit.

[BlueMTexpat]

52. +1!

It'll get all those home-schooled and/or evangelical kids away from their manipulative elders and open their minds to the world outside their bubble.

Just watch the rust belt turn blue again!

[braddy]

63. Who do you think enlists for combat units?

[Ms. Toad]

64. So it is not enough that people here hope my daughter dies

to make a point to Republicans about the ACA.

Now you want her to be canon fodder.



You don't sacrifice people to make a political point.

[HAB911]

2. Refresh my memory

are women currently subject to registration?

[DURHAM D]

3. No.

Before they start that they need to pass the Equal Rights Amendment.

[mythology]

19. Not yet, but it did pass in the Senate last year.

[sharp_stick]

4. Makes me happy that my kids

have dual citizenship.

[atreides1]

30. That's fortunate

The Selective Service System, is an active government agency...it will only take 60-90 days for the draft to begin, once Congress authorizes it!

I would suggest that your kids leave as soon as Congress reactivates the draft!

I have a bad feeling that once it's done, no men between the ages of 18 - 26 will be allowed to leave the country!

[Agschmid]

5. Or we could just reduce the size of our military.

[elehhhhna]

6. No way. Nobody will stand for that.

[BeyondGeography]

7. Donny Bone Spurs had a creative response to the draft

Maybe he could give lessons.

[OriginalGeek]

23. I think all responsible doctors who believe their Hippocratic oaths should

diagnose every single draft-eligible American with bone spurs.

[Bengus81]

40. Or the pimple on your ass like Limbaugh,crap your pants like SUPER patriot (now) Ted Nugent...

Yes...if a draft does start bet YOUR azzzzzz there will be plenty of deferments to go around for Thad and his buddies who also have RICH parents. Those clowns will NEVER go fight for the country,only set at home and applaud Presidents who start War and tell everyone else to love it or leave it.

[napi21]

8. I'll believe it when I see it. I just don't see the Pubbies risking their precious little kidos to

having to serve. I suspect the recruiters were wishing so hard it became true to them.

[karadax]

9. It would be a skills draft.

Doctors, nurses or any area of expertise that is needed. The lists I'm sure are ready to roll at the drop of a hat.

[Old Vet]

12. Actually the recruiters said the E-1 thru E-6 slots are desperately in need of bodies....

The need is the bottom ranks, I couldn't believe the bonus money there offering for basic recruits. Seems 11B(infantry) is in dire need.

[uponit7771]

26. I wonder what the military is doing for ABI... I've seen too many stories of a IED going off and not

... even hitting a troop and the brain injury symptoms being acute from blast concussions.

That would scare the shit out of me, to have to live with a brain injury the rest of my life and the army not recognize it.

[workinclasszero]

32. No worries

As soon as Trump and the republicans destroy the Obama economy, the economic draft will kick in 100%.

Then all the lovely republican wars can start to engorge the bloody maw of the MIC exponentially once again. Gotta replace all those million dollar missiles etc.

[Docreed2003]

58. I think that's part of it...

I served my time as a surgeon in the US Navy. My closest friend since childhood is a physician in the USArmy. I still have plenty of connections in the service and across the board physicians are at a deep shortage.

I'm under no misconception about my status. I know that there is a very real possibility I will be pulled back to active service.

We certiainly are living in uncertain times and God knows what plans Trump and his minions have in store.

[Trust Buster]

10. Expect a religious exemption. Nothing scares the tough talking right wing weenies more than the

possibility that they might actually have to show how tough they are beyond just shooting their pie holes off.

[braddy]

15. What religion?

[Trust Buster]

20. Cute

[braddy]

62. It was a serious question, is sure can't be Christians, they are the core of the military and over-

represented.

[safeinOhio]

41. Join a UU church

had friends back in the 60s that qualified by belonging to a UU Church. Plus you don't have to believe in a God.

[braddy]

66. The Mormon religion was largely in charge of issuing it's own deferments, ie Mitt Romney.

[1965Comet]

11. With all due respect...

and I mean all DUE respect, recruiters are the last people you should be relying on for factual info...

