Free Republic

I've been here ten years and this is my first post. I know many here have experience in the different services, but I have none. My son, who is 24, wants to enlist and make the military a career, but does not know which branch to enlist in. He has a high school diploma, no involvement with drugs, and no criminal record except, unfortunately, a DWI and several traffic related misdemeanors. He is intelligent, fit, athletic, and handsome. His interests are ice hockey, video games, and girls, in that order. He is a quiet person with a low arousal type...

The August 2011 IDF recruitment cycle will begin Monday, July 24. The youth joining the IDF in this cycle were born in the summer and fall of 1993 – just when then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin signed the ill-fated Oslo Accords with PLO strongman Yasser Arafat. When the “Oslo babies” were three years old, savage Hamas terrorists began blowing up buses full of civilian men, women and children inside Israel. When they were seven years old, Arafat launched the terror war dubbed by many as “the Oslo War,” which killed over 1,000 Israelis, most of them civilians, and injured many thousands...

The U.S. Army has graduated its first Sikh (seek) enlisted man in a generation after granting a rare religious exemption for his turban and beard because the military needs his language skills. The turban, unshorn hair and beard are tenets of the Sikh religion. Army policies since 1984 had effectively prevented Sikhs from enlisting by barring those items. Spc. Simran Lamba was recruited under a special program seeking speakers of two Indian languages, Hindi and Punjabi. The 26-year Indian immigrant from New Delhi completed basic training Wednesday at Fort Jackson outside Columbia and became a U.S. citizen. He will be...

I have an uncle who recently passed away, he told me that during the war he was a paratrooper. I'm guessing 82nd Airborne, can anyone direct me to a website where I could research his service?

I don’t disagree with most of what Glenn Beck says in this piece. Courts-martial for Navy SEALS who allegedly gave a terrorist a fat lip while in custody? Does the Navy court-martial sailors who give each other fat lips? Would a SEAL stop at a fat lip if he actually got out of control? (I know a couple of SEALs, and I highly, highly doubt it.) Few would disagree with the thought that we should put the men and women who dedicate their lives to this country as our first priority, either, and that we should give them the resources...

I had a strong need to somehow note an important...actually,pivotal...day in my life.It was forty years ago today that I raised my right hand and took the oath of enlistment of the United States Army.I was scared out of my wits (as,I suspect,were most guys entering the service in '69...and other years).But my "hitch" was *far* less "eventful" than that of many.I never got close to combat.Or even to a combat theater.And I,unlike so many,most certainly never got close to "bravery" or "courage" and I also never got close to the UCMJ either.As I said...uneventful.In fact,so uneventful that I feel...

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) likely will introduce his controversial legislation to reinstate the draft again this year, but he will wait until after the economic stimulus package is passed. Asked if he plans to introduce the legislation again in 2009, Rangel last week said, "Probably … yes. I don't want to do anything this early to distract from the issue of the economic stimulus." Rangel's military draft bill did create a distraction for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) soon after Democrats won control of Congress after the 2006 election. In the wake of that historic victory, Pelosi said publicly that...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2008 – In an effort to bolster the Afghan National Police, U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan recruited and sent a record 500 Afghan citizens to eight weeks of focused district development training, a military official said Aug. 6. “No other regions in the country have recruited nearly that amount during a training cycle,” Army Col. John Cuddy, commander of the Regional Police Advisory Command South said during a call with online journalists and bloggers. Due to the level of insurgent activity, Cuddy said, southern Afghanistan is the main effort in the fight against the enemies of Afghanistan....

This week, the story of Pfc Jordan Fox of Pittsburg was brought to light. Pfc Fox was injured when an IED exploded in Iraq. He suffered back injuries and lost the use of his right eye as a result of the explosion. Pfc Fox’s military service was subsequently cut short by three months. When Pfc Fox returned home, he received a letter from the Pentagon. The letter informed Fox that he owed the government nearly $5,000. You see, when Jordan Fox enlisted, he received an enlistment bonus of $10,000. According to the Pentagon’s letter, because Fox was unable to fulfill...

