Any Active Duty See this as a problem still? Reenlistment

[catdat]

Experts Baffled by Drop-Off in Reenlistments for U.S. Military Despite low pay, danger, hardship, surprise extension of deployments in hostile lands.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2003/11/23/army_reserve_battling_an_exodus/

The Boston Globe has an interesting report on a very problematic trend: declining reenlistments among Army reservists coming home from the war on terrorism. For the past two years, Army and Pentagon officials have maintained that they were on glide-path for recruiting and retention, and that repeated mobilizations were not affecting their ability to get and keep quality people.

[James]

I believe the Marines who are deployed in Iraq are there for 7 months, not a year. Perhaps the Army should try that.

[agcsy]

I dont see this is a bad thing. Its pretty much weeding out the people who are in with the "what can i get for free attitude". Alot of the National Guard people i worked with in the past where in for nothing other than a free ride through college and where pissed to have to do anything.

Though some of the complaints are valid longer than usual deployments, being overtasked, and things of that nature but what can you expect from downsizing?

[Merik]

I dont see this is a bad thing. Its pretty much weeding out the people who are in with the "what can i get for free attitude". Alot of the National Guard people i worked with in the past where in for nothing other than a free ride through college and where pissed to have to do anything.

Though some of the complaints are valid longer than usual deployments, being overtasked, and things of that nature but what can you expect from downsizing?


A lot of what you said is true. The other problem is that the Army is not structured for a overseas war for a long period of time. It was ok when we had 20 something divisions that could do anything back in the early-mid 90's but after the Clinton adminstration literally gutted the Army we cant do things like that anymore. Just my 2 cents.

[Fintin]

I believe the Marines who are deployed in Iraq are there for 7 months, not a year. Perhaps the Army should try that.

wasnt it the other way around in vietnam...Marines were there 13 ...months...Army 12

[Jack Mehoff]

I dont see this is a bad thing. Its pretty much weeding out the people who are in with the "what can i get for free attitude". Alot of the National Guard people i worked with in the past where in for nothing other than a free ride through college and where pissed to have to do anything.

Though some of the complaints are valid longer than usual deployments, being overtasked, and things of that nature but what can you expect from downsizing?

A UTNG combat engineer battalion been in Iraq/Kuwait since Jan of 2003. Suck to be them. :| I really understand why they are complaining.

[cqbrdy]

well being a guardsman myself,
its not so much complaining as it is being deployed for long peroids of time over seas. weeding out the "free college"
and "i got a few years left till my pention" guys, will make room for the other guys saying "over seas deployment is one thing but homeland defense is another".
alot of guy would rather be stuck walking posts on a US border then over seas. But for some if their mos is required over seas they have to go or if theres holes over seas they have go.
My unit is a Feild Artillery unit, my plt is doing an FP mission for homeland security while the rest of my unit is in iraq doing MP duties????
see why most guy are complaining.