I got lucky, my recruiter was also my former scoutmaster, so he didn't lie to me at all...

[Old Vet]

13. Iam retired military so they were not giving me a sales job, These guys are straight shooters....

But the general consensus was that a draft was gonna be at a minimum brought up soon for discussion. Even with crazy bonus money being offered for a few MOSs, Recruits are few and far between currently.

[AnnieBW]

14. Nobody Wants To Go To War

I would hazard a guess that no young people are enlisting because they don't want to go to war under the Commander in Thief.

[onecaliberal]

16. They are delusional if they think I would sacrifice my children for that ass maggot.

[uponit7771]

25. +1, My oldest is 11 years away from even having to think about it. NO WAY under this bastard or even

... the effects of this bastard would I want to encourage any of my kids to go to fight for him.

I'm surprised the Air Force is having any issues... seems like they'd be still turning people away

[braddy]

67. The Air Force has not had a problem getting people, since it was part of the Army in WWII, during

a draft, people will be flocking to the Air Force and Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army and Marines.

[cynatnite]

17. A lot of career military want a draft...

That's due to RW thinking that serving in the military should be a citizen requirement.

I'm a vet and it's not uncommon for many vets and career military to support a draft.

It's not going to happen anyway unless rich repubs get their way and their kids are exempt. Take it for what it's worth.

[geek tragedy]

18. Recruiters are not likely to be privy to what Mattis and Trump are planning.

More likely they're saying "lock in these great incentive benefits before they go away after everyone is drafted"

[avebury]

21. Who in their right mind would want to enlist in the

military at this point in time?

[LongTomH]

22. We've been wondering how we were going to get young people out to vote!!!

I guarantee, a draft, plus an unjust, unpopular war (remember 'Nam?) will do the job!!!!

[uponit7771]

24. NAVY or Air Force?! Usually they're turning folk away no?

[Old Vet]

35. Thats how it use to be, The standards were always higher for the Navy and Air Force...

This recruiting station is one of those with all the branches in one big room, So I got a feel from all four of the services. One of the recruiters is my best friends son(man Iam getting old) We were drafted the same month and went thru basic and jungle together. My friends son is a Air force man due to the fact his dad and I were Army and for some reason he took our advice.

[uponit7771]

44. Same here, me and pops were Army... kids will be Navy or Air Force but not in MiniPootins military

... fuck that, this dude is nuts and a traitor.

[HoneyBadger]

82. Air Force just got a lot easier

They HAD a 25% cutoff on tattoo coverage, make that a flexible 90% now 😀
Marijuana is good to go also.




The Air Force on Tuesday announced it will no longer limit the size of airmen's body tattoos, in a significant shift that opens up the door to popular sleeve tattoos.

The policy change is slated to take effect Feb. 1.

The change in regulations will allow both arm and leg sleeves, Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, deputy chief of staff for Air Force manpower, personnel and services, told Military.com in an exclusive interview Friday at the Pentagon.

"As a next step in this evolution, we are opening the aperture on certain medical accession criteria and tattoos while taking into account our needs for worldwide deployability and our commitment to the profession of arms," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said in a statement.

The service is axing its "25 percent rule," which prohibits tattoos that cover more than a quarter of an exposed body part. That rule was added to the Air Force Guidance Memorandum, or AFI 36-2903, "Dress and Personal Appearance," in 1998, then updated with a measuring tool in 2010, said Air Force spokesman Maj. Bryan Lewis.

Tattoos will now be allowed on the chest, back, arms and legs and will not be restricted to size, according to Grosso. "Size will not be a factor anymore," she said.

Grosso added, "Old policy, current policy, anything that's inappropriate, racist, sexist, inappropriate picture -- those have never been acceptable and will still not be acceptable."

Tattoos, brandings or body markings on the head, neck, face, tongue, lips and or scalp will still be prohibited.

There will be no restriction on the arm up to an individual's wrist, Grosso added. But "the only tattoo you can have on your hand is on one finger, and that's for both hands," she said. An example of this would be a wedding ring tattoo.

