"From January through March of 2005 the Marines, the Army and the Army National Guard
have missed their recruiting goals, which has lead to more aggressive recruiting in high schools,
especially in those serving low-income and minority students." 1
"Since about 75% of enlisted Marines do not re-enlist after their first tour of duty,
new recruits are a necessity." 2
"On May 20, 2005 all recruiting activities were suspended for a day in order to
retrain recruiters 'in military ethics and the laws that govern what can and cannot
be done to enlist applicants.' The Army's statistics show those cases of wrongdoing
by recruiters increased by more than 60% in 2004 … 'Recruiters and former Army officials
say they are related to the extraordinary pressure being put on recruiters, who must meet
quotas of roughly two recruits a month. The strain is breeding not just abuses, they said,
but also stress-related illnesses, damaged marriages and even thoughts of suicide among some." 3
Sources:
- The Christian Science Monitor, April 19, 2005
- NY Times, 02/03/05
- NY Times, May 12, 2005, pg. A22
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"Sgt. Emiliano Santiago enlisted in the National Guard as a junior in high school
at the age of 18. At age 27, three weeks before his eight-year enlistment ended,
he was told his term of service was being prolonged under the stop-loss policy.
He was sent to Afghanistan and told that his enlistment had been extended 27 years until 2031*.
Santiago is not alone. At least 7,000 soldiers had been affected by the stop-loss policy
and sent to either Afghanistan or Iraq. On April 8, 2005 the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
in San Francisco ruled that his eight-year contract did not prevent President Bush from extending
his enlistment under the national emergency declaration."
Source: SF Chronicle, Friday, April 8, 2005 article by Bob Egelko
* Bob Egelko was contacted for clarification on the 27 years extension and reported that
the Army's public affairs office said the date was an arbitrary figure placed on Santiago's
orders for administrative convenience and did not mean he was expected to serve that long.
Why is "administrative convenience" so heartless? |
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