And Still They Reenlist

[gilliam]

Despite hardships of war, many soldiers reenlist

SANTA ROSA, CALIF. – In Iraq, there were the days that ran together in a never-ending stream of patrols, mission after mission that left him cursing the superiors who sent him out into the teeth of the insurgency. There were the nights when mortars crashed nearby, close enough to smell the sulfur. And there was the question that went unanswered every time a friend was ripped by shrapnel or cut down in an ambush: Why are we fighting this war?

Yet when the time came for Sgt. Jason Waits to decide what he would do when his tour in the Army National Guard ended, he barely paused. Before he even left Iraq, Sergeant Waits reenlisted. And if he is sent back, he “won’t have a problem.” It is a glance at one of the most unexpected developments of the war in Iraq. Even as the conflict drags on, undermining recruiting efforts and testing the patience of the nation, American soldiers are so far continuing to reenlist at levels that surprise the Pentagon and pundits alike. To the head of the National Guard, this is the legacy of America’s “next greatest generation”: a band of soldiers more sophisticated than any before in history, which has been asked to adapt to a new style of warfare and often serve multiple tours - all as a volunteer force.

csmonitor.com/2005/0503/p01s01-usmi.html

 

[gilliam]

from the article:

What is perhaps most significant is that they continue to volunteer. In a normal year, the Army National Guard expects 18 percent of its soldiers to leave because of retirement, injury, and death, or because they do not reenlist. This year, the attrition rate is only 18.9 percent. Meanwhile, reenlistment rates for the Army and Marines are either exceeding goals or are within a few percentage points of them. Some data even show that reenlistment rates are higher for units deployed overseas than for those that have remained at home.

What we are witnessing now, my friends, is another great generation of Americans fighting for freedom. We all should be very proud of them. I know I am.

 

[gilliam]

As of the end of March, the Active Army re-enlisted 34,382 Soldiers, 106 percent of its mission for the first two quarters of the fiscal year. The Army was at about 90 percent of mission at this time last year and finished at 107 percent, boding well for the Army’s retention mission this year.

The Army Reserve re-enlisted 8,291 Soldiers, 100 percent of its year-to-date mission, as of the end of March. The Army National Guard re-enlisted 15,689 Soldiers, 100 percent of its year-to-date mission.

 

[Brendan]

The son of a fellow parishiner is a Marine who just re-enlisted and requested a second tour of duty to Iraq.

His words were " We are doing too much good there to leave"

 

[Richardols]

Brendan:

His words were " We are doing too much good there to leave"

Right on, Marine! We should never leave. We ought to stay there forever to own the country and its resources.

 

[quijote]

Richardols:

Right on, Marine! We should never leave. We ought to stay there forever to own the country and its resources.

:whacky:

 

[Yonnie]

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Richardols:

Right on, Marine! We should never leave. We ought to stay there forever to own the country and its resources.

Rich, put the bong down and step back slowly. It appears that your brain is begining to melt. The nice men in the pretty white coats will be taking you to the round padded room, fit you with a self-hug sweater, and let you have a nice nappy-poo.

 

[Richardols]

Scott_Lafrance:

Rich, put the bong down and step back slowly. It appears that your brain is begining to melt. The nice men in the pretty white coats will be taking you to the round padded room, fit you with a self-hug sweater, and let you have a nice nappy-poo.

Scott, I usually don’t agree with your positions, but, hey, differences of opinion are the meat of this Forum. However, at no time that I’ve said something opposite to your posted statements have I ever suggested that your positions are due to habitual drug use, Alzheimer’s Disease or insanity.

No smiley here, Scott. Respect for others on this Forum ought to be the coin of civil discussion…

 

[vern_humphrey]

Richardols:

Scott, I usually don’t agree with your positions, but, hey, differences of opinion are the meat of this Forum. However, at no time that I’ve said something opposite to your posted statements have I ever suggested that your positions are due to habitual drug use, Alzheimer’s Disease or insanity.

No smiley here, Scott. Respect for others on this Forum ought to be the coin of civil discussion…

Richard,. we should all be civil. But when you say something like this:

Richardols:

Right on, Marine! We should never leave. We ought to stay there forever to own the country and its resources.

You can understand how it might be taken as a personal comment.

 

[Richardols]

vern humphrey:

You can understand how it might be taken as a personal comment.

I wasn’t knocking that young Marine, but his notion that we should keep a constant presence in Iraq. Iraq should be turned over to the Iraqis, regardless how much good we are doing, that young fellow’s remarks notwithstanding.

