Army’s ‘quick ship’ bonus proves popular

[WillyT]

Army’s ‘quick ship’ bonus proves popular
Recruits receive $20,000 if they agree to leave within days

<snip>

More than 90 percent of the Army's new recruits since late July have accepted a $20,000 "quick ship" bonus to leave for basic combat training by the end of September, putting thousands of Americans into uniform almost immediately.

Many recruits who take the bonus -- scoring in many cases the equivalent of more than a year's pay -- leave their homes within days, recruiters said. The initiative is part of an effort by Army officials to meet year-end recruiting goals after a two-month slump earlier this year. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Army hopes the extra cash motivates those interested in joining or entices those just considering enlisting.

The program began on July 25, and in three weeks the Army had enlisted 3,814 recruits using the bonus, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky. Those recruits accounted for 92 percent of the 4,149 recruits who signed contracts between July 25 and Aug. 13.

The $20,000 bonus is a hefty sum for many of the individuals the Army targets most aggressively: young men and women who have not settled on a career. The Army estimates that soldiers coming out of initial training are paid $17,400 a year on average.

But the effort, experts said, could pose problems for the Army in the coming months, because those who might have helped fill recruiting quotas later this year or in early 2008 are instead joining now.

<snip>

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20453080/

Country Joe McDonald, Fixin' to Die Rag

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get those reds —
The only good commie is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Huh!
Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on the Viet Cong.
And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.
Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.
And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Vietnam.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die

:shrug:

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Interesting how the government values life - a white Terri Schiavo

is worth congress flying back to Washington for an "emergency session" at what must have cost the government millions of dollars in first class no-advance-registration tickets and taxi services.

But poor Latinos, blacks, and whites are, apparently, worth just $20,000.

[renate]

2. $20,000 is more than a year's pay?

OMG. I knew that people in the military aren't paid as well as they deserve, but I didn't realize the pay was THAT bad for some.

$20,000 for risking your life? While they pay contractors more than $100,000? :grr:

[file83]

3. Don't they also get some sort of extra pay for being in combat?

Anyways, it's amazing that people sign up to do a job that is so fucking dangerous for so little money. I know they sell the idea of "honor" and "duty" - which to me just seems like a bullshit emotional appeal in an advertising campaign for product x.

Of course, this $20k instant bonus must seem like the lottery for these kids. That seems to be doing the trick.

[Kagemusha]

4. It's like a football player's signing bonus.

It may not just be them. They might have families that can really use the money too. All sorts of possible reasons.

[sanskritwarrior]

7. Honor and Duty are not bullshit

If you think so, then please do not join the military............ever

[kirby]

10. No, but...

Honor/Duty are good standards. But the version of Honor and Duty this administration is selling to the young kids is bullshit. (fight them over there so they wont follow us here) (serve your country and we will take care of your veterans health)

[sanskritwarrior]

11. Sorry.........

but what does "fight them over there so they wont follow us here) (serve your country and we will take care of your veterans health)"

have to do with honor and duty?..........not a damn thing, thanks

[SeattleVet]

5. Yeah, it can be pretty bad.

The 2007 military pay scale table at http://www.dfas.mil/militarypay/2006militarypaytables/2007MilPaycharts-cc.pdf shows that an E-1 with less than 4 months service makes a whopping base pay $1,203.90 per month; after 4 months it jumps all the way up to $1,301.40.

Once they get shipped to Iraq, they get an extra $225.00 per month for Imminent Danger/Hostile Fire Pay. There are other allowances, but we tend to pay the enlisted people very low wages.

To show how close they make the enlisted people cut it to the bone, when I was in the Air Force (1972-1984) every unit had a Food Stamp Officer to process claims from enlisted people who were eligible for Food Stamps. There were a LOT of them.

[NavyDavy]

12. thats now....when i joined the navy in 1988 i would of been

glad to have made that much....i think i made about 11000(?) if that much....

[Canuckistanian]

6. Grinder, meet meat

There's no way these raw recruits are ready to fight one of the most unpredictable foes in a hellhole of unfamiliar territory and customs.

I don't believe this was the case in Viet Nam, was it? At least troops were able to complete training and still have a little time off before going overseas.

Am I wrong?

[sanskritwarrior]

8. What do you mean?

Are they not getting 9 weeks of combat training? Are they not getting their MOS training? Are they not in most cases going to a unit with another 6-12 months to train before they deploy?

90% of Army recruits will have 15-22 months before they see combat........

9 weeks basic

16 weeks (average AIT school) some are much shorter, some are much longer

6 months before deployment average 12 months much more common.........

So by my calculator there is 1 year of training before Iraq for the vast majority of soldiers, how exactly is a soldier in for a year a raw recruit??? I love this particular urban legend because it is so easy to grind into nothing............

[kirby]

9. Misleading...

The promise is $20,000. Only 1/2 is given after advanced training is completed, and the remaining 1/2 is strung out over each year of the enlistment.

[jody]

13. This violates intent of equal pay for equal work. I wish ACLU would start a class-action suit. nt