Reply With QuoteWe only need a bigger army if we're going to be the world's police force and depose cruel dictators.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/21/opinion/21KIMM.html
Yes, this means we need a bigger army.The advantage of experienced reservists to a unit is immeasurable. But here in Iraq, I am hearing more soldiers talk about calling it quits when they return to the States. Even though some soldiers are only four or five years from qualifying for retirement pay and benefits, they're getting out. The constant deployments are difficult for families and careers, they say, and waiting around for retirement benefits is no longer worth it.
The evidence I see in other units around me is the same: the United States Army is about to see a mass exodus from its Reserve.
For me, the length of time I spend in Iraq is less important than getting the job done right. I don't want my son to have to come here in five years because we messed it up. But if the Army continues its policy of year-plus tours for its Reserve forces in Iraq and elsewhere, it will soon find those ranks empty.
The question the Army faces is simple: will more frequent, extended deployments dry up the Reserve pool? We need an answer soon. If the Reserve continue to be misused, soldiers will vote with their feet when they get home. By then it will be too late for the Army to figure out what went wrong.
My suggestions: Kill NMD, kill the F-22, kill the Comache. Get more troops.
We only need a bigger army if we're going to be the world's police force and depose cruel dictators.
You could start at home.Originally Posted by Mark Asher
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I wonder how many young guys got sucked in by the 'Americas Army' game and are now wondering what the hell they're doing.
I checked. 2.
I think its a little late to not do that. We need a bigger army now to make sure that we we've taken doesn't backslide into a worse state than it was before we decided to play policeman.
I saw an Army Reserve commercial the other day. "One weekend a month and two weeks a year..." wow, I thought, sounds tempting!
Fuck all that. Pull out of everywhere. Dismantle the European wall against the erstwhile Warsaw Pact. Leave Afghanistan and Iraq. Leave Japan. Leave South Korea. Bring the boys home. That will save money.
"Reserve" means you're there when the government needs you. It's a fairly simple deal, actually.
And when the government needs you "all the time", whats the point in staying in?
What is the deal with the reserve, seriously. We have some guys in our office who are in the reserve and I have spoken to them. It doesnt' seem like you get very much from the govt, but you do have to put your ass on the line. It seems as if you are really just joining the reserves because you're patriotic. Now there is nothing wrong with this in my book. I was an active duty vet when I was younger, but I am just wondering if mabye I don't have the full story about the reserves. I have a normal amount of patriotism, but there were other factors that convinced me to join the Navy (see the world, money for college, learn a trade, etc). I don't really see any of that stuff coming into play for reservists. You seem to need to have prior training to get a decent designation. You only travel if you're called up for active duty. And I've been told there isn't really any decent GI Bill for education. So are they completely relying upon patrotism for all their people?
Technically, the government can do whatever they want with the Reserves. That's not what used to be the standard, though; in the old days they were something to be used if the US was under attack, not a spare army in case the DoD budget is too low.
I know Clinton accelerated the use of reserves for peacekeeping, but Bush has really taken it to a whole new level.
You will make retirement approximately 100% easier for yourself. After 25 years of continued service in the Reserve, you'll have basically earned yourself a full federal pension. If you enter the reserve as an officer out of college (say age 22), and have any kind of retirement benefits from your civilian occupation, you'll have no excuse for not being able to retire very comfortably at age 50.It doesnt' seem like you get very much from the govt, but you do have to put your ass on the line.
But if you're deployed as much as if you were in on active duty, whats the point of being in the reserve?
Thanks, Dan. I hadn't thought of the pension.
Ok, but if we pull back we do need to have the Navy protect Taiwan so we can get our motherboards, video cards, sound cards, aluminum cases, Ram, etc etc etc....
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