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5/11/2022 5:59:56 AM EDT
[#1]
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Quoted:


I wouldn't have gone in nowadays if I was of age and I wouldn't advocate for my kids to go in either.

The military has turned into a mentally ill social experiment, not a force to kill people that need killing.
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Maybe the youth aren't as stupid as we thought. Who would want to go in to serve for the leadership we have now?  And risk getting pulled into WW3.


That’s the spirit that defeated Hitler and Tojo!


I wouldn't have gone in nowadays if I was of age and I wouldn't advocate for my kids to go in either.

The military has turned into a mentally ill social experiment, not a force to kill people that need killing.


Did you go in before?
5/11/2022 6:13:18 AM EDT
[#2]
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Quoted:


Except the institutions aren't against them. People just read the rage-bait.
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I don't think its that, I think its more they see the institutions are against them so why sacrifice for them ?





Except the institutions aren't against them. People just read the rage-bait.

This may be the dumbest thing I have ever read in GD.

That's impressive.
5/11/2022 6:36:28 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote History
Quoted:


Except the institutions aren’t against them. People just read the rage-bait.
View Quote



Everything I said is true. Which part is an exaggeration or hysterics?


5/11/2022 7:43:53 AM EDT
[#4]
Only so many are eligible, until we get into another situation like Iraq…and then all the sudden they change their standards and start taking everybody…
5/11/2022 7:54:51 AM EDT
[#5]
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Quoted:
Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I’ll do all I can go discourage.  He’s too young to see things the way they are.
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Maybe because this is still the greatest country on earth, and it's worth protecting?
5/11/2022 7:57:27 AM EDT
[#6]
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Quoted:

Maybe because this is still the greatest country on earth, and it's worth protecting?
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I'll do all I can go discourage.  He's too young to see things the way they are.

Maybe because this is still the greatest country on earth, and it's worth protecting?

Do you really think that's what the US DoD does?

Protect this country?

That's absolutely hilarious.
5/11/2022 8:18:00 AM EDT
[#7]
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Quoted:
I'm glad I'm OUT!
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This
5/11/2022 8:21:46 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote History
Quoted:
Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I’ll do all I can go discourage.  He’s too young to see things the way they are.
View Quote

So you want to them to live lives of quiet peace while this political class steers the country wherever they want?
5/11/2022 8:23:28 AM EDT
[#9]
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Quoted:

Do you really think that's what the US DoD does?

Protect this country?

That's absolutely hilarious.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I'll do all I can go discourage.  He's too young to see things the way they are.

Maybe because this is still the greatest country on earth, and it's worth protecting?

Do you really think that's what the US DoD does?

Protect this country?

That's absolutely hilarious.

Who does protect it then? And do you feel its a country worth protecting?
5/11/2022 8:58:48 AM EDT
[#10]
A good buddy of mine’s son is headed to the navy as soon as he’s done with (high school) graduation. He’s a good kid… hopes to become a corpsman.
5/11/2022 9:00:39 AM EDT
[#11]
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Quoted:
Patriotism is down and kids probably are just going to wait to be drafted for WW3.
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Odds are with you waiting for the draft.

5/11/2022 9:01:58 AM EDT
[#12]
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Quoted:
The last 20 years have had pretty low losses.
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I'd say 20+ years of flag draped coffins has taken some of the starch out of their recruiting numbers...
The last 20 years have had pretty low losses.

Compared to what?
5/11/2022 9:22:04 AM EDT
[#13]
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Quoted:
Let me get this straight

We have people who say being a patriot is racist/misogynist etc….

We have areas needing safe spaces if people say things you don’t agree with.

We have standards being cut because everyone needs a trophy (equity)

Add in the military and government going after conservatives which was the base for military applicants

Then you have the potential of WW3 under an inept leader that would leave you stranded like he did with Afghanistan withdrawal.

Geeze, I really don’t know why people aren’t jumping at the chance
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I'm going with what you said.
5/11/2022 9:24:28 AM EDT
[#14]
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Quoted:

Compared to what?
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I'd say 20+ years of flag draped coffins has taken some of the starch out of their recruiting numbers...
The last 20 years have had pretty low losses.

Compared to what?

Pretty much any other period of American warfare?
5/11/2022 9:35:11 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote History
Quoted:

Compared to what?
View Quote
Compared to pretty much any other time we've went to war.

Something like 4600 killed in Iraq and 2400 in Afghanistan.

