I dont know about the Army, but I do know that the marines have never really had an issue getting the troops that they needed. It is also not a huge problem for them to be down just over 250 men. It is a example of the task that is becomming more and more difficult for recruiters. They are dealing with a Vietnam type situation, where there is no end in sight and more and more troops are needed. I would like to know hoe the reserves and National Guard are doing...seems that they would be the ones having the real problems. Does anyone have the figures on those two branches?

I think that the main problem is that most of our troops, especially Army, tend to come from the rural South. The prolem is that these towns where lots of troops come from are actually having people from that town get killed in Iraq. I bet when a guy who enlisted last year and you probably knew from football practice gets killed that it takes away alot of the allure of enlisting.

Too bad that the military hasn't done us all the favor of stop-gapping your butt back into service so we could stop being bothered by your pointless ill-informed rants.

I'm guessing your concern with posting a note on the topic is that you're worried that things may come down to that and you know that you were incompetent enough in the military that you fear for your life if you are recalled?

terpfan 1980

You opinion of my military and civilian career is of zero value. One does not go from second lieutenant to Colonel in 19 years by accident. One does not become the COO of a multimillion dollar operation and hold the position for over 12 years successfully without some knowledge. One does not become certified for senior executive federal service by accident or sent to the Army War College by accident. I don't know what your background is but I know from your postings that you don't know much about anything. You are perfect example of blindly follow in an ideology that is taking this country into a place we will not want to be when we arrive.

terpfan 1980 You opinion of my military and civilian career is of zero value. One does not go from second lieutenant to Colonel in 19 years by accident. One does not become the COO of a multimillion dollar operation and hold the position for over 12 years successfully without some knowledge. One does not become certified for senior executive federal service by accident or sent to the Army War College by accident. I don't know what your background is but I know from your postings that you don't know much about anything. You are perfect example of blindly follow in an ideology that is taking this country into a place we will not want to be when we arrive.

I think you've obviously mistaken us for somebody who cares. No you get there by having good kneepads.

COL - which I still hold you use as a shortcut for the title Clueless Old Liberal -- you have, as noted, mistaken me (and many others) for people that will be easily impressed by your tossing around your title and your history.

Have you a clue as to whether or not I have any military background for myself or my family? Probably little to none, since I don't flaunt such information.

Have you a clue as to whether or not I have a history rich in academia or in the business world? Probably not, because again, I don't flaunt it.

You see, I believe and behave as if each individual is no more, or no less respectable than the next, at least until they prove differently in words and deeds.

You have demonstrated, upon multiple times, that you are a whining, sniveling little liberal that must flaunt your military history and try to use your title to impress people. That is a sign to me of someone that has an inferiority complex, and other psychological issues. You have a need to have people see you as intelligent that wasn't satisfied and fed along the way, and now you're wasting blog space to whine and carp because you feel that lesser intelligent individuals (in your opinion) like George W. Bush have been far more successful than harder working more intelligent (in your opinion) individuals such as (in your believe) yourself.

One can, and does do an awful lot by accident in the military. Depending on one's period of service, medals, awards and promitions have been handed out like candy and party favors by Michael Jackson to his sleep over guests at Neverland Ranch. As an example, take the "distinguished" service record on John F. Kerry. A record that publicly seems to be heroic, but which is built upon a house of cards of Kerry's own words. Built in such a way that Senator Kerry can never sign an SF to release his records and have the public really find out what the truth is.

I know from history that one can and does many time rise to the level of CEO by being in the right place at the right time, or by having friends in high places, who were able to bring people along.

History is rife with recycled dreck in CEO positions that left one failure to go start on another. The old boys club of your era was famous for revolving doors in management, good old boy clubs that kept out qualified candidates that hadn't made the right friends and were never able to break through glass ceilings.

You are correct in one statement - you don't know my background. Too bad for you. You shouldn't need to know it.

You are very incorrect in claiming that I'm following any ideology. I tilt at many windmills -- mostly of those that indicate to me stupidity and idiocy. You among them.

Now, I do pray that you get a set of orders sending your butt off to the coldest farthest off military outpost where you lose your internet access and are no longer able to disturb the karma of the net with your drivel.

"It's easier to sign up in peace time than wartime"
Agreed. And I'd say oh about 95% of the troops there all joined the reserves in peacetime. So I'd say that it's far easier to join in in wartime, since you'd already know what in store for you when you enlist. Likely at least 80% of the reserve troops never ever imagined they would be partaking in sustained combat operations in wild indian country on the other side of the planet. So they feel a bit f**ked over right now. Which explains why most say they're leaving once their tour's over. And look at the health of some of the pioneer Reserve GI's they're sending. Rank diabetics, recalling 60 year old doctors, horribly overweight guys who would be a liability to the healthy troops if they were even in a close-quartered firefight. They're even sending a kitchen sink to Iraq, since Halliburton stripped down the current one and neglected to tell the Pentagon while they were standing in line to deposit their Pentagon-endorsed cheque. The draft is coming pronto, and the ranks will be filled as needed.

