Soldiers Remaining in the Army

[Nemont]

EG,

This one I though you may find interesting. While the article says that it isn't all rosy, the number of soldiers staying in is encouraging. It says that many of those who are doing the miserable job and the heavy lifting over in Iraq and Afganistan are still believe that the missions they have been give are worth while. They willing risk their lives for the mission.

Note this mostly pertains to active duty troops. I don't know about guard and reserve.

Posted on Sun, Aug. 15, 2004

Army on track to meet goal of re-enlisted soldiers

BY CHRIS VAUGHN

Knight Ridder Newspapers


FORT HOOD, Texas - (KRT) - Spc. Brian Harris made a cold calculation about his future in fatigues.

Then he signed the papers, raised his right hand and repeated the re-enlistment oath given by his platoon leader. He shook hands with the men from the 588th Engineer Battalion, posed for a picture and went back to work.

An Iraq war veteran, Harris weighed the probability of another long deployment before his initial enlistment would expire. He decided the best option was to re-up with a guarantee that he could move to Fort Lewis, Wash., near his hometown.

"I figured I would deploy again in the next year, so if I'm going to deploy, I wanted to deploy from home, and my wife can be close to home, too," Harris said.

The Army is defying the conventional wisdom that the Iraq war will empty its ranks, and it appears to be on track to meet its retention goals for early, midcareer and career-enlisted soldiers.

As of late July, the Army had re-enlisted 45,256 soldiers of the 56,100 it needs to meet its target this fiscal year, which ends in September. Short of an awful last two months, Army officials say they'll make their goal.

In a year of long deployments to Iraq, the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison and a decidedly bloody spring in which 278 service members died, retaining so many battle-tested corporals and sergeants is no small feat.

"In a way we're plagued by anecdotes where one soldier in a thousand is interviewed and complains that he can't wait to get out of the Army, so that means everybody must want out of the Army," said Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. "That becomes the truth, but it isn't. We don't have any problem with retention."

Article

Nemont

 

[Calif. Hunter]

One of my employees' son is a Marine who is heading back for his second tour in Iraq. He volunteered for it. I met another young soldier, a Ponca Indian, who is already back there by now for his second, voluntary, tour.

 

[feclnogn]

My friend in the Marines said his marines were reupping their commitments when they found out that they would be going back to Iraq as many were scheduled to get out after coming back from Iraq on the first go round.

My wife is in the NMANG and they are worried about re-enlistmints and new recruits. I think this is the case in many states. It's funny though, most of the folks in her unit that I have met have no problem what so ever with going if needed and many are over there right now.