It appears Russia has lost more than twice that number in two months and their population is half the size of the US.

America has shown an amazing ability to bring soldiers home in the last two decades.
5/11/2022 9:39:02 AM EDT
[#16]
Quote History
Quoted:

This may be the dumbest thing I have ever read in GD.

That's impressive.
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Cool, what’s your branch? MOS? Been in for a while?
5/11/2022 9:39:10 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote History
Quoted:
Can you imagine being in a life or death situation where your leader is a diversity hire black lesbian?

https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/132893/Military_jpg-2378968.JPG
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Are you kidding? That there should be an elite strike unit. With all the childhood knife fighting practice they had, you could drop them into a target with those swords and they'd be like a silent forest of Ginsu knives.

Ok, maybe not so silent, if the knife fighting videos I've seen are any indication.

Ok, a whooping, screaming forest of Ginsu knives.
5/11/2022 9:47:36 AM EDT
[#18]
Quote History
Quoted:
When I was in hs in '99, I wanted nothing more than to join. Army said grades too high (we don't need any more officers yuck yuck yuck) and you got bad eyesight [did t correct to 20|20]. Too bad. Navy said the same. I was wrecked.
View Quote


 The part in red categorically did NOT happen.  You don't have to lie to us to justify to yourself why you didn't join the military.  
5/11/2022 9:50:32 AM EDT
[#19]
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.
5/11/2022 10:01:13 AM EDT
[#20]
I tried to sign up when I was around 18 or so & was rejected due to a tattoo below the cuff line. I guess they weren't wanting for recruits back then.
5/11/2022 10:05:14 AM EDT
[#21]
Swing on by, I’ll put your ass in next week. ??
5/11/2022 10:09:20 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote History
Quoted:
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.
View Quote

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 Attached File
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https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/Attached File
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https://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overuseAttached File
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https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/Attached File
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https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/
5/11/2022 10:15:24 AM EDT
[#23]
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Quoted:


Cool, what’s your branch? MOS? Been in for a while?
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So the only basis of your argument is you might have been in the military longer?
5/11/2022 10:17:57 AM EDT
[#24]
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Quoted:
Compared to pretty much any other time we've went to war.

Something like 4600 killed in Iraq and 2400 in Afghanistan.

It appears Russia has lost more than twice that number in two months and their population is half the size of the US.

America has shown an amazing ability to bring soldiers home in the last two decades.
View Quote

And people see what those dead actually accomplished in those places which is:

ISIS taking control of Iraq and turning it into some medieval caliphate.  Fast Forward to now and whatever is going on there (Democracy yay!)

Taliban, who worked with Bin Laden and the people that brought down our towers now have hundreds of billions of dollars of our equipment, and Biden's paying them billions in "now don't attack things or it'll make me look bad".

Couldn't we have just skipped a lot of deaths and crapped out billions for the Taliban back then and gotten to the point?
5/11/2022 10:22:40 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote History
Quoted:


 The part in red categorically did NOT happen.  You don't have to lie to us to justify to yourself why you didn't join the military.  
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Quoted:
Quoted:
When I was in hs in '99, I wanted nothing more than to join. Army said grades too high (we don't need any more officers yuck yuck yuck) and you got bad eyesight [did t correct to 20|20]. Too bad. Navy said the same. I was wrecked.


 The part in red categorically did NOT happen.  You don't have to lie to us to justify to yourself why you didn't join the military.  



The Army said I was too tall…which was ok..cause I would totally punch a drill sergeant in the face for yelling at me.
5/11/2022 10:55:05 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote History
Quoted:
Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I'll do all I can go discourage.  He's too young to see things the way they are.
View Quote
Jack Reacher : There are four types of people who join the military. For some, it's a family trade. Others are patriots, eager to serve. Next, you have those who just need a job. Then there's the kind who want a legal means of killing other people.
5/11/2022 10:56:30 AM EDT
[#27]
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Quoted:
that all ended around 95 96 or so.
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5/11/2022 10:56:48 AM EDT
[#28]
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Quoted:
this.

future warfare (happening now) is literally only cyber+IO+drones+task force hit bois.

you could shit can 75% of everything else. the world is too puss now for tradtional combat. (and they cant afford it finanically and demographically)m.
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Attached File
5/11/2022 11:11:26 AM EDT
[#29]
Quote History
Quoted:

