U.S. Army offers shorter enlistment to recruits

[wicket]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/arms_usa_recruiting_dc

The U.S. Army will allow recruits to sign up for just 15 months of active-duty service, rather than the typical four-year enlistment, as it struggles to lure new soldiers amid the Iraq war, a general said on Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Michael Rochelle, U.S. Army Recruiting Command head, also said this was "the toughest recruiting climate ever faced by the all-volunteer Army," with the war causing concern among potential recruits and their families and the economy offering civilian job prospects.

America abolished the draft in 1973 during the tumult of the Vietnam War era and has since relied on a military made up exclusively of volunteers.

Rochelle said the Army this week expanded nationwide a pilot program in place since October 2003 in 10 cities offering recruits the option of a 15-month active-duty enlistment.

[rzemanfl]

1. When they start offering shorter deaths that will be news. This is

just a run up for conscription.

[RamboLiberal]

4. H'mm and is it a guarantee or can they still StopLoss their ass?

I'd be real wary of this recruits.

When are the Fighting 101st Keyboardists and the Bush Chickenhawk Youth Brigade going to do their duty?

[atreides1]

7. STOPLOSS

Will still be in effect, so 15 months and an indefinite period of time after that,or until you come home missing pieces or in a box.

[Jacobin]

10. Yep

Just more lies to trick the poor into enlisting to get some college money.

[UCLA Dem]

16. Yea, so they can say "we've done everything possible...now its draft time"

I feel ill.

[rzemanfl]

17. My thinking was more along the lines of "we've shown we can

train combat troops in a short period of time." To counter all of Rummy's rash statements about draftees.

[VegasWolf]

37. Reports are that the average survival rate for soldiers in Iraq is

2.6 years before they are either killed or severely wounded.
The Army has the statistics on their side.

[Richard Steele]

Kinda pointless,....

...since "Stop-Loss" will keep you there until 2036 if they feel like it....

That 'term of enlistment' is just a SUGGESTION to them.

[Zorra]

2. Ha. Recruits better read the fine print in the contract. Military service

has become a lifetime commitment on a 4 year stint.

[WebeBlue]

3. Then Stop Loss and 15 months becomes indefinite

as it is the President's perogative to declare 'National Emergency' annually, thereby enabling all the loopholes including Stop Loss to be activated which keeps the soldier indefinitely IN and on indefinite rotation combat tours. Such was the language in the ruling on the Santiago v Rumsfeld court appeal hearing.....

[cornermouse]

5. 15 months of active-duty service? And that would be

followed by another 23 months of now what did they call it when they reatined people past the end of their serivce time and recalled people who had been out of the service for 20 years or more?

Just how dumb are we supposed to be?

[RamboLiberal]

6. From the article - Lowest Number in Memory

Rochelle predicted a rough 2006 fiscal year. He said while the Army entered fiscal 2005 with about 18 percent of the year's goal met by recruits who had already committed to enlist, the figure will be about 9.9 percent next year, the lowest number in memory.

Either there will be a draft or we have to get the hell out of Iraq next year is my prediction!

[Pirate Smile]

8. I'd read the fine print. If you buy this, I have a bridge below for sale.

[Frederik]

35. I'll take it!

Always wanted one of those Brooklyn bridges. How much?

[Pirate Smile]

36. It is yours for just 15 months of active-duty service in the Army.

Travel, meet people, see new things. If you want ADVENTURE and ACTION, this is perfect for you. How could you turn it down?

[tabasco]

9. Guess where the entire 15 months will be spent, buckos.

If you're signing up for the short tour, you can bet it won't be stateside.

[RamboLiberal]

11. I wanted to add Rummys infamous words on draftees

Donald Rumsfeld's analysis of the Vietnam War has offended many Vietnam veterans, because according to Rumsfeld, draftees did not contribute much in the Vietnam War, despite 20,000 deaths by draftees who: "'added no value, no advantage, really, to the United States armed services over any sustained period of time, because (of) the churning that took place. It took (an) enormous amount of effort in terms of training - and then they were gone.'"(3)

http://www.etext.org/Politics/MIM/agitation/draft/draftupdate05092004.html

Isn't 15 months the same? And no I don't believe it will only be 15 months.