In my column last week I asked whether those that support the global war on terrorism are hypocrites for not joining the military. Several comment posters thought so. They don’t seem to grasp the point that the reason we don’t want all supporters of the war in the military is because we want to win. Their goal is different – the humiliation of America just so they can say “We told you so.� We want the strongest, most intelligent military of the willing in order to ensure victory. As Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) said, that’s “a real big problem� for...

The Congressional Budget Office has released a major study#[1] of the U.S. military's demographics under an all-volunteer framework versus the draft. The idea of reinstating the draft was a hot-button issue last November when Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY), a leader and committee chairman in the newly elected Democratic majority, vocalized his intent to once again make conscription the law of land. Called on by Congress to assess the matter, CBO offered new findings, which dispassionately deflate the notion that America's All-Volunteer Force (AVF) is inferior to a conscripted force by any measure: effectiveness, cost, troop quality, retention, morale, and even...

Saying that it "perpetuates a subtle myth," a senior Pentagon official has responded to an AP story that appeared earlier this week regarding the drop in military enlistment by African-Americans. In comments to this NewsBuster, Bill Carr, the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy, said that "the AP left readers with an impression that something sinister was emerging, but one must by unusually cynical to miss the real story." The AP story reported that the number of blacks joining the military "has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began. Other job prospects...

There will be a reenlistment ceremony this evening at 6pm at the Iwo Jima Memorial Arlington? Washington DC? I heard this from a person who called in to a radio talk show this morning. Any Freepers in the area who can attend should to show that average Americans appreciate the efforts of those in uniform. Rmember those who served this Memorial Day Sincerely, Mike Tremoglie

The military gives enlistment bonuses of up to $40000

Center for Data Analysis Report #06-09 The current findings show that the demo­graphic characteristics of volunteers have contin­ued to show signs of higher, not lower, quality. {snip} Given the nature of the military rank structure, most enlisted recruits do not have a college edu­cation or degree. Members of the armed forces with higher education are more often commis­sioned officers (lieutenant and above). In 2004, 92.1 percent of active-duty officer accessions held baccalaureate degrees or higher.[5] From 2000 to 2005, between 10 percent and 17 percent of active-duty officer accessions held advanced degrees, and between 35 percent and 45 percent of...

Those of us who have served in the U.S. military are familiar with the oath "I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God." (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording...

WASHINGTON — Staff Sgt. Michael Obleton has already done two tours in Iraq, dodging roadside bombs as he drove trucks in Army convoys across the hostile countryside. He may even return to the front again — a possibility that never occurred to him when he first joined the active Army in 1997, long before the 2003 Iraq invasion and the onset of what has become an increasingly unpopular war. Obleton knows about the Bush administration's often-touted long War on Terror, and he's seen the Iraq insurgency up close. But he's determined to continue the fight. So on Thursday he will...

As a set of identical twins from Spencer, Okla., Robert and Michael Cich both have dark hair, similar facial features and are both interested in joining the military. Michael Cich went to Oklahoma City to join the Army on Wednesday, but wasn’t allowed to enlist. He is a an advertising senior and president of OSU’s Sexual Orientation Diversity Association, and has been openly gay for about six years. “It was a horrible day just for myself personally,” he said. Everyone involved in the recruitment process handled themselves professionally, but the day didn’t go as he had expected, Cich said. He...

The military offers steady wages, housing and a health plan -- benefits that many service members find scarce in civilian life. TACOMA, Wash. — The first time Staff Sgt. Matthew Kruger came home from Iraq, he and his wife, Maggie, went straight into marriage counseling. The second time, she threatened to divorce him if he didn't get out of the Army. The separations were tearing them apart. So in July, to save his seven-year marriage, Kruger quit the service. Then he looked around the job market, and it didn't take long to figure out that leaving the Army held its...

MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (May 19, 2006) -- What makes a first-term Marine with two combat tours, nearing the end of his four years in the Marine Corps, want to reenlist? This is a question many career planners aboard the Combat Center face daily when dealing with Marines nearing their end of active service date as they tailor both that question and incentives to each Marine. Their mission is to retain these combat veterans and other experienced Marines despite the possibility of deployments and hardships while a conflict overseas continues. Yet they still meet their...

Amalia Avila never supported the war. But after her first son, Victor Gonzalez, told her he wanted to join the Marines, she felt a mixture of fear, concern and, finally, pride. "This war makes no sense to me," Avila said last week in her Watsonville home. "I'd ask him why he wanted to go, and he'd just say his brothers needed his help. ... But when Victor did get into the Marines, when that day came, I was so proud of him." Avila paused to allow her tears. "It was a beautiful day." It was also one of the last...

Despite opposition to the Iraq war, pride motivates many to sign up for military duty - Amalia Avila never supported the war. But after her first son, Victor Gonzalez, told her he wanted to join the Marines, she felt a mixture of fear, concern and, finally, pride. "This war makes no sense to me," Avila said last week in her Watsonville home. "I'd ask him why he wanted to go, and he'd just say his brothers needed his help. ... But when Victor did get into the Marines, when that day came, I was so proud of him." Avila paused...

MIAMI, May 5, 2006 – As part of Fleet Week USA and 2006 McDonald's Air and Sea Show festivities in South Florida, five services welcomed new recruits here yesterday. A total of 144 recruits - 25 from the Army; 30, Navy; 50, Air Force; 36, Marine Corps; and three, Coast Guard - were sworn in by Navy Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander Second Fleet and Strike Fleet Atlantic, in Miami May 4. The ceremony was part of a day of recognition that included family, friends and employers and the Tuskegee Airmen. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

3/23/2006 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) -- Nine servicemembers and one enlistee had the privileged opportunity to raise their right hand and receive the Oath of Office from the vice president of the United States. During a recent visit to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., Vice President Richard Cheney assisted 375th Airlift Wing commander Col. Raymond Rottman in performing a mass re-enlistment March 21, for Airmen, Soldiers and one soon-to-be Air Force member. Cheney’s visit to Scott came on the day the U.S. observed the third anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This is the first time Mr. Cheney...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a package of legislative amendments creating the legal foundations for CIS citizens to serve in the Russian army on a contract basis

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO (Feb. 3, 2006) -- During his work lunch break, Pfc. Jonathan D. Hale, Platoon 3054, Company K, visited the grave of his high school friend, the day after the funeral. Hale didn’t know Cpl. Taylor S. Trovillion joined the Marine Corps until he received a late-night phone call saying he had just missed the funeral. “I went to his grave and kind of just sat there. The next day I went to the recruiter’s office,” said the Richardson, Texas, native. Trovillion was killed on deployment when the vehicle he was traveling in drove over...

US Army raises enlistment age to 40 WASHINGTON, Jan 18, 2006 (PG) - The US Army said Wednesday it has raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 40 years old and is doubling signing up bonuses to a high of 40,000 dollars. The measures are the latest in a series of steps the army has taken over the past year to offset a slump in recruiting as it faces ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. The army failed to hit its recruiting goal of 80,000 new recruits in fiscal 2005. Recruiting figures have since improved but the the war...

OPERATION HERO ALERT: Funeral Services for Seargent Evan Seam ParkerCounter-Protest of WBCWednesday, 11/2/2005*South Haven Public School - South Haven, KS OPERATION HERO is spreading word of a planned picket by Westboro Baptist Church during the memorial service of Seargent Evan Seam Parker. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church will be picketing during the funeral service for Sgt. Evan Seam Parker on Wednesday, November 2 in South Haven, KS. This anti-Troops/anti-war "liberal" hate group will be protesting from 1pm - 2pm outside the High School where services are being held. The funeral service is scheduled to begin at 2pm, so...