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/1D761905-0D03-45E0-9AE0-89FCACA161C6_jpe-2379783.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/CB2D9DF1-3DFE-485C-8CCF-1D403307F6E3_jpe-2379785.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2D7B8485-38E1-4ECB-9262-447F5ED3876C_jpe-2379786.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/C753101E-96FA-4892-9656-6D06683AEEF5_jpe-2379787.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/74683880-265C-44D5-8A48-2D1E0A34A2BF_jpe-2379788.JPGhttps://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D5A82B27-8D71-49FD-83E0-7634D9962ED3_jpe-2379794.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/336A295D-A4B3-48F7-8602-C0A462689514_jpe-2379796.JPGhttps://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overusehttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/B7111B2D-C84A-4777-A58B-EB5CC28A54A0_jpe-2379800.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/04537310-E185-42F4-9FEB-31E63663B11A_jpe-2379801.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/3509F11F-9DE4-4FD3-A9CB-65F2BF830D40_jpe-2379802.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/84288ADA-BDC5-4C3F-9D09-57B320E7E4EC_jpe-2379807.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2C8A6211-C4DC-4750-B7ED-E83F03599DC6_jpe-2379808.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D95295D9-DEA8-448C-85B0-C4A019F3E2E8_jpe-2379809.JPGhttps://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/61897783-E9DA-42A5-B7F3-5089F94E139E_jpe-2379819.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/5B42766A-7DDF-4B1B-BF0D-D4B365727AA6_jpe-2379814.JPGhttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/1D761905-0D03-45E0-9AE0-89FCACA161C6_jpe-2379783.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/CB2D9DF1-3DFE-485C-8CCF-1D403307F6E3_jpe-2379785.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2D7B8485-38E1-4ECB-9262-447F5ED3876C_jpe-2379786.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/C753101E-96FA-4892-9656-6D06683AEEF5_jpe-2379787.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/74683880-265C-44D5-8A48-2D1E0A34A2BF_jpe-2379788.JPGhttps://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D5A82B27-8D71-49FD-83E0-7634D9962ED3_jpe-2379794.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/336A295D-A4B3-48F7-8602-C0A462689514_jpe-2379796.JPGhttps://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overusehttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/B7111B2D-C84A-4777-A58B-EB5CC28A54A0_jpe-2379800.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/04537310-E185-42F4-9FEB-31E63663B11A_jpe-2379801.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/3509F11F-9DE4-4FD3-A9CB-65F2BF830D40_jpe-2379802.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/84288ADA-BDC5-4C3F-9D09-57B320E7E4EC_jpe-2379807.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2C8A6211-C4DC-4750-B7ED-E83F03599DC6_jpe-2379808.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D95295D9-DEA8-448C-85B0-C4A019F3E2E8_jpe-2379809.JPGhttps://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/61897783-E9DA-42A5-B7F3-5089F94E139E_jpe-2379819.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/5B42766A-7DDF-4B1B-BF0D-D4B365727AA6_jpe-2379814.JPGhttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.
5/11/2022 11:32:20 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote History
Quoted:
Jack Reacher : There are four types of people who join the military. For some, it's a family trade. Others are patriots, eager to serve. Next, you have those who just need a job. Then there's the kind who want a legal means of killing other people.
View Quote


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5/11/2022 11:41:06 AM EDT
[#31]
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Do you really think that's what the US DoD does?

Protect this country?

That's absolutely hilarious.
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Why would anyone enlist right now to fight wars for our political class?

That may sound harsh but imo that is where we are.  

One of my boys (14) says he wants to..I'll do all I can go discourage.  He's too young to see things the way they are.

Maybe because this is still the greatest country on earth, and it's worth protecting?

Do you really think that's what the US DoD does?

Protect this country?

That's absolutely hilarious.


we have the highest military expenditure for a reason

a powerful military means that you have global influence, so yes, that's what the DoD does
5/11/2022 11:42:31 AM EDT
[#32]
Quote History
Quoted:

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.
View Quote

and the only thing active duty military should do is be stationed on the border and sit and wait for Pearl Harbor with a defense department budget of 2 pennies because the military industrial complex. Basically become North Korea hermit kingdom. What happened to we love Poland? Poland saved Europe from Muslim invasion, Poland is not politically correct, well that’s an article 5 NATO member who wanted Fort Trump or Japan another of GD’s favorite nations who’s trade, energy/oil and business can be cut off by China in the “China sea” and former #2 economy in the world and top US trade partner. Somewhere there has to be a balance between John McCain and Ron Paul. We have been a nation of international trade since it’s founding. We’ve never been North Korea. We’re also not supposed to be Rome either. https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/top/top2203yr.htmlAttached File
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5/11/2022 11:59:20 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote History
Quoted:

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.
View Quote

My gripe over Ukraine is strictly about money. Europe is a top 3 wealthiest region in the world. NATO and EU should bear the responsibility of assisting Ukraine with aid and not primarily or mostly fall to us to pay for. $15 billion meh okay, now we’re talking 54 billion and Europe altogether hasn’t contributed even 1/2 that price tag. Same reason I complained about 2% NATO GDP issues in 2014 and Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea footing more money for our troops protecting their nations. We’re economically not in a position to give money away whether to illegals for health care and college tuition or because Germany, France, Italy and Hungary are dragging their feet over Ukraine. We could have sold them energy not depend on Russia because nuclear powers don’t go to war with each other and trade prevents wars from happening pie in the sky idealism. Euroe needs to get its act together. We can help but not do it all for them. They’re not 3rd world shitholes like South Vietnam or Afghanistan. They have no excuses for failing to step up.
5/11/2022 12:19:52 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote History
Quoted:

My gripe over Ukraine is strictly about money. Europe is a top 3 wealthiest region in the world. NATO and EU should bear the responsibility of assisting Ukraine with aid and not primarily or mostly fall to us to pay for. $15 billion meh okay, now we’re talking 54 billion and Europe altogether hasn’t contributed even 1/2 that price tag. Same reason I complained about 2% NATO GDP issues in 2014 and Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea footing more money for our troops protecting their nations. We’re economically not in a position to give money away whether to illegals for health care and college tuition or because Germany, France, Italy and Hungary are dragging their feet over Ukraine. We could have sold them energy not depend on Russia because nuclear powers don’t go to war with each other and trade prevents wars from happening pie in the sky idealism. Euroe needs to get its act together. We can help but not do it all for them. They’re not 3rd world shitholes like South Vietnam or Afghanistan. They have no excuses for failing to step up.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Quoted:
Quoted:

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.

My gripe over Ukraine is strictly about money. Europe is a top 3 wealthiest region in the world. NATO and EU should bear the responsibility of assisting Ukraine with aid and not primarily or mostly fall to us to pay for. $15 billion meh okay, now we’re talking 54 billion and Europe altogether hasn’t contributed even 1/2 that price tag. Same reason I complained about 2% NATO GDP issues in 2014 and Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea footing more money for our troops protecting their nations. We’re economically not in a position to give money away whether to illegals for health care and college tuition or because Germany, France, Italy and Hungary are dragging their feet over Ukraine. We could have sold them energy not depend on Russia because nuclear powers don’t go to war with each other and trade prevents wars from happening pie in the sky idealism. Euroe needs to get its act together. We can help but not do it all for them. They’re not 3rd world shitholes like South Vietnam or Afghanistan. They have no excuses for failing to step up.

We've been the worlds police force/ piggy bank for way too long. Trump for all his faults showed just how prevalent  that is.
5/11/2022 12:29:41 PM EDT
[#35]
My gramps went in the army in 1946 & got out in 68. He went to Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Germany, Cuba and more. He saw the world and achieved E9 and was a green beret. I tried to sign up in 1991. He talked me out of it. Saying only that he went in because of the lack of jobs/opportunities for him and his brothers, all whom served in one unit or another. He said the army would lie to me and I would be wasting my time there. He was right. The recruiter promised I could get into the MP unit but when the time came to sign up and go for the physical, I was told that infantry was all that was available. Just like gramps said. I went into public service of another kind. Now that I’m old (and a grandpa myself) I understand the politics and military role much better. I would discourage my kids and grandkids from joining too. Why send my family to be slaughtered for nothing? Nope, send them rich kids! Send them political family’s kids. I don’t give two shits about any other country but this one. I’m not sending mine to die for political BS!
5/11/2022 12:36:03 PM EDT
[#36]
If you are a fit, white, straight and "Patriotic" (AKA Conservative) the DOD doesn't want you.

Its not just a recruiting issue, its a retention issue as well.
5/11/2022 12:49:05 PM EDT
[#37]
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Quoted:

Its not just a recruiting issue, its a retention issue as well.
View Quote


Yes
5/11/2022 1:10:14 PM EDT
[#38]
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Quoted:
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be   doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.
View Quote

Man, if it's me you wanted to call dumb, I won't roll over and die if you do.