[Zynx]

12. 15 months AFTER training, and then you are still Guard or AR

Which means you can be called up right away.

Scam.

[Robbien]

13. Offer it to the right wing Iraq war supporters and see how fast

they run away.

[NNN0LHI]

28. Same goes for the left-wing war supporters. Of which there are many n/t

[aneerkoinos]

14. Conscript

It is very doubtfull, that with a conscript people's army instead of professional "volunteer" army, the neocons would have ever had their war of aggression. Citizen army is much less suitable for maintaining an unjust empire than a professional one. Citizens might and would object on much greater scale than obey.

BTW, here in Finland we've got conscript army where every male and some women serve, and I'm a consciouss objector, and didn't serve bearing weapons. But I think a citizen army is smaller evil than professional hired army.

[tabasco]

15. I agree !

I support universal service here in the US, for the reasons you stated. I believe that universal service would reduce racism as well.

[UCLA Dem]

18. I just feel afraid being a woman...so many stories of sexual assault.

If this country wants universal service, then the military needs to clean up their act. At present it continues to be sexist, homophobic and racist.

[rzemanfl]

19. Getting shot, blown up, maimed or disfigured would be bad too.nt

[sweetladybug]

22. Everyone who voted for Bush really really really need to get in line,

sign up for the military and take their asses to the illegal war in Iraq. They wanted THEIR war in Iraq! They got THEIR war in Iraq! They need to go and fight THEIR war in Iraq!

[aneerkoinos]

21. There is a good argument against

The sex that gives birth is to be relieved from military service. Best thing of course, no army anywhere.

My wife said well when the war started: "What kind of mother let's her sons to be taken to kill and to be killed?"

Motherpower rulez!

[tabasco]

25. I'm in favor of universal male service like in Germany.

With female volunteers. And no discrimination against gays (stupid). When I was a platoon leader we had a gay soldier in my unit. He was one of the best soldiers in the platoon.

I was an Army officer but never served in a unit with females. I did see and hear of problems in other units, however.

I really wanted the country to have a debate about universal service during peacetime, and implement it during peacetime. But it appears the neocons are going to force something on us to continue the Iraq misadventure.

[NNN0LHI]

29. I am against conscription of any kind to fight in illegal and immoral wars

I don't care if they call it a draft, universal service, or something else, I am still against it. And I have no dog in this fight. No children, or even close relatives in jeopardy of being called up. I just will not support it.

Don

[tabasco]

30. I figure most of us here at DU are against it too.

I am in favor of universal service implemented during PEACETIME.

[TahitiNut]

47. I strongly support a Universal Service obligation, including ...

... a wide variety of non-military service options. The Term of Service should vary, imho, according to 'supply/demand' factors. I tire of the second-class-citizen rationalizations for exempting/prohibiting service by females, gays, and the disabled. I'd exempt nobody -- with the sole exception of institutionalized people. As long as someone has suffrage, they should be eligible for national service of some kind. Democracy is all about participation.

[Miss Chybil]

20. How about offering them a new President and Defense Secretary?

And the promise they won't be sent to die in order to make some rich people richer?

[lyonn]

34. Now that's a fight worth fighting

Getting rid of Rummy and Bush. The whole world could turn around with that new twist.

[K8-EEE]

23. Attn: Draft Aged Freepers!!

How can you turn down a deal like that? Only 15 months and you get to serve your idol in his glorious quest!!

Of course...if there really IS this support for "the liberation," then why are they so desperate for recruits, why aren't all the freepers at the recruiting stations with lines so long they have to organize porta-potties?

[grytpype]

24. Wow, what a sign of desperation RECOMMENDED!

It is fucking crazy to recruit and train a soldier and them let him go in 15 months. It is fucking ridiculous.