The majority of soldiers and Marines killed or wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan were young, white, enlisted personnel from active-duty units, according to a study released Friday by the federal Government Accountability Office....[that] involved 1,841 service personnel who were killed and 12,658 who were wounded, as of May 28....Whites, who constitute 67% of the active-duty and reserve forces, accounted for 71% of the fatalities. African Americans are 17% of the overall force and were 9% of the fatalities. Hispanics are 9% of the force and were 10% of the fatalities....

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A coalition of anti-war activists have launched a national campaign, claiming that military recruiters are unfairly targeting minorities at high schools. The advocates plan to educate students and their parents "to keep our children from being cannon fodder," Rosalio Munoz, coordinator for Latinos for Peace, said during a news conference Monday in East Los Angeles. The groups made the announcement on the 35th anniversary of the Chicano Moratorium, a protest against the disproportionate number of Hispanics being killed in the Vietnam War. The 20,000-member march ended in a riot and the deaths of three people, including...

<p>The Defense Department quietly asked Congress on Monday to raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 for all branches of the service.</p> <p>Under current law, the maximum age to enlist in the active components is 35, while people up to age 39 may enlist in the reserves. By practice, the accepted age for recruits is 27 for the Air Force, 28 for the Marine Corps and 34 for the Navy and Army, although the Army Reserve and Navy Reserve sometimes take people up to age 39 in some specialties.</p>

My son who is 20 is preparing to enlist in the Army reserve. He has taken the pre-ASVAP and scored 68. He is thinking about a mechanic MOS with a 2 year enlistment. He is a Eagle scout and will take the PFC test for E3. He has two buddies he wants to enlist with. I fully support the military but as a parent I am cautious. We have told him to have everything put in writting before he signs anything. What next? Any information is helpful.

Tucson's Raging Grannies have been holding regular protests Elderly members of a US anti-war group called the "raging grannies of Tucson" are due in court following a protest at an Arizona military recruitment centre. They have been accused of trespassing after entering the centre earlier this month, saying they wanted to enlist. The group, mostly women in their 60s and 70s, said they wanted to go to Iraq so their grandchildren could come home. An army spokeswoman says the protesters were not serious about enlisting and were harassing recruiters. Nine people - five elderly activists and four journalists - are...

With all the commentary, protests and Monday morning quarter-backing taking place on a daily basis regarding the Iraq war, I was struck by a USA Today report about the Army's re-enlistment rates. It turns out that soldier re-enlistment rates are one-third higher than the Army's target. The report attributes the increased numbers to better monetary bonuses and to "a renewed sense of purpose in fighting terrorism."I'm curious how much air time this particular report will receive in the mainstream media today and this week. "The biggest thing is that soldiers believe in what they are doing," said. Col. Debbra...

ARE THEY IN THE ARMY NOW?Cries of shortfall, exhaustion, and overstretch by Victor Davis HansonNational ReviewJuly 4, 2005   Figures on U.S. military recruitment just released for 2005 show that the Army missed its monthly announced goal, achieving only 75 percent of its anticipated enlistments for this May. The Army National Guard and the Army Reserve also missed their desired monthly targets. Stories in the press followed, claiming that the Pentagon is lowering Army standards to pull in new recruits and address the fallout from the depressing news from Iraq. Recent dips in Army enlistments also fueled a new...

It was twenty-one years ago today at the Knoxville MEPS station that my father stood in front of me in his blue uniform, silver oak leaves on his shoulder, raised his right and and said, "Raise your right hand and repeat after me..." And so I did: I, Robert _____, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of...

