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July 20, 2005

OK, kid. You don't want to join. How about your dad?

The Defense Department has asked Congress to raise the age limit for military recruits from 35 to 42. According to a report from the Army Times, this is one of a series of what defense department officials are calling “urgent wartime support initiatives.” They're also proposing to increase various cash incentives and initiate the Army Home Ownership program, which would set aside funds for a new recruit to use to buy a home at the end of enlistment.

Posted by Joshua Breitbart on July 20, 2005 | Permalink

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Comments

41.5 year old Privates ... wow!

How demeaning! You must be in a pretty rough spot to be 41 and enlisting, only to be pushed around by a 24 or 25 year old drill sergeant.

The types of people that will enlist at 41 may not be worth the trouble. As one commentator said, these folks will make Charles Graner and Lyndie England look like they belong on the NY Times Society Pages.

I am greatly troubled by the "scalp" bonus for enlistments. It puts a premium on referrals and may motivate many to encourage enlistments solely for money. This is neither in the best interests of the Army or the applicant.

Let me say one thing ... the cupboard is bare if these proposals make it. The Army will have no more rabbits to pull out of the hat after these ones. This has the makings of a 21st century Volksturm!

Bring Back the Draft! ... tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough for me.

Posted by: IRR Soldier... | Jul 20, 2005 2:27:25 PM


I don't want a draft, that means that people in the US might actually get a clue and pay attention !

I'd say pay all the recruits 50 bucks an hour--since that's what the contractors in Iraq get. Get rid of the VA and they could buy their own health insurance.

(If they are all contractors we could hide their casualty counts more easily).

Better yet, I think we can trepanate their heads and create an army of zombie soldiers. We would only have to feed them Iraqi civilian brains.

Yours,
Neocon Genius

Posted by: | Jul 20, 2005 4:44:15 PM

I have actually written an article that explores the very possibility of a zombie army. You can access the full text here:

http://goetzit.blogspot.com/2005/04/thought-for-food.html

Posted by: Daniel | Jul 21, 2005 8:52:52 PM

This is proof positive that the Army is falling apart - which I have been predicting since October 2004. Which, BTW, Kerry warned us about and Bush and the Neocons said, no way.

BTW, $50 per hour.. you have to be joking!! Work in Iraq for $50 per hour when most professionals can make $100 to $200 here at home. Wow, standards are different. they would have to pay in the neighborhood of $200 to get me excited. Certainly at $50, you are not going to buy health insurance on that are you?

Posted by: Kevin | Jul 30, 2005 10:43:58 PM

It is a crying shame the U.S. Army has to raise the standards so high in some aspects ie; educational standards to find those smart kids rather than take the under-achiever and mold him into a soldier. I did 6 yrs in the 82nd and yes I had a GED and I did well my first 3 years but I fucked up in my 5th year and got an AR-15 for disrespect to an NCO and wham I get an re-3 code because I do not meet the qualitative requirements for rank and I'm fucked for life. No recruiter will touch me with 100 ft piece det cord. On the other hand since the U.S. Army wouldn't let me back in I least had the oportunity to work as a soldier for other individuals in other countries. The pay is great but it could never take away the pride I have for the U.S. Military.

Posted by: merc | Sep 1, 2005 6:06:07 AM

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