Kids can't pass the asvab. Wild. Had not heard about that, but it makes sense, given that school these days is less and less about imparting knowledge and building mastery of a subject. The ADD meds thing is brutal, because the schools have been trying to shove that down kids and parent's throats for decades now.

As for the bible quotes, you ought to stay away from those, because you showed your ignorance about them, but that's not the topic of the thread, unless you ask.
5/11/2022 1:12:41 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote History
Quoted:

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/1D761905-0D03-45E0-9AE0-89FCACA161C6_jpe-2379783.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/CB2D9DF1-3DFE-485C-8CCF-1D403307F6E3_jpe-2379785.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2D7B8485-38E1-4ECB-9262-447F5ED3876C_jpe-2379786.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/C753101E-96FA-4892-9656-6D06683AEEF5_jpe-2379787.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/74683880-265C-44D5-8A48-2D1E0A34A2BF_jpe-2379788.JPGhttps://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D5A82B27-8D71-49FD-83E0-7634D9962ED3_jpe-2379794.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/336A295D-A4B3-48F7-8602-C0A462689514_jpe-2379796.JPGhttps://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overusehttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/B7111B2D-C84A-4777-A58B-EB5CC28A54A0_jpe-2379800.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/04537310-E185-42F4-9FEB-31E63663B11A_jpe-2379801.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/3509F11F-9DE4-4FD3-A9CB-65F2BF830D40_jpe-2379802.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/84288ADA-BDC5-4C3F-9D09-57B320E7E4EC_jpe-2379807.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2C8A6211-C4DC-4750-B7ED-E83F03599DC6_jpe-2379808.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D95295D9-DEA8-448C-85B0-C4A019F3E2E8_jpe-2379809.JPGhttps://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/61897783-E9DA-42A5-B7F3-5089F94E139E_jpe-2379819.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/5B42766A-7DDF-4B1B-BF0D-D4B365727AA6_jpe-2379814.JPGhttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.

Ok, I'll bite.

Than why have we allowed the CCP to do their crap in the SCS?

How do we know where we *shouldn't* be involved?
5/11/2022 1:58:13 PM EDT
[#40]
Quote History
Quoted:
If you are a fit, white, straight and "Patriotic" (AKA Conservative) the DOD doesn't want you.

Its not just a recruiting issue, its a retention issue as well.
View Quote

I dont know a single recruiter who would turn someone like that away.
5/11/2022 2:05:08 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote History
Quoted:

Ok, I'll bite.

Than why have we allowed the CCP to do their crap in the SCS?

How do we know where we *shouldn't* be involved?
View Quote View All Quotes
View All Quotes
Quote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/1D761905-0D03-45E0-9AE0-89FCACA161C6_jpe-2379783.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/CB2D9DF1-3DFE-485C-8CCF-1D403307F6E3_jpe-2379785.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2D7B8485-38E1-4ECB-9262-447F5ED3876C_jpe-2379786.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/C753101E-96FA-4892-9656-6D06683AEEF5_jpe-2379787.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/74683880-265C-44D5-8A48-2D1E0A34A2BF_jpe-2379788.JPGhttps://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D5A82B27-8D71-49FD-83E0-7634D9962ED3_jpe-2379794.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/336A295D-A4B3-48F7-8602-C0A462689514_jpe-2379796.JPGhttps://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overusehttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/B7111B2D-C84A-4777-A58B-EB5CC28A54A0_jpe-2379800.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/04537310-E185-42F4-9FEB-31E63663B11A_jpe-2379801.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/3509F11F-9DE4-4FD3-A9CB-65F2BF830D40_jpe-2379802.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/84288ADA-BDC5-4C3F-9D09-57B320E7E4EC_jpe-2379807.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2C8A6211-C4DC-4750-B7ED-E83F03599DC6_jpe-2379808.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D95295D9-DEA8-448C-85B0-C4A019F3E2E8_jpe-2379809.JPGhttps://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/61897783-E9DA-42A5-B7F3-5089F94E139E_jpe-2379819.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/5B42766A-7DDF-4B1B-BF0D-D4B365727AA6_jpe-2379814.JPGhttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.

Ok, I'll bite.

Than why have we allowed the CCP to do their crap in the SCS?