Guess it's time for them to call up us retirees.. right?

COL Gene

It is still early in the year and the military did surpass the goals for Oct-Dec (1st Qtr), can you tell me the difference between the quarters?

Also you know that they get those goals on an equal break between the months. We have not even gotten to the heaviest recruiting month of May-July at the end of the school year.

Last year the military surpassed the goals:Link

Have you checked the Reenlistments as of late?

If you don't have people leaving through the back door, you don't need as many through the front.

I know last year the National Guard had met their Reenlistment goals by July. Three months before the end of year. This was a historical high percentage of reenlistments across the military (except Navy and Air Force, who still bypassed their goals). I had posted the info and links in a thread back in Dec.

While recruits are hard pressed to get new boots into units, even with higher bonuses. Just remember we are in a war and you need to really be surprised that with as much mud/disinformation the Democrats have been slinging at the war, you would think there would be allot fewer people enlisting.

Reenlistments are up, and you know as a former commander one good reenlistment is worth much more then one New Recruit.

Don’t count your chicken off of two months out of twelve. I am sure you could find two months in a row even during peace time that the military came up short (I know during the Clinton years it was a constant). If the over all numbers between a full year of recruits and reenlistments don’t meet at the end of the year in Oct, then you can gloat all you want.

That’s My Two Cents

terpfan 1980

If you take Bush 41 and his contacts away from Gerore W. you get a former drunk who took drugs, was a poor student, failed to meet his obligatiobs in the military and ran two companins into the ground. Sounds like a resume that goes in the trash can!

If you take Bush 41 and his contacts away from Gerore W. you get a former drunk who took drugs, was a poor student, failed to meet his obligatiobs in the military and ran two companins into the ground. Sounds like a resume that goes in the trash can!

The sad thing is the Democrats still could not come up with anything better.

If you take Bush 41 and his contacts away from Gerore W. you get a former drunk who took drugs, was a poor student, failed to meet his obligatiobs in the military and ran two companins into the ground. Sounds like a resume that goes in the trash can!

My response to this blathering and your earlier blathering:

The same could be said for any number of CEOs. As an example, check this article by another citizen.

The same could be said for many members of the military in the Vietnam era and beyond (during a time when the military looked a lot like the goofs in the Private Benjamin and Stripes films).

The same could probably be said about you or family members or people you did favors for out of necessity or because you were helping others as part of the office politics while you were trying to climb over others on your way up the corporate ladder.


And btw, another recent former president was a draft-dodging, womanizer who tried pot but never inhaled, right? Your hero Bubba. He of the supposed balanced budget, and budget surplus, right?

And it seems in your haste to respond, you've again demonstrated your fine typing and spelling skills that you developed as a COL and a COO. Were I to see such mistakes, I'd instantly discount the author as sloppy or under-educated. To take a page from your book, er, lifestyle demonstrated and noted above, believe me. I worked in the printing business, editing content and cleaning up the mess of some very highly educated leaders and members of academia and business. I made their crap look at least passably readable, even if given complete unintelligent mess that would have driven even the best code breakers at NSA fits.

Yourself and many others best be thankful for Grammatik, Roget's, the spell checker in Microsoft Word, and the secretaries and administrative assistants you trampled over while becoming captains of industry. Without them, you'd be showing many more of your character flaws.

Glass houses sir, glass houses.

Lee 1776

Even more sad, the Republicans could not come up with a better person!

Terpfan 1980of

I use a voice dictating system as I am not very good on the keyboard. to compare a background like George W. Bush with others who have made the same mistakes as an excuse is said. compare George H. W. Bush with his son and I think you'll be able to see the difference. You show your stupidity by defending the results of George W. Bush!

Lee 1776

Even more sad, the Republicans could not come up with a better person!

Terpfan 1980of

I use a voice dictating system as I am not very good on the keyboard. to compare a background like George W. Bush with others who have made the same mistakes as an excuse is said. compare George H. W. Bush with his son and I think you'll be able to see the difference. You show your stupidity by defending the results of George W. Bush!

Even more sad, the Republicans could not come up with a better person!

He must have been good enough. He got elected didn't he?

You show your stupidity by defending the results of George W. Bush!

And you show your ignorance in attacking him.