Although there was a lot more violence in Iraq last year, it was also the first year all active-duty and reserve forces met or exceeded their recruitment goals. And the trend seems to be accelerating.
This is interesting, yet not surprising. As the economy gets worse and unemployment falls, the steady paycheck, benefits and training offered by the military is very appealing. However, the economy alone is not accountable; the recent decline in violence in Iraq has also been a factor. In addition, the G. I. Bill will significantly expand education benefits (service members who spend at least three years on active duty can attend any public college at government expense or apply the payment toward tuition at a private university.) Recruiters now have a much less stressful job (although usually they must talk to 150 people before finding one person who meets military qualifications and is interested). Now, they can even start being more selective in their recruitments.
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2 comments:
To me, this is strange. If we are removing troops from Iraq in 16 months (if everything goes according to "the plan") why are people now volunteering.
It's silly to be joining the military when we are stopping the war, why not join something productive and get a "Green-Collared-Job"? I recently watched on the news that the "green movement" is going to see a lot more employees in 2009 as more and more companies are laying people off. Early last year, a program "Apollo Alliance" joined eco-friendly groups and started this "green-collar" movement. A lot has changed since last January, and one result is this movement has spread. Now, in the Bay Area, Richmond has begun programs and soon our county will as well.
Here are some links to the TIME article I read, and the newscast from CBS5.com:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1809506,00.html
http://cbs5.com/politics/green.collar.jobs.2.635871.html
I also think that this is kind of wierd... While I definitely like the idea of a stable job that a lot of needing americans can turn to, I can't say I love the idea of more soldiers in the army right now. Especially with all the robot stuff and computers that can fly bombs into buildings and things, I hate to see more people putting their lives on the line.
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