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U.S. Army struggles for recruits amid Iraq war

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posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 10:18 AM
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Staff Sgt. Richard Guzman is on the front lines of one of the U.S. Army's toughest battles in years, and he's not in Iraq.

He's an Army recruiter trying to coax young men and women into volunteering to serve at a time when U.S. ground forces are engaged in a war halfway around the world.

"To me, recruiting used to be easy. Right now, you really have to hunt for those ones who really want to" serve, said Guzman, who recruits in New York City's Harlem section.

Nearly two years into an Iraq war that has left more than 1,500 U.S. troops dead and another 11,200 wounded, recruiters like Guzman are having to work hard as the Army strives to sign up 80,000 recruits this year to replace soldiers leaving the service.

The Army in February, for the first time in nearly five years, failed to achieve its monthly recruiting goal. It is in danger of missing its annual recruiting target for the first time since 1999.


This is nothing new...we knew that volunteers are at an all time low, but we keep getting told that there will be no draft. But, please read the next quote from Cato Institute defense analyst Charles Pena.



"The military can hold things together on a relatively short-term basis through some fairly extreme measures like 'stop-loss' and making much greater use of Reserve and Guard units to fill the requirements in Iraq," Pena said.

"But you cannot do this indefinitely. At some point, you break the force. And the question is: how close are we to that breaking point?"


www.cnn.com...

How long will they keep dragging this thing along? Will the shortage of recruits bring an early end to this war, or will it result in the the much debated draft that seems to be innevitable?



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 12:31 PM
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I doubt we will be running out of troops anytime soon, considering we have the 2nd largest army in the world, with over 2 million inlisted.

China taking the lead since they have a population of about a billion people.



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 12:36 PM
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I will tell you my husband told me last week that the recruiters in our local base were worry, and on top of that the issue of the young recruit that was kill during training add to the problem.

It's concern but the government is waiting to the end of the year to see if it becomes a trend.

Then they will take action.



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 12:46 PM
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Originally posted by TooManySecrets
I doubt we will be running out of troops anytime soon, considering we have the 2nd largest army in the world, with over 2 million inlisted.

China taking the lead since they have a population of about a billion people.



It is true that we have the 2nd largest army, but when you are in a war that has half or more of it's men and womem finishing thier 2nd tour, with no one to replace them, then you have a problem. Especially if Bush is considering taking action against Iran. We just can't take on Iraq and Iran at the same time without a major increase in recruits.



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 12:54 PM
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Maybe if they didnt test recruits for marijuana in their system many more people willing to go would qualify.



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 01:03 PM
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Rumsfield can contuinue to shift forces and play games with the numbers all he wants, but he found out just how important boots-on-the-ground are. His shock and awe is good for a lot of hoops and hollars at headquarters and the pentagon, but all his stradgety accomplished is the killing of innocents and the destruction of infrastructer the American taxpayer has to pay for. They fired Colin Powell for having the only brain in the whole administration.



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 01:09 PM
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Originally posted by jrod
Maybe if they didnt test recruits for marijuana in their system many more people willing to go would qualify.


Well, I guess that's one way to avoid the draft if and when it comes



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 01:13 PM
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Yeah, that's a good point. But I guess now the only graves being dug are for US soldiers. Atleast iraq is free!

[edit on 7-3-2005 by TooManySecrets]



posted on Mar, 7 2005 @ 01:17 PM
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as posted by TooManySecrets
Atleast when he was in power, car bombs wernt going off everyday.


Your absolutely right.
Perhaps they were too busy trying to avoid becoming another mass grave(s) victim?



seekerof




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