Yesterday, as I was listening to an NPR report on the status of the armed forces, I couldn’t help but remember that during times of peace, the military is looked upon with great distaste. Soldiers aren’t welcome among polite society. That is how it was when I enlisted and served in the Navy. We were definitely made to feel as if we were second class citizens; and we were always looking for a chance to wear our “civvies”, clothes that would allow us to pass as civilians. I remember that the good folks of Jacksonville, North Carolina were very much against their daughters dating a serviceman. It just didn’t happen. Ask any old soldier and they will tell you the same thing. It happened in every city where there was a large contingent of military forces.
And now the armed forces are in crisis mode when it comes to recruiting and they are lowering the standards. A lack of education and/or a criminal record is no longer a roadblock to enlistment. Cash bonuses are being increased in size to entice soldiers to stay for another 6 years. Recruiters are looking for that personality type that loves action and are promising them plenty of it without telling them the ‘rest of the story’. And when peace comes…they will be discarded. Until the next war.
No comments:
Post a Comment