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NEWS: Marines Get Big Bucks to Re-Enlist

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posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 10:27 AM
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With the continued and growing violence in Iraq among other conflicts around the world such as Afghanistan, and potential conflicts with Iran and North Korea. The United States Marine Corps is now offering cold hard cash, as much as $30,000 Tax Free in some cases to get enlisted personnel with training and experience to re-enlist. This kind of bonus is not unusual, however the amounts are..
 





Seattle Times Full Article

SAN DIEGO � With the prospect of continued fighting in Iraq, the Marine Corps is offering bonuses of as much as $30,000 � in some cases, tax-free � to persuade enlisted personnel with combat experience and training to re-enlist.

"No amount of money is too much to retain combat experience in the corps, rather than starting over," said Maj. Mark Menotti, assistant head of enlisted retention for the Marine Corps.

Giving bonuses to encourage Marines to re-enlist is not a new program. But this year's bonus schedule marks the first time that "combat arms" specialties have received the largest of the bonuses. The top bonus for those specialties a year ago was about $7,000.

The plan is working, officials said. Fewer than two months into the fiscal year, Marine re-enlistment rates in several key specialties are 10 to 30 percent ahead of last year.



Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


Getting paid as much as $30,000 cash tax free to take a plane to Iraq..hmm

Would it be worth it?

Why are the Marines being offered so much to re-enlist?

Could it be because the war in Iraq is so bad that they have to persuade enlisted personnel with large sums of cash?

What ever happened to fighting for your country, or the "band of brothers"?

Maybe fighting for cash makes more sense.

Are we getting any closer to a draft?

Other ATSNN discussion:

Army Uses NASCAR in Recruiting Effort

[edit on 27-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 10:33 AM
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My husband was offered to re-enlist and said thanks but no thanks. This was during Gulf war. 30,000 is nothing and you may not get away with your life next time.
Money isnt everything.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 10:40 AM
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Originally posted by UM_Gazz
Getting paid as much as $30,000 cash tax free to take a plane to Iraq..hmm

Would it be worth it?

Why are the marines being offered so much to re-enlist?

Could it be because the war in Iraq is so bad that they have to persuade enlisted personell with large sums of cash?

What ever happened to fighting for your country, or the "band of brothers"?

Maybe fighting for cash makes more sense.

Are we getting any closer to a draft?

[edit on 27-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]


Do you read your own posts? Most of these questions are answered in the article you posted. Re-enlistment bonuses have been around at least since my day. In the past it was usually technical MOSs requiring extensive schooling that got the big bonuses. Now, combat experience is at a premium, so the combat MOSs are getting the big money.

Everything else in your comments is negative spin and fear mongering. And the term Marine, when it applies to United States Marines is always properly capitalized.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 10:44 AM
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Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Do you read your own posts? Most of these questions are answered in the article you posted. Re-enlistment bonuses have been around at least since my day. In the past it was usually technical MOSs requiring extensive schooling that got the big bonuses. Now, combat experience is at a premium, so the combat MOSs are getting the big money.

Everything else in your comments is negative spin and fear mongering. And the term Marine, when it applies to United States Marines is always properly capitalized.


From the atricle: "The top bonus for those specialties a year ago was about $7,000."

It is now $30,000.

That seems like a big jump to me.

Yes I do read my posts, do you?


LL1

posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 10:46 AM
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High casualties would account for the monetary incentive.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 11:30 AM
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The military has always offered bonuses in a time of need for specific
MOS's. It just so happens that this time the guys on the ground who are actually doing the fighting are getting paid the bucks.
combat experience goes a long way as far as saving lives goes. every soldier with combat experience cuts casualties by as much as 1/3 so for those that re-enlist I am more thankful than ever. If I were a Marine I would take it
I have mentioned before that I am on the Individual Ready Reserve for 4 more years and if I get called up I will go with or without a bonus
(I would prefer the bonus but hey)

And as far as fighting for your country goes those soldiers have a job to do
and they are being told by there commanders and The Commander in Chief that this is fighting for there country , they are not there to ask questions just to get down to business.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 11:42 AM
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Originally posted by geocom
I have mentioned before that I am on the Individual Ready Reserve for 4 more years and if I get called up I will go with or without a bonus
(I would prefer the bonus but hey)

And as far as fighting for your country goes those soldiers have a job to do
and they are being told by there commanders and The Commander in Chief that this is fighting for there country , they are not there to ask questions just to get down to business.