How do we know where we *shouldn't* be involved?

Questions you have to ask those above me. But I do think we should be containing them every chance we get.
5/11/2022 2:19:38 PM EDT
[#42]
No way I would want to serve a country where 81 million votes for Biden.
5/11/2022 2:30:36 PM EDT
[#43]
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I dont know a single recruiter who would turn someone like that away.
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I didnt say the recruiter would turn you away. The system will drive you out, aka the retention problem.
5/11/2022 2:31:39 PM EDT
[#44]
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No way I would want to serve a country where 81 million votes for Biden.
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Why would you live in a country like that?
5/11/2022 3:03:11 PM EDT
[#45]
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Questions you have to ask those above me. But I do think we should be containing them every chance we get.
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Army recruiter here!

I’ve read all the comments to this point, and I have to say: some of you guys are dumb. I wont point anyone out, but it’s generally folks who didn’t serve and blame the recruiting problems on the current administration.

I speak to thousands of kids each year, and sit down with a hundred or more kids with their parents. Of all the reasons I hear why they dont want to join, the most prevalent is “I’m going to college/Little Johnny’s going to college”.

Do I hear “Not under this president!”? Of course! But I also heard it under Obama, and Trump. Every time I hear it from someone over the age of 25 I always ask “So, where were you when the last guy was in office, because I didn’t see you knocking on my door then either”.

The simple fact of the matter is that kids actually DO want to serve. That’s the shitty part. I talk to kids all the time who have literally BEGGED to enlist, but they weren’t qualified to do so. They cant pass the ASVAB (I’m in SC, and the majority of test takers dont score above a 20. You need a 31 to get in.), or they have some sort of medical condition that the CMO’s at MEPS or the service Surgeon General at USAREC wont waive.

That’s the thing folks: the kids who would give anything to serve the Nation that they genuinely love wont have them, because it failed to educate or guide them in their scholastic years. ADD/ADHD? That’s an EASY waiver to get, but only if you are able to pass the test with a 50 AFQT or higher. If you have a 45, and took ADD meds when you were 10 for 3 months? Sorry kid, fuck off down the road.

The “wokeness” of the Army has never been brought up once in the 7 years I have been recruiting. In fact, it has actually brought folks into my office that would never have come in before because of the perceived climates. I’ve never sat through a class that told me I was a bad person because of my skin color, but I’ve definitely sat through classes that preach “Dont be a racist fuckface, and treat other human beings with respect, regardless of their particular peculiarities”. Which, since most of the complainers claim to be good Christian followers, you should be fucking doing anyway! Doesn’t matter if you dont agree with someone’s lifestyle, they’re still a person. I seem to remember something about “Judge not, lest ye be judged” somewhere in the Good Book. Something about “Love thy neighbor as you would love thyself”. Some of ya’ll are damn hypocrites, and it makes you sound dumb as shit.

Listen, I see the biggest issue as this: the kids who are perfectly qualified to serve at the get-go are few and far between, and they are usually dead-set on attending institutions of higher education because that is what we, as a society, have forced down their gullets since conception. I dont blame them. If I’d been told “You’re going to college” every day of my life for 18 years, I’d have done that before my service too.
It’s the remainders, the kids who cant pass the test, who are maybe a little more on the hefty side than we would like, who are standing on the sidelines, hoping for the chance to serve the People.

Do I think we should lower standards? No. Absolutely not.

We need to lower service number requirements. We dont need a standing Army of 500,000 Soldiers of middling quality. We need an Army of 350,000 STUDS. The equipment and technology will handle the rest.

I dunno. Maybe I’m just an asshole, but those are my 2 cents on the matter.

