So you’ve had your fill of flipping burgers for the minimum wage after four years of drinking beer and hooking up busting your butt in college? That sociology degree didn’t prove to be the path to riches, fame and glory your admissions advisor told you it would be? That’s OK. Uncle Sam can always use you. With wars and kinetic military actions seemingly breaking out weekly, there’s always a need for willing, able-bodied yoots who know how to handle a gun in America’s military, right? Well no, not any more…
That’s right. The military’s shrinking its ranks. Just when it would appear to the average hopelessly logic-bound voting unit that we’d need more qualified soldiers, sailors and airmen given an ever-expanding need to defend the country, there’s now a waiting list to get in.
See, we have this budget problem. And you have to cut somewhere, right? There are so many other priorities that are much more important right now. Think about it for a minute.
There’s the Department of Homeland Security and its most visible and vital component, the TSA. And we have green energy jobs to create. Not to mention that whole healthcare nationalization thingy that’s already proving to be such a success. Oh, and don’t forget our friends at BATFE. Who will keep us safe from illegal guns if they’re not pounding the pavement?
We’re in the process of winning the future here. We have so many other, more immediate priorities for our scarce resources. We can’t blow it all on defending the country. Besides, there’s an election coming up and a base to shore up.
So if you’re one of those still living in your parents’ basement cranking out resumes or you’re stuck slinging hash for tips, get your application to your favorite branch of the military now. It may be a while before you can serve your country. In the mean time, have you thought about moving to Washington, DC?
I have to wonder if the “waiting list” to get into the military is not just a factor of government reductions, but also a tremendously high unemployment rate.
Racer88 you are quite correct. The Navy wants to cut 3000 low ranking petty officers because to many are not getting out. There are no jobs for them to go too. My son works in the Navy reserve recruiting side of the house. He said his counterparts in the regular Navy have filled their quota’s for the next two years and then some.
Please allow me to throw a little gasoline on this particular fire – how about a law that would make military service a path to citizenship? In other words, you wanna fight for Uncle Sam, serve a 4-year hitch, and you qualify for citizenship. Of course, the problem is, we’d have to be somewhat selective…it would be kinda brain-dead stupid to allow, oh, say, a Taliban or Al Queda member to get trained by Uncle Sam, fight for Uncle Sam and then run over to the other side.
But in the case of those who really want to live here, fighting for their adopted country would certainly give them an opportunity to prove themselves.
There really are two sides to this. Anybody else wanna chime in?
I was so angry about the “DREAM” act that I actually wrote my delegation. To equate getting high and taking classes at the local community college with military service is appalling. I would fully support service as a path to citizenship.
SERVICE GUARANTEES CITIZENSHIP! JOIN TODAY!
Would you like to know more?
Nice movie reference!
“how about a law that would make military service a path to citizenship?”
If you are talking about a path for the foreign-born, I’m down with the plan. For the American born (see Nick’s Starship Troopers comment), the answer is: it would be illegal.
I believe there’s already a program for that. Here for more.
http://www.legallanguage.com/legal-articles/military-citizenship/
During peacetime, you must be a lawful permanent resident. Not so during wartime.
They used to do that for Filipinos. When I was in Navy Boot Camp, we had 10 Filipinos who came in, they served, and earned their citizenship. They couldn’t work in security clearance jobs because of that, so they were always cooks, personnel, disbursing, and a few other of those types of jobs. It has been 18 years since I got out, so not sure if they still do this.
On a side note, I got out in 93 just after Clinton came into office – they had similar RIF’s, but they did give you money to get out, depending on the job you held (the more full those jobs were, they more they offered). They gave money to stay in for the jobs that were harder to fill or already below minimum billeting. The only difference here is they are just going to discharge these folks with no transition, apparently. I at least had 6 mos. of medical and dental, a nice check, and two years of base services (commissary, exchange, etc…). It lessened the stress of finding a job.
We should make military service a mandatory requirement for all current US residents as well, and then restrict certain benefits to those who serve honorably. A “Starship Troopers” type plan.
I am not saying everyone needs to be a ground pounding Devil Dog or Navy SEAL. But at least go through boot camp, and do some reserve time.
There are just too many breeders, and not enough leaders in this country.
I would check in with the US Constitution, Recall that a Govt that can GIVE can also TAKE AWAY
I’ve always believed that service for citizenship is a great idea. Everyone wins because we have people who will do there best to complete their time and we get a new citizen. I know a few people who have been recently rejected because they never finished high school or they had a very low skill level. Our armed forces only want smart skilled workers and everyone else will be flipping burgers somewhere.
Look at the Staff Sargent selection board for the Marines. There is so many Sargents that a lot of good people are getting passed up for promotions.
Mr. Zimmerman, I think you are saying that once the Selective Service Act was deselected, the service became more selective, so recent grads better act. Is that it?
There is that, too. As stated in the linked article, certain specialties are in demand and those who can fill them will move to the front of the line. But with fewer people leaving the service (due to the conspicuous lack of jobs out here) on top of the policy decision to spend less on defense (read: fewer people in the military) it’s getting a lot harder to join up.
While this is certainly a problem long-term, after thinking about it a bit, this is not necessarily a bad thing, except for those who may have wished to stay in until there were better opportunities out in the civilian world.
Hear me out for a second – the Navy said 3K people, or about 1%. Anyone who has ever served knows there are AT LEAST 1% of any command that perhaps should NOT have joined the service. It did not really fit their “personality” (you know what I mean). They have trouble working as a team, taking orders, are a walking safety violation, out of shape, or frankly, just idiots.
I am assuming they are going to make their decisions, at least most of them, on the personnel ratings. Those typically at the bottom (although not always) are probably those least likely to have made a career in the service as it is. Businesses do it all the time. I am not sure this is such a bad thing. Now if they continue, round and round, cutting and starting getting into the meat and bones, there may be an issue. I love our troops, I am a veteran, and I support them all the way. But I also know, not all of them are a good fit inside a uniform. There is not one person who has served that doesn’t know exactly what I mean. Let’s hope the cutting is fair and deserved, that is my bigger concern.
I thought people supposedly joined the military to serve their country, not simply because they need a job?
Think again. Young people join the military for more reasons than there are people. Some join to leave home. Some join to see the world. Some join because they don’t know what else to do. It doesn’t matter why people join. It only matters that they do.
That was kind of my devil’s advocate point. So many people heap praise on the military “for serving their country,” even though a lot of the time “serving their country” is way far down on the list, if on it at all, for why they joined.
I just wonder – who’s following who: either we try to copy your “way of life” (free market, equal rights, good jobs (sort of)), or you follow our footsteps and, from time to time, still get into same kind of manure we’ve stepped into before? Or we just running darned circles, stepping in above mentioned manure independently, just to prove “we not copy anyone”?
We had to cut our military under “cutting budget” banner. Unfortunately, there were far from few examples, when worthy soldiers were expelled, and “less-than-desirable” stayed amongst ranks. Then we discriminate our military to a degree, when formerly honorable service turned into place for outcasts, exiles and losers, branded worse, than civil “bottom feeder job”.
So I wonder, will you have enough wit and guts not to follow us on our way, or you have same fate ahead?
In order to re-enlist, after your first enlistment, you must become a US Citizen. MOS/AFSCs are limited for non-citizens, usually entail jobs that don’t require a security clearance. Most of the guys I dealt with were Eastern Europeans, Germans, and Brits.