Thank you geocom, for the record I do not believe any of our enlisted military personnel are paid enough.. And for you to say you'd go if called up with or without a bonus is what makes me proud to be an American.

I am just really wondering why now the bonus has gone up from a top of $7,000 last year to $30,000 this year.

I think there is a deeper message in there for anyone who cares to think about it.

As far as I am concerned they should make the bonus $1,000,000

But are we putting a price tag on a Marine with these numbers?

For god and country, or for love of money. It seems either way the military will do what they can to recruit and retain personnel.

I guess its just a sign of the times.

Gazz

[edit on 27-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 11:46 AM
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The casualty rate has been very low in Iraq compared to other combat operations.

For example:

"In World War I about one in 15 U.S. troops was killed or wounded; in World War II it was one in 14. The rate climbed to one in 12 in Korea and fell back to one in 16 during Vietnam."
www.globalsecurity.org...

At Iwo Jima in thirty-six days of combat, US forces suffered roughly 6000 KIAs.
usmcronbo.tripod.com...

"What I thought were piles of cordwood I later learned were the bodies of 2500 men, killed by withering fire from the Nazi gun emplacements built into the cliff."
-- Tracy Sugarman regarding D-Day June 6, 1944
www.loc.gov...

"1500 Americans and 4800 Japanese died on Tarawa. The number of dead and wounded on both sides would only get larger."
www.worldwar2database.com...

"In a running battle that lasted until July 2, the Japanese lost over 107,000 military and civilian casualties on land and 4,000 sailors at sea. American casualties lost 6800 Army, Navy and Marines on Okinawa and the surrounding islands, and another 5000 men at sea. Wounded totaled over 35,000."
www.worldwar2database.com...

"1968 was the bloodiest year of the Vietnam War for the American Army. Approximately 11,000 Americans were killed and 45,000 wounded."
www.vietnamdiary.com...



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 12:01 PM
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1235 Fatalities

4319 Wounded and returned to duty

5007 Wounded


These numbers may seem small to you when compared to other wars. However each one of those numbers above has a face, either have or had a life, family, friends, and stories of the hell that exists in Iraq for every Soldier, Marine or any military personnel.

Those very real stories find their way back to those enlisted state side, and I am sure have an effect on those who would consider re-enlisting.

[edit on 27-11-2004 by UM_Gazz]



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 12:20 PM
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I am a Marine. A civilian dosn't, can't understand(with the exception of veterns who also saw combat) what it is like out there. When you see the guy next to you who you have worked side by side with, ate with, and sat in a foxhole and fought with every day for the last 6 months die right in front of your eyes. It changes alot of the way you think as a human being. No amount of money is going to make you WANT to stay. The purpose of the bonus is to sway those who aren't really decided. As for "fighting for our country", why else would we join the Corps? The money? Of course not. Many(as in probably all under the rank of SGT, or E5), live barely above the poverty line. What if your a E3(Lcpl.) like me and have a wife and kid? Yes, you get some extra money in the form of BAH(Basic Allowance for Housing), but you probably still qualify for food stamps.



...Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say, "These wounds I had on Crispin's day."
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with added luster,
what feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so lowly,
This day shall enoble his rank.
And gentlemen in England, now abed,
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here;
And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Henry V - William Shakespeare

Some will reenlist because this is the only family they have ever known, and we are their only brothers.
~Lcpl R. , 2/2 Marines, Camp Lejeune N.C.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 01:10 PM
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I think it is disgraceful how little our troops are paid. They are all brainwashed with this dying for your country BS to con them into taking ridiculous risks with absolutely no compensation. What a scam!!!!



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 02:49 PM
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Originally posted by mrdependable
I think it is disgraceful how little our troops are paid. They are all brainwashed with this dying for your country BS to con them into taking ridiculous risks with absolutely no compensation. What a scam!!!!


In a way when you think about it... Most military personnel are paid so much less than the working civilian class in America .. and like most of us have debts and financial issues.. so is it really fair to stick $30,000 in their faces to get them to re-enlist?



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 04:57 PM
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You really have tunnel vision don't you, Gazz. Thirty grand is good sum of money, but it is really not enough to force the unwilling to go back to Iraq. This incentive is for those who might leave and take their skills and experience with them for whatever reason, but are good candidates for re-enlistment nonetheless.