[tabasco]

27. I can scarcely believe it myself.

The shortest hitch I ever heard of before this was three years.

This is a sign of extreme desperation.

I suppose the neocons figured their propaganda apparatus was so good they could convince the masses to sign up in droves to battle the evil ay-rabs.

[OneBlueSky]

26. do the words "bait and switch" ring a bell? . . . n/t

.

[LiberalFighter]

31. 15 mos isn't enough time for it to be worthwhile for the military

[BrotherBuzz]

39. Rumsfeld would agree, but...

tell that to my friend who dropped out of high school, joined the Marines, did a one year tour in Vietnam, and was released early (17 months) - just in time to attend his friends' high school graduation.

[driver8]

32. Hell -- why not offer them 8 month enlistments? Two months for

training and then 6 months in Iraq.

A draft is in the wind...

[indepat]

33. Wonder why this is the toughest recruiting climate ever faced by an all-

volunteer army? Wonder if any of the new recruits will be involuntarily retained on active duty beyond their 15-month active duty enlistment? I just don't understand why all supporters of this Administration and its pre-emptive war policy aren't offering up every one of their progeny of enlistment age. I suspect the rate of enlistment of the children of such supporters is appallingly low.

[wicket]

38. kick

:kick:

[emad]

40. US woos soldiers with early exit

Faced with a drastic shortage of recruits, the US Army has widened a scheme to offer would-be soldiers the option to sign up for just 15 months.

The minimum period a recruit can usually enlist for is four years.

But in an attempt to help recruiters meet their quotas, the army has announced the 15-month active service programme will be launched nationwide.

The recruiters have been struggling to meet targets as the Iraq war continues with ever-rising US casualties.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4544701.stm

[TahitiNut]

41. "just 15 months" ... except when they enact a "stop loss"

I guess they're targeting the fools and mentally-challenged. :shrug:

[merwin]

43. Exactly!

[Pinboy]

52. Double exactly

The plan is 15 months ("after training"), plus TWO YEARS guard or reserve, plus SEVEN YEARS individual ready reserve. So the recruit ends up being either active or on-call for MORE THAN 10 YEARS.

From the story:

"They will be offered the option of serving 15 months on active duty after completing their training, and then two years in the part-time Army Reserve or National Guard. The soldier then would spend nearly seven years in the Individual Ready Reserve, which requires no training and until recently was rarely mobilized, or serve in a program like the Peace Corps."

Hmmmmm . . . wonder who gets to decide if an applicant is granted the Peace Corps option?

[ozymandius]

42. I wonder if stop-loss would remain in effect.

Sure you can get in - but hell if you'll ever get out.

[davidinalameda]

44. I heard this on the radio this morning

you would have to be an idiot to sign up under this

[gratuitous]

45. You can check out any time you like

But you can never leave.

This is "Hotel California" recruiting.

[IChing]

46. star wars

ozymandius thanks for this one

[Rainscents]

48. After 15 months service... Sorry boys and girls, you have been drafted!!!

It's called... Back Door Draft!

[mariema]

49. This is how desperate they are for cannon fodder

How much more blatant can it be?
“Sign up here so we can use, abuse and discard you, but only for 15 months instead of 4 years (at least on paper).”

[MADem]

50. Indefinite extensions of enlistment were just found to be legal TODAY

...in the 9th Circuit. This case is gonna go all the way to the Supremes, and then we will know where our country sits on this issue.

I would make sure that everyone thinking about enlisting is aware of that court decision. Make it a point to pass this information along. It doesn't MATTER what the contract says, the courts, thus far, have ruled that if we are in a time of war or national emergency, you ain't going home if Uncle Sam tells you to stay.

[llmart]

51. When in my lifetime have you ever been able......

to believe anything the military tells you? I'm from the VietNam war era dn I remember and have personal stories of lies recruiters told guys to get them to sign up. Any lie you could think of they would tell.