[asiliveandbreathe]

27. Unless A societal shift along the lines of WW11 - not likely would a rep.congress or with

a buffoon rep president would ever be crazy enough to sign legislation to reinstitute the draft....

Although - the buffoon, if he keeps shooting his mouth off....

I believe the Natl Guard active, reserve - active military, and many tours through the backdoor..maybe??? - gee, where have I heard that before...hummmm -

I implore you to visit you local VA hospital - just once...before even thinking about a societal shift....

[no_hypocrisy]

28. Will Congress vote on women being required to register for the military before

Congress votes to reinstate the draft?

[marlakay]

89. I have a feeling women won't be part of it

We are clearly the little woman meant for sex and cooking and cleaning.

[CK_John]

29. In my rural red area the the draft board has had open slots on the draft board

for yrs due to illness and death. Since Dec I've gotten several calls to recommend some one or if I was interested, to fill 4 open slots.

I was not interested (at 76) but I would recommend that young people who want to get active in politics should look into joining the draft board.

[Dem2]

31. hmmm

I wonder if he's that stupid?

[Raster]

33. Great! Let's have a draft...

...NO EXEMPTIONS. PERIOD. No deferments. No medical excuses (flat feet, boils on the ass... you know, the typical Rethug "not my kid" excuses), and NO CHAMPAGNE UNITS for the well connected. Everyone should be included, MALE AND FEMALE. It MUST be completely fair, even and without any kind of prejudice or preference.

[uppityperson]

70. How about instead getting congress to use the military better, no stupid wars?

There is no way they'll do that? Then why would anyone think they'd pass an equitable draft either?

[elehhhhna]

88. No women unless and until the ERA passed.

[Raster]

92. I completely agree. And let me be clear: I don't want a draft...

...IN FACT, the Military/Industrial Complex needs to be brought to heel, BIG TIME. Yes, we should be strong! Yes, we should be resolute! And yes, we must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifices... but those sacrifices MUST BE EQUALLY BORNE. No more the assumption that lower and income kids would automatically be cannon fodder. AND FUCKING CERTAINLY no more the assumption that the kids of the rich and powerful would get the plum positions and postings. We are striating into classes and castes in this Country BECAUSE WE HAVE ALLOWED IT.

I have *RABIDLY* supported the ERA since I was 17 years old and I do not plan on stopping now.

[Calculating]

34. No way would it happen

The draft is one of the few things that would actually get people out in the streets wrecking stuff. The government has no right to force me into conscription.

[Old Vet]

37. Yes it could, Believe me I know.

Now whether the public could squash such a dumb-ass idea is another thing. Times are really weird right now, Things in government you figured would NEVER happen could under this crazy ass administration.

[uponit7771]

47. +1, the M$M and Benedict Donald are normalizing EVERYTHING !!! My German friend did say something

... that made me feel better about this situation.

He said there are too many brown people in your government for MiniPootin to succeed on the level of Hitler.

That Germany's government was one color one culture and didn't have any diversity in it for anyone to speak up.

Thing is the majority of people don't want our government to rven get close to a hint of what pre war Germany looked like...

Given the Russian hacking and voter suppression we may be hurting for a while before we bounce back

[JDC]

38. Sounds like pitch to me

Sign up now and get these bonuses. If you don't, there's going to be a draft anyhow and you'll miss out on this pile o cash.

[MrScorpio]

39. Shit, I'm glad that my brother and I both retired 12 years ago.

FDT.

[safeinOhio]

42. trumps only way to

full employment.

[Old Vet]

49. BINGO!!!!!!!

[grantcart]

48. You are not talking to the right horse

The whole strategy of the Republicans is to avoid any high profile move that would cause discomfort among middle America.

Moreover the Republicans have become more isolationist with the last election, not less.

[Chasstev365]

53. WHAT???????

And send suburban Shanes, Troys, and Colins to die for oil in the Middle East? NEVER!

CONSERVATIVES know it's much better to let the minority kids like Hector (who's parents they want to deport) and Lamar ( a straight A student from the projects, striving to get out) bare the brunt of the burden of the fighting.