*note Please to not get upset with me. I posted this thread in "Smoky Backroom", but that is not where I wanted to place it. I'm reposting it here, I am not trying to flood. Like Pat Tillman's decision to leave the NFL to join the US armed forces after the terroist attack on Sept. 11, a Professionl PRCA National Bull Fighter & Cowboy Protection Expert, Chris Mason, has also become a member of the US Army assigned to the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. Many of our young men are enlisting into today's military because as Chris said: "I'm tired...

Like Pat Tillman's decision to leave the NFL to join the US armed forces after the terroist attack on Sept. 11 the bull fighter in this video, Chris Mason, a Professionl PRCA National Bull Fighter & Cowboy Protection Expert, has also become a member of the US Army assigned to the 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. Many of our young men are enlisting into today's military because as Chris said: "I'm tired of setting on the sidelines while other people are fighting for my way of life, and freedom." They are not required to join the military, but they give up...

The police had just arrested the kid for the fourth time for fighting and carrying a firearm in the city limits and now he was standing before the Judge. He was sixteen but looked eighteen and that is what he told everyone. “Son, I know your mother and father and they are fine people. I have no idea where you went wrong but the last time you were here I told you that you already had 3 strikes and the next time you were out. I’m sorry, but I sentence you to the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City for...

AP articles published on the internet at numerous news outlets, including CBS, tell the story of 8 US soldiers named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit over enlistment extensions they considered unfair. The AP article as published on the CBS website, Soldiers Decry 'Unfair' Extensions, states:The lawsuit contends the policy is a breach of the service contract because it extends the length of service without a soldier's consent. It also alleges the contracts were misleading because they make no reference to the policy, said Staughton Lynd, an attorney for the soldiers. No mention is made of Staughton Lynd's significant past and...

I'm back from vacation. With a vengence, and I'm pissed off. Some people don't know it yet, but there's a war on. Oh, not that little dust-up in Iraq. That's hardly worthy of the name. No, it's a war for the heart, soul, and future of America. It's a war being waged by the media against the War on Terror--against our survival-- and they will stop at nothing, stoop as low as needed, tell any lie, twist any truth beyond recognition. The total bullshit about the so-called war crime committed by a Marine was bad enough. This morning on a...

Using neon fliers that warn students in five languages to ''Look out," a Dorchester peace group is helping to alert teenagers that they have the right to keep their names off school lists given to military recruiters. Dorchester People for Peace is working alongside several community and outreach groups to spread the word about a little-known provision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which went into effect in 2002. Schools are now required to release the names, addresses, and phone numbers of high school juniors and seniors to military recruiters. Parents and students in Boston have until the...

Breakthrough for Homeschoolers Enlisting in the Military Good news for homeschoolers who want to enlist in the Navy, Marines, Army, or Airforce! As of an August 15th directive from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, homeschool graduates will continue to be eligible for Tier I status in all four branches of the military for another year. Extension of Homeschool - Tier 1 Status (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) For many years prior to 1998, homeschoolers who wished to enlist in the military were designated in the same category as high school drop-outs and were relegated to Tier II...

My 23 year old neice, Priscilla, is considering joining the Navy. She's been working at Radio Shack as a sales associate for the past few years, but is a sales person, rather than a techo-geek type. She's not super smart in a bookish sense, so probably is not Air Force material, but seems to have tons of street smarts. She lives in a rented house in Detroit (in a somewhat rough neighborhood). Bought a used car. Got ran into by others driving DUI, car broken into, and finally got it totaled by someone running into it while it was parked...

Guard members may stay 2nd yearMilitary may extend enlistment for some for war on terrorism HOWIE PAUL HARTNETT Staff Writer Posted on Mon, Sep. 02, 2002 At least 14,000 National Guard members and reservists learned this week the Air Force may extend their enlistment for a second year to continue the war on terrorism. That group includes about 70 N. C. National Guardsmen, though state officials don't have an exact number yet. "I believe there are going to be a handful of people who could potentially be affected," said Capt. Robert Carver, spokesman for the N.C. National Guard. National Guard...