I wonder if support for the war would be even lower if all the public knew all the truth about how things are being run in their name. And money.
Beating the Drums of War. US Troop Build-up: Army & Marines authorize “Involuntary Conscription”
It is now being specified and openly stated that the U.S. Marines have started recalling or legally summoning thousands of ‘inactive servicemen’ to serve in Iraq and the Middle East, where the number of U.S. troops and contracted security personal are dropping towards hap-hazardous levels[…]. The U.S. Army too, undermined by shortfalls in manpower, has ordered over a reported 14,000 ‘inactive servicemen’ back to fight in what is cited as the ‘War on Terror,’ as opposed to the ‘fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.’ Already thousands of servicemen have disserted, even applying for refugee status in Canada, and thousands more are AWAL (absent without authorized leave).
[…]
This could just be the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ but this seems to be nothing less than a watered down and concealed ‘military draft’ and it is only the continuation of a systematic conscription of military troops and former servicemen in a stealthy and cautious manner.
There are definitely, without question, hidden figures and numbers on the mercenaries—termed as security contractors for public relations reasons—being brought into Iraq from Latin America and all over the world—a by-product of the role of globalization in modern warfare—whose deaths do not get counted as American casualties and thus help marginalize the real human costs of the war for the United States and non-Iraqi denizens. The fact that there are scores of unaccounted dead—besides the phenomenally large amount of Iraqis—is verified by Robert Frisk […] that “At least 18,000 mercenaries, many of them tasked to protect U.S. troops and personnel, are now believed to be in Iraq, some of them earning $1,000 (U.S.) a day.
So what are we going to do when we run out of troops?
So what are we going to do when we run out of troops?
Send You!
For the apologists.
I don’t think any one here is arguing about the legality of recalling someone. They are pointing out that this will sure as heck inhibit future recruitment goals even more so. No longer will it be in for a few years then get out, settle down with your wife and kids and get on with life and every couple of weekends play war.
Rumsfeld said we don’t need the men, so the money was pumped into even more high tech weaponry. Now, it turns out he was wrong. We do need the troops. Only, instead of young men in their late teens, we now have men career soldiers in their med twenties to mid thirties. Men who are not only protecting the country, but also having families. Only military pay isn’t enough to raise a family on.
There are many things that the government can do legally. That doesn’t make them right however.
gquaglia,
I’m a veteran who is lucky enough to have served all my time. Did you ever serve?
Smartalix, I was only kidding.
I don’t think any one here is arguing about the legality of recalling someone. They are pointing out that this will sure as heck inhibit future recruitment goals even more so.
I agree. However, this article called it “involuntary conscription” and compared it to the draft. This is far from the draft. I do think it’s bad for business. But, when I enlisted all those years ago, I was told before I signed a single sheet of paper that I would be potentially called up for service for something like 4 years after my service was over. This was stated over and over to me. I assume it was the same for these men and women that are getting called up.
While I think this will hurt future recruitment goals more than it will help the forces on the ground now……I think the comparison to the draft of Vietnam era is overly dramatic at best.
32 Maybe it will make the Pentagon change the policy so that you enlist only for the number of years on your active contract or if you specifically agree to reserve time, but as it stand now they agree to do this when they enlisted.
It is not the Pentagon, it is Title 10 USC [Subtitile A, Part II, Chapter 37, section 651] Don’t get me started, you know how I get!
When I initially enlisted in the Navy – in 1976 – it was 6-years minimum service. Congress changed that to 8-years minimum in 1983.
http://tinyurl.com/h6v8d
Amendments
2002–Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107-296 substituted “of Homeland
Security” for “of Transportation”.
1983–Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98-94 amended subsec. (a) generally,
substituting a reference to service in the armed forces for a total
initial period of not less than six years nor more than eight years
under prescribed regulations for the prior reference to service in the armed forces for a total of six years.
—–
I’m not too concerned for the people who signed-up in 2002 or later… they had plenty of warning.
I’m concerned that this is the 8-year point for people who initially volunteered in 1998…
Next year is the 8-year point for people who initially volunteered in 1999…, etc…
The “pre-Millenials” had no idea this was coming.