NEVER FORGET; the poor die in wars, the middle class pay for the wars, and the rich profit from wars.

[FSogol]

57. Nonsense. The military has no need for large numbers of people, they lack the facilities to train,

house, and equip them.

[loribelle]

59. A year ago I wouldn't have objected

I'm an Army vet, my dad is a Vietnam Vet, and my husband is retired Guard.There's a whole lot of (red) middle America that might rethink wars if they knew their sons or daughters might have to go. But now there is a seriously unstable man in the White House and I will not risk my kids because he's psychotic.

My husband has an mos that would make him ripe for recall except he has a TBI that makes him non-deployable. My girls are full time college students and of course, not subject to a draft yet. I'm sure they'd love to get their hands on my oldest, though. She's fixing to graduate with a nuclear chemistry degree. Thankfully (I can't believe I just typed that) they both have health issues that make them draft exempt.

My boy, on the other hand, is almost 16 and in his second year of ROTC. He's always wanted to go into the Army. I told him after the election if he tries to enlist while this man is president I will do him serious bodily harm and put him on a plane to his aunts and uncles in Ireland. (We need to figure out what has to be done for him to get dual citizenship.) At least he's refocused on the Coast Guard academy now.

(Btw, saying hi from my new name! I used to be BamaGirl. I was gone for awhile and couldn't remember my password or the email I signed up with originally. It was probably my Army email which is no longer active lol!)

[smirkymonkey]

85. Welcome back loribelle!

I really hope this doesn't happen to your children or anyone else's. It would be a nightmare.

[loribelle]

95. Thanks smirky!

And yes it would be awful.

[MurrayDelph]

91. I live in a Coast Guard town

on the Oregon Coast. He would certainly be welcome here.

[loribelle]

96. He'd probably love it there! n/t

[roamer65]

60. The draft would be for the civil war created by it.

It would be the final straw.

[TransitJohn]

65. That'll hasten the end of the GWoT folly. eon

n/t

[bluedigger]

68. There's other ways than the draft to fill the ranks.

I joined Reagan's military in '82 with a liberal arts degree and unemployment around 10% Economic desperation is a great youth motivator, and we have the right Comrade in Chief to create it.

[uppityperson]

69. Equitable draft is a ludicrous idea

There is no way in hell congress would pass something that did not give their people, and the rich and powerful, an out.

There is no way in hell (part 2) that giving the powers that be more bodies for cannon fodder will make any military action be over sooner or have them treated any better.

There is no way in hell (part 3) that having a draft will effect enough social change to make the military wat machine be more reluctant to waste lives.

I came of age toward the end of the Viet Nam draft and see no way a draft is good.

[sarah FAILIN]

71. I have my doubts about this.

The reason is I know some local kids that were set to join and had their dates pushed back at the last minute. The recruiters had too many recruits and not enough room. I think one kid wound up not even going after quitting his job because it was going to be so long to wait. Maybe it was because it was in the Navy, but it happened to several.

[Old Vet]

72. Iam Going back next month because my friends son is getting his rocker E-6....

And well see the numbers after a month. Both my sons are of military age 21 and 23, Of all there friends only one is in the service (Navy). Kind of weird though, This kid hasn't seen day 1 on a ship and is actually based at army bases. My boys though know my feelings about the service, There family has plenty of skin in the game already. NO way my kids are gonna be in this countrys military period. That's all I have to say about that.

[sarah FAILIN]

74. I think we are lucky, my 18 yr old son has disabilities

You never think you'll say that, lol. He has almost no hearing in 1 ear after a tumor in that ear and something called hyperlasticity disorder which makes it so he can put both his legs behind his shoulders and cross them behind his head which is not really a bad thing...unless he has to run. He can't run for shit more than short distances. Plus he has asthma, so BOOM he is out. Thank goodness for his disabilities.

He is however a cybersecurity major...

[bdamomma]

73. maybe tRumps

supporters who pledge their allegiance to him will sign up since they find no fault in him.

