Letters to the Editor
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omg
Ok, let's see whether I understand this. The Navy observes patriotism and the desire to enlist in the military are down due to the impact of the Iraq war. Then they conclude that this generation of young people is coddled and narcissistic. Does it occur to these bozos that young people understand the nation was cynically manipulated into supporting this war turned quagmire? That the wealthy elite encourage their children to avoid military service, especially the kind of service that sends you to Iraq to be killed and maimed by IEDs? And their own president, the commander-in-chief himself dodged the war in Viet Nam in his youth? And now the same chickenhawk president wants to expand the war to Iran because Iraq was such a roaring success. Are these morons really too dense to comprehend why the young are reluctant to enter military service? Or would it just be impolitic to say it out loud? The military has the Bush administration and their f*cked up war to thank for the sorry state of recruitment today.
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wtf!
The problem isn't with the current generation. The problem is with MY geezer generation, that manufactured a useless war based on falsehoods, and that now has absolutely, positively no idea how to get out of it.
I mean, like dude, who would want a piece of that?
My generation should have known better. We had the Vietnam war. The Vietnam War is the manual. We didn't RTFM.
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The military's not all right...
So the military wants to convince more young people to join them? Here's a thought: STOP BLINDLY SUPPORTING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!!! The Iraq debacle happened because most of your members voted for the current occupent and the reason why they did that is because they give the republican party a free pass every election year while the democrats have to constantly show their "tough enough".
Use of force should be a means of last resort and only when needed. Iraq wasn't either one of those things. Your party of choice sees the world as one giant RISK game, whose pieces aren't their kids. Most young people can see that. Why can't you?
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Navy recruiting
If I were selling the Navy, I would push the fact that they are recruiting people because very few employers are looking for people unless they want to offer minimum wage. I would also emphasize the adventure part of the job. Very few jobs allow you to leave how, travel and have new experiences. I would emphasize on the job and hands on training because many kids are tired of book learning about dead white men. I would emphasize that they offer job security, extensive benefits and a career. I would add that Navy jobs offer prestige and a sense of pride for you and your parents that is not generally available with today's Joe jobs. In short, they are offering a good, interesting and challenging jobs with good pay and benefits that also offers prestige. Should be an easy sell.
Unless, of course, you are selling to people who hate Bush.
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not really
And their own president, the commander-in-chief himself dodged the war in Viet Nam in his youth?
Flying fighter jets in the National Guard is not dodging.
Now, as for proven draft dodger Bill Clinton committing U.S. troops all over the world, including an unauthorized war in Kosovo, why didn't we hear this whining then?
Hypocrites.
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Genaral Wingnuts
Now, as for proven draft dodger Bill Clinton
The Clinton Rule.
Ignore.
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@ Anonymous
Flying fighter jets thousands of miles away from combat whenever he felt like it before going AWOL is not draft dodging.?
Fixed that for you.
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Flying fighter jets thousands of miles away from combat whenever he felt like it before going AWOL is not draft dodging.?
So why the honorable discharge and DD-214, which wouldn't have been issued if he'd been AWOL.
And the Clinton Rule is valid, because it simply proves the hypocrisy of the Left.
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Lets see this "honorable discharge"...
Funny how nobody broke it out during the whole Dan Rather/60 Minutes 2 mess. Probably would have made the whole thing dry up pretty quick don't you think?
But since we're on the subject, where's Cheney's honorable discharge? Oh, that's right, HE TOO IS A DRAFT DODGER!!! So is Wolfowitz and every other member of PNAC. Enjoy your heroes cons! Ha! Ha!
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Who needs the Navy?
Like dude, who needs the Navy in the 21st century? What are people doing on warships except to be vulnerable targets? Naval war technology has been surpassed by superior weapons delivery systems.
We could still let the Navy putt-putt around the Atlantic Ocean in a couple of dreadnaughts, just to keep the spirit alive.
The main reason for today's Navy is a jobs program for the Stepford Republicans. The Republican party has overpoliticized the military. Now its time to feel the blowback, dude.
By the way, read Herodotus to discover that the latest generation of Greeks is going to hell.
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It's kind of sad that all you critics don't speak to anyone that age
Because it's them telling me that they're spoiled and self absorbed, narcissistic prigs. Of course they blame it on us by telling us it was our telling them they could do and be anything when they were little which has made them angry entitled assholes. But nonetheless that's what they're telling their elders. So maybe the Navy isn't far wrong. I'll never forget freshman orientation when the dean said flat out that we should expect our little jewels to take AT LEAST 5 years (66%), 5.5 years (85%) to graduation their institution and that we shouldn't really press the issue with them because it's pointless to try.
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Sounds like wishful thinking to me
"'Teens are creating new forms of social behavior that blur the distinction between online and real-world interactions, the presentation says."
Sounds like someone in the Pentagon has read Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game."
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Damn kids
Why, when I was a kid we all loved the military and respected our elders and worked hard on our paper routes and walked to school and that was uphill both ways and blah blah blah blah blah. Wisdom does not come with age, it's only the illusion of wisdom clouded by the rose colored glasses of nostalgia. Old men start wars and young men fight them. It was ever thus, and it will ever be.
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Go Navy
Aside from a lot of frivilous sniping about the politics of the military, recruiting young men AND WOMEN into the Navy isn't quite as much of a challenge as figuring out if they are going to be up to the job. If the US Navy isn't relevant, the Chinese Navy is, read the Heritage Reports on the subject. Freedom of the seas is almost as quaint a subject as those Constitutional protections we used to have.
In the high tech age of connectedness, these kids are never going to be too far from their family, their friends, or their favorite rock group. Working on a warship in a combat zone presents serious challenges, and the shipboard environment does not tolerate distractions. Having accrued 2 years of combat pay, once a long time ago, I can tell you, these sailors are better off without their high tech connections to a frivilous and self indulgent outside world. The idea of being connected, runs counter to working and living in the here and now, where the least mental error spells disaster.
That said the Navy needs to consider how it is going to shut down the Ipods and Iphones and get these kids into the game. Recruiting is not a problem, once you start drafting people into the Army, a lot of kids will take the next best option.