And Scott’s ad hominem remarks are still unacceptable.

 

[Lance]

Richardols:

I wasn’t knocking that young Marine, but his notion that we should keep a constant presence in Iraq. Iraq should be turned over to the Iraqis, regardless how much good we are doing, that young fellow’s remarks notwithstanding.

And Scott’s ad hominem remarks are still unacceptable.

I don’t think the young man meant we should stay there forever, but now would not be a good time to bail out on them. Regardless of how you feel about the war, I think we can all agree that we should stay there until the Iraqis can train and equip a police force and control their own country and government. Then we should leave if they want us to do so.

 

[Richardols]

Lance:

I don’t think the young man meant we should stay there forever, but now would not be a good time to bail out on them. Regardless of how you feel about the war, I think we can all agree that we should stay there until the Iraqis can train and equip a police force and control their own country and government. Then we should leave if they want us to do so.

Your reasoned statement is quite a bit different than that young fellow’s, and I agree with you at this point. I was against our going to war, but we’re stuck with it, and we have to do what you suggest now.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Richardols:

I wasn’t knocking that young Marine, but his notion that we should keep a constant presence in Iraq. Iraq should be turned over to the Iraqis, regardless how much good we are doing, that young fellow’s remarks notwithstanding…

We should stay as long as it takes – to walk off and leave the job half done is to waste the lives already sacrificed.

Richardols:

And Scott’s ad hominem remarks are still unacceptable.

But two wrongs don’t make a right.

 

[Steve_O_Brien]

A soldier’s decision to re-enlist, even if based on noble motives, doesn’t determine the justice or injustice of a particular war or occupation. That separate question is decided by the objective criteria of morality as set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2309.

For serious Catholics, the prudential judgment of both Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, both of whom opposed our nation’s invasion of Iraq, has to be a substantial consideration in deciding whether or not to support our military’s occupation of that suffering country.

I recommend the Web site of the Catholic Peace Fellowship:

catholicpeacefellowship.org/

Keep and spread the Faith.

 

[Richardols]

vern humphrey:

We should stay as long as it takes – to walk off and leave the job half done is to waste the lives already sacrificed.

Agreed.

But two wrongs don’t make a right.

I made no ad hominem remark about that Marine, I criticized what he said. Scott’s remarks about me were over-the-top or across-the-line by any standard. And rather juvenile to boot.

 

[wabrams]

Lance:

Then we should leave if they want us to do so.

We won’t leave that country in our lifetime. The US got the foothold it wanted in the middle east, and there is no way they are going to give it up. Even if the Iraqi’s ask us to leave, we will just tell them they need us there to deter Iran or Syria, or we need to stay and protect the Kurds from Turkey. I’m telling you, we won’t leave.

 

[Richardols]

Steve O'Brien:

For serious Catholics, the prudential judgment of both Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI, both of whom opposed our nation’s invasion of Iraq, has to be a substantial consideration in deciding whether or not to support our military’s continued occupation of that suffering country.

I opposed Bush’s War because of the Pope’s position on the war, but it becomes difficult to extract ourself at this time. I hope that circumstances allow our prompt and quick withdrawal from Iraq.

And I hope that so many Catholics won’t be as fast to place Country above God the next time the president wants to take us to war as they did when they backed his invasion “to find WMDs.”

 

[vern_humphrey]

Steve O'Brien:

A soldier’s decision to re-enlist, even if based on noble motives, doesn’t determine the justice or injustice of a particular war or occupation. That separate question is decided by the objective criteria of morality as set forth in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2309.

Pope Benedict (while still a cardinal) pointed out that in the case of war, it is permissible to differ with the Holy Father.

Let me point out that paragraph 2309 bases the issue on facts and the evaluation of those facts, not on an a prioi jugement. It is often difficult to obtain and analyze facts – but when the people who have been there, down where the rubber meets the road say they believe we’re right – and are willing to back it up by volunteering to go back for another tour, their judgement must be given considerable weight.

They are, in fact, martyrs – witnesses who testify to the righteousness of their cause by sacrificing themselves.

 

[Richardols]

vern humphrey:

They are, in fact, martyrs – witnesses who testify to the righteousness of their cause by sacrificing themselves.

A bit over-the-top, no? I don’t think any of the fellows volunteering to go back intend to become martyrs - based on my albeit limited knowledge of the motives of the average soldier or airman.