This man needs to be removed. Really

[EL34x4]

75. I'm an E-6 in the Navy

We're meeting all of our enlistment and re-enlistment quotas. We're hardly offering anyone SRBs to stay in anymore. A handshake, a cake and a 96 hr special liberty pass has replaced the $25,000+ reenlistment bonus we used to give out. We're kicking people out if they get too fat, get in trouble, are in overmanned ratings, etc.

Don't know where you're getting your info but it certainly isn't mirrored here in the USN.

[Greybnk48]

76. Congress is always campaigning for the next election.

There won't be another draft, at least in the next couple of decades. Bad for the perpetual campaign.

[vlyons]

77. Actually, I'm not opposed to required service for young people, provided

that there's options for non-military service, such as working in hospitals, education, senior centers, social services, child care, environment clean-up, wildlife sanctuaries, all kinds of labor apprenticeships.

[Dave Starsky]

78. They won't need a draft.

They will just make things so bad in this country that people will flock to join just to have three hots and a cot.

Which is pretty much how it is now.

[Lee-Lee]

80. I'm going to call bullshit

First, it takes an act of Congress to even do it.

Any efforts to do it wouldn't be known by a bunch of E-5 to E-7 recruiters down at the strip mall. They wouldn't be briefed on it and they wouldn't have any inside knowledge.

Second, all branches have been meeting or exceeding their recruitment goals, in fact 2016 was the first year in several years that the Army exceeded its recruitment goals and they did it while actually tightening standards.

Third, as mentioned above the standards are higher now than they have been in a long time. Before they would even consider a draft they will drop standards and increase bonuses because both of those are far cheaper and easie options to meet goals than a draft. But they don't need to because, as I said above, they are meeting goals.

All this is public record.

There is no "extreme need" for new recruits.

I even called a friend who is the 1SG of a Recruiting Battalion before making this post because I wanted to make sure I wasn't off on something. She laughed when I mentioned it and pretty much said just what I was thinking, that I posted above.

I suspect if you are making a habit of hanging out at the recruiting station, in their way, they decided to screw with you because they really don't need what they see as an old codger who can't enlist or help them meet their mission hanging out sucking you their time. "Here comes that old fucker with nothing else to do but hang out here again. He hates Trump, let's fuck with him and tell him the draft is returning" is probably what was said when they saw you in the window.

Either they are screwing with you or you are screwing with us. Because none of what you posted is even remotely close to being grounded in reality.

[erpowers]

86. Train Them

Why can't the military just sign up the recruits and then train them at the military bases? Whether the need is educational or fitness it seems the military could improve their recruits.

Also, why can't they just recruit from the Junior ROTC programs? I think it would be a good idea for the military to raise the standards for the Junior ROTC programs. I did not join the military (although I gave strong consideration to the idea), but I was in Junior ROTC and later learned that the standards for the actual military were far harder than the standards for Junior ROTC. The standards that allowed me to be at the top of the heap in Junior ROTC put me at the bottom of the barrel in the actual military. If the military is really hurting for recruits maybe they should focus on the Junior ROTC kids. The military could raise both fitness and academic standards, spend more time recruiting these kids for the military colleges, and spend more time trying to getting those who do not want to go to college to enlist.

Another option is for the military to take the Junior ROTC kids and give the military jobs over the summer. The kids could be given real MOSs (intel would not be an option and they would not be sent to war) and paid the same salary of an E-1. The point of the program would be to introduce these kids to military life and give them the skills needed to be in the military.

[Paladin]

87. God forgive me, but I hope it happens.

Nothing would undercut and bring down a trump regime faster than a military draft---nothing.

[Kaleva]

90. There is no way recruiters would know if the draft was near or not.

Last year the Army met it's recruitment target for the first time in years.

"The Army closed out the fiscal year that ended a little over a week ago having met its recruiting goals for the first time in five years: 62,500 new accessions in the active Army and 15,400 in the Army Reserve."

Army meets recruiting goals for first time in years

[Inkfreak]

93. A recruiter wouldn't know.

They are not privy to such information. Regardless, America has no need or desire for a draft.

[killbotfactory]

94. Well, I guess not starting any more wars is out of the question.