True in failing the kids who now want to serve. True not lowering standards is a good thing. Good on the Army for cutting end strength by 12,000 to keep standards rather than produce numbers on paper. But 350,000 isn’t enough for simultaneous 2 theater war; say Iran and Korean Peninsula or securing islands in the Pacific for the Navy for a war lasting longer than a year with China. Equipment has its positives and negatives, it’s not a panacea because if it was we wouldn’t have personnel in the first place. Equipment enhances, it doesn’t replace {long term} this is according to the USAF chief of staff not me. Everyone is getting high on the Russia sucks party and trying to forget the bail on Afghanistan similar to Desert Storm euphoria after Vietnam. The 2014 three brigades in Afghanistan are now part of the 7 in Europe since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Optempo has not reduced since the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-army/deep-budget-cuts-may-erode-u-s-army-ability-to-fight-long-war-general-idUSBREA2O24R20140325 https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/1D761905-0D03-45E0-9AE0-89FCACA161C6_jpe-2379783.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/CB2D9DF1-3DFE-485C-8CCF-1D403307F6E3_jpe-2379785.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2D7B8485-38E1-4ECB-9262-447F5ED3876C_jpe-2379786.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/C753101E-96FA-4892-9656-6D06683AEEF5_jpe-2379787.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/74683880-265C-44D5-8A48-2D1E0A34A2BF_jpe-2379788.JPGhttps://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2022/03/22/armor-brigade-workload-may-dramatically-increase-if-ukraine-crisis-holds/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D5A82B27-8D71-49FD-83E0-7634D9962ED3_jpe-2379794.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/336A295D-A4B3-48F7-8602-C0A462689514_jpe-2379796.JPGhttps://news.usni.org/2020/11/12/no-margin-left-overworked-carrier-force-struggles-to-maintain-deployments-after-decades-of-overusehttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/B7111B2D-C84A-4777-A58B-EB5CC28A54A0_jpe-2379800.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/04537310-E185-42F4-9FEB-31E63663B11A_jpe-2379801.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/3509F11F-9DE4-4FD3-A9CB-65F2BF830D40_jpe-2379802.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/84288ADA-BDC5-4C3F-9D09-57B320E7E4EC_jpe-2379807.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/2C8A6211-C4DC-4750-B7ED-E83F03599DC6_jpe-2379808.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/D95295D9-DEA8-448C-85B0-C4A019F3E2E8_jpe-2379809.JPGhttps://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-we-are-out-of-time-china-has-caught-up/https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/61897783-E9DA-42A5-B7F3-5089F94E139E_jpe-2379819.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/459941/5B42766A-7DDF-4B1B-BF0D-D4B365727AA6_jpe-2379814.JPGhttps://www.reuters.com/world/europe/putin-preparing-prolonged-war-ukraine-us-spy-chief-2022-05-10/

A general sentiment by quite a few posters in this thread is that we shouldn't play world police and let China and Russia do as they please in their respective spheres of influence.

Ok, I'll bite.

Than why have we allowed the CCP to do their crap in the SCS?

How do we know where we *shouldn't* be involved?

Questions you have to ask those above me. But I do think we should be containing them every chance we get.

Cool.

We pay in blood and treasure to maintain the pax americana. We ought to at the utter bare minimum have good standards for where we go and when, especially considering the fact that the world is always a place with something going on that a powerful military could correct... or "correct."  Police actions can be endless; there will always be somewhere.
5/11/2022 5:15:02 PM EDT
[#46]
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Did you go in before?
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Maybe the youth aren't as stupid as we thought. Who would want to go in to serve for the leadership we have now?  And risk getting pulled into WW3.


That’s the spirit that defeated Hitler and Tojo!


I wouldn't have gone in nowadays if I was of age and I wouldn't advocate for my kids to go in either.

The military has turned into a mentally ill social experiment, not a force to kill people that need killing.


Did you go in before?


Yes. Way to many of our men are dying for a bunch of peon pussies who won't fight themselves or who only want to get all the cash we hand out. F it. let Europe pay for and live or die and fight for what they believe. I'll give Ukraine props for fighting for sure but they aren't  some snow white lamb either. Russia, well russia is full of russians, they will never change.  But russian expansion is not our fight, it's Europe's along with their money for a change.

5/11/2022 5:24:09 PM EDT
[#47]
In order to mimic the fall of the Roman empire better, we should use more foreigners in our military ranks.  Especially from third world countries.  All those fighting age males from all over would make great conscripts to throw at our adversaries.
5/11/2022 5:25:31 PM EDT
[#48]
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The left hates the military, the right hates the military. We're on our own.
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The right doesn't hate the military, they hate what it has become thanks to the Federal Government.
5/11/2022 6:13:33 PM EDT
[#49]
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The right doesn't hate the military, they hate what it has become thanks to the Federal Government.
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The left hates the military, the right hates the military. We're on our own.



The right doesn't hate the military, they hate what it has become thanks to the Federal Government.


How did it get that way? When did the right decide it was an institution that wasn't worth fighting for?
5/11/2022 6:15:31 PM EDT
[#50]
I'll watch from the sidelines.

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