Remember 1999? Clinton was in Office, and the great unknowns were:
a. How bad the “Y2K” bug would hit, and
b. whether 2000 was really going to be the year that Jesus returned…
Our military is living off the “fat” of patriotic enlistments following 9/11. How will we maintain our forces when any prospective replacements see the current forces being squeezed for all they are worth?
9. The actions of the traitorous liberal left have given moral support to our enemies and prolonged the conflict. Increasing American deaths dramatically.
Oh c’mon! You sound like Bill O’Reilly,
It’s the bungling of the Bush administration that has been the biggest encouragment for enemies of America.
If they had any fear of America before, it’s all gone now that they’ve see how bad Bush did in Iraq.
I agree that service members know about the 3+3, 4+4, etc, service term before signing on the dotted line. However, like #17 said, it was presented to me in a way that the U.S. would have to be under attack, and things are going down hill fast, before I was reactivated. A last ditch effort.
To be called back to fight in this war is absurd, and I feel like someone is playing around with my life, and I don’t like it.
#20 “Like the Marines say, once a Marine always a Marine. All this contract back and forth talk means nothing.”
That’s no-where near the spirit that saying is meant to hold. The saying means to hold yourself accountable after your tour of duty, the same way you would while in active service. Always act like a Marine.
Yes, once a Marine, always a Marine, but that doesn’t mean fight once, and have to keep going back over and over to keep fighting.
#38 “This was stated over and over to me. I assume it was the same for these men and women that are getting called up.”
For me it was a last second quick mention. “Okay, sign here, and here, and oh, by the way, you’re actually signing up for 8 years.. don’t worry about that, it’ll never happen. Okay, sign here..”
When I joined in 1988 they told about the eight year contract! I did not ask about the likelyhood of being recalled but I was told it depends on the needs of the military. For many many years it was rare just as for many years it was rare for the National Guard and other Reserve components to be used, but there was always that potential. Most people assumed -for many years it was true- that they would not be recalled. Now they are being recalled and yes it sucks but no it is not a backdoor draft. I am sorry that people are being recalled and have to put their lives on hold and potentially at risk but that is what they agreed to.
8. There you go. Anyone who wants to be a legalized citizen of this country can do so by serving a specified amount of time in our military. This would end the debate on giving a free-pass to all the illegals that are here now as they can choose to become legals by showing that they care about this country and not simply about the economic benefits that they get for being here. Put a sign on the border fence that anyone crossing over into this country illegally will be shipped off to Iraq. That should fix that problem.
Of course, I still think that we should be drafting all of Bush’s original supporters first by recruiting in churches. They’re used to following ideas based only on faith so they should be more than willing to follow their leader. Has Kirk Cameron signed up yet? He thinks he has all the answers.
Ultimately, this solves the illegal immigration problem and should bring back a more optimal seperation between church and state.
28. If we are to be honest about the mess we allowed Bush to get us in, should we not step up and start up the draft? Let the troops who are exhausted come home and send fresh ones?
Speak for yourself. I’ve in no way contributed to allowing Bush to get us in this mess. I guess we need to have trackable voting to see who is really responsible for this.
Also, a draft usually enlists the ~18+ age group to start with and if you’ve ever walked around this country and viewed the mental & physical state of these groups today, you would be hard pressed to find a soldier worthy army out of this generation [in general]. This has been one of the most pampered generations ever which means to draft them would be like sending them into a suicidal “jihad”. The number of American casualties would rise substantially.
#47,
The “peace dividend” is too far in the past to affect current troop levels.
You also mention MOS’ like infrastructure and admin as probable recall candidates. Those are not the soldiers being recalled now.
Again, this recall is having devastating effects on recruitment. What should we be doing about it? My two cents is to re-instate the draft. If we are serious that this war is worth fighting, we should all be doing it.
Only failed states need mercenaries. A volunteer-only force is only a step up from privateers. Every other democracy in the west has conscription, why don’t we?
Does this means that we’re going to see new Bugs Bunny and Daffy duck cartoons about draft services?
If things are so bad as you like to post every few months, then how is the Army maintaining its reenlistment goals?
http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=9493#morePhotos