All these Marines volunteered to begin with. They have been to war and know the risks. The bonus is a reward for those who make the choice to re-enlist. Believe me, no one who doesn't care to return is not going to think twice about the money.

When I got out in 1971, I could have gotten a ten thousand dollar re-enlistment bonus (a heck of a lot of money when the minimum wage was $1.45/hr), but the fighting was over for the Marines and my wounds had led to a change of MOS and no amount of money would have made me stay.

This money is not the carrot and stick you perceive it to be, but it is a decent reward for those with the desire to continue to serve their nation during these dire times. You should be praising the government for giving these men their due.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 05:23 PM
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My husband spend 22 years in the service in all that time all he got was a 2000 dollar bonus as a Sargent on his second re-enlistment.

He feels very offended by what the government is doing he can not believe that they are paying for soldiers to stay in. But he also feels that our "grunts" are the ones giving their lives in Iraq and they deserved it after all, and for onces they are getting recognized for the dangerous job they are facing in Iraq.

Yes bonuses has always been around but usually was for specialty type of training.

I see it this way things has getting so bad in Iraq that our soldiers have to be bribe to give their lives for Mr. Bush war in Iraq.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 05:40 PM
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Originally posted by marg6043
.............
I see it this way things has getting so bad in Iraq that our soldiers have to be bribe to give their lives for Mr. Bush war in Iraq.


Actually those soldiers that are giving their lives are doing it also for you, so you can keep bashing everything the U.S. does, while you ignore everything else other countries do.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 06:05 PM
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Originally posted by Muaddib

Actually those soldiers that are giving their lives are doing it also for you, so you can keep bashing everything the U.S. does, while you ignore everything else other countries do.


Get a life mijo, your rant is getting old, better yet get advantage of the bonuses and go and give your life for Mr. Bush in iraq looks like you love him so much.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 06:11 PM
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Originally posted by marg6043

Get a life mijo, your rant is getting old, better yet get advantage of the bonuses and go and give your life for Mr. Bush in iraq looks like you love him so much.


You are telling me to get a life?.....

What is getting old is your rant Marg, you hate so much the policies of the U.S. you are free to go live in a socialist or communist country. I am sure the french will open their arms to you lovingly as long as you don't try to make any protests for the murders they are causing to unarmed people in the Ivory Coast...

I already served Marg and yes, i do love this country and if it was possible for me i would have joined the armed forces again.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 06:26 PM
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When I was about to be discharged from the USN 20 years ago, the re-enlistment bonus offered me then was 25,000. My rate didn't have the highest bonus offered, either. A bonus of 30,000 doesn't seem too outlandish, considering it's 20 years later.

This just makes good common sense to me. Why WOULDN'T you want to retain the trained, experienced people who are due for discharge? When a member of the military is leaving strictly because of monetary considerations, a re-enlistment bonus may make just enough difference to allow that person to stay.

If that person is leaving because they just don't want to be there, 30,000 won't be enough to change their mind.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 06:54 PM
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Originally posted by Muaddib

What is getting old is your rant Marg, you hate so much the policies of the U.S. you are free to go live in a socialist or communist country. I am sure the french will open their arms to you lovingly as long as you don't try to make any protests for the murders they are causing to unarmed people in the Ivory Coast...

I already served Marg and yes, i do love this country and if it was possible for me i would have joined the armed forces again.


Hey they need bodies in Iraq they probably will take you back in a hart beat, you just not trying hard enough better to have somebody else dying for you, Right?

And by the way if you don't like my post well don't answer to it, and also what you are going to do sent the men in black to get me, or perhaps will you come and get me and punish me yourself.


Your Mr. Bush is getting so desperate that it has to bribe our soldiers into risking their lives for his Iraqi war, and is eating your patriotism so bad that is making you bash anybody that can see the truth.

You will do so good in a totalitarian government I can smell dictatorship in your post.



posted on Nov, 27 2004 @ 07:16 PM
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Originally posted by marg6043

Your Mr. Bush is getting so desperate that it has to bribe our soldiers into risking their lives for his Iraqi war, and is eating your patriotism so bad that is making you bash anybody that can see the truth.


I think there is enough evidence to conclude that re-enlistment bonuses are not a new concept. Makes for a good rant, though I guess. People in most occupations recieve bonuses and longevity raises. Why should the military be any different.

The concept is really quite simple, determine how much it will cost to train the replacement for a person, and provide for them until they have gained the same amount of experience. Offer the experienced person a percentage of that cost. If they accept, you both win.




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