Army takes older recruits, up to age 42 now

[LynneSin]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-06-22T030936Z_01_N21345217_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-RECRUITING-1.xml

Army takes older recruits

By Will Dunham

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army, aiming to make its recruiting goals amid the Iraq war, raised its maximum enlistment age by another two years on Wednesday, while the Army Reserve predicted it will miss its recruiting target for a second straight year.

People can now volunteer to serve in the active-duty Army or the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard up to their 42nd birthday after the move aimed at increasing the number of people eligible to sign up, officials said.

It marked the second time this year the Army has boosted the maximum age for new volunteers, raising the ceiling from age 35 to 40 in January before now adding two more years.


More than three years into the war, the Army continues to provide the bulk of U.S. ground forces in Iraq. Army officials have acknowledged the war has made some recruits and their families wary about volunteering.

The Army Reserve, along with the regular Army and Army National Guard, missed its fiscal 2005 recruiting goal, and it currently lags its fiscal 2006 year-to-date goal by 4 percent.

[Momgonepostal]

1. They must be excited about this over at FReeperland...

Lots of those patriots who really WOULD serve, but are just a bit too old will now have their chances! Woo-hoo!

:sarcasm:

[Jeffersons Ghost]

3. I might start going to bars again in alabama to give neocons the news....

Now they can REALLY support the war effort! ha!

[A Simple Game]

2. Darn, I missed out again.

Maybe next time.

[etherealtruth]

5. Geese ... I'm 2 years too old

I am sure, for the militaristic among us (:sarcasm:), the age limit will be raised to 67 ... or maybe 70 pretty soon.

[rug]

4. This will solve Bush's Social Security problem.

[geniph]

6. Gawd, at what point

are we going to look like desperate armies of the past, comprised of the very old and the very young.

The Army needs new incentives for the "I-got-mine-Jack" hyper-jingoistic freeper types; the ones they're using aren't working, otherwise, those "true amurkin patriots" :sarcasm: would be signing up in droves. I dunno, maybe crateloads of Coulter "books" to every new recruit? A date with Annie herself, maybe? Surely she'd be willing to do that, since she's such a supporter of the troops?