Army divorce rate story on CNN
Army officers Divorce rate for past 3 years:
2004 - 3325
2003 - 1866
2002 - 1060
Then they reported the Overall Army divorce rate for past 2 years as:
2004 - 10,477
2003 - 7,453
If the Bush Administration really cares about Family Values, then why don't they do something to keep past promises and allow our brave men and women to come home more frequently instead of extending their time in Iraq and Afghanistan without troop rotation. It has affected regular Army and the National Guard and their families. Come on Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, walk the talk! I'm sick of all your the flag waving rhetoric and from your Administration. WeThePeople will all be subjected to more of this rhetoric throughout the 4th of July celebrations. Why not do something really patriotic and have some troops come home for the 4th to spend with their families. Don't worry, the war will still be there when they go back! Or bite the bullet and start the draft again. That's the surest way to get this war to wind down. Start drafting sons and daughters of this Administration, members of Congress, the Senate, and sons and daughters of the Executive elite and watch how things change quickly.
posted by Charles Amico at 2:54 PM
7 Comments:
Excellent point. As I noted in response to your original comment, "supporting the troops" should go beyond simply putting stickers on the back of your car. There are many reasons why enlistments are declining (and why I believe that reinstitutiono f the draft is on the near horizon) but the fundamental reason is that the word is out the government is not holding up its end of the bargain.
I don't want the draft. Drafted Armies suck. You get a lot of soldiers that don't want to be there, that drag the Army as a whole down. (Just look at the Army of the 1970s)
I read aout a congressman who did lose his son in Iraq, and still supports the war. I'd tread lightly there.
Divorces happen. The strain on any family that long deployments put on people is sometimes too much to bear. People come home with too much emotional baggage; wives whore around (or the husbands do while deployed). Strong marriages get stronger, the weaker ones die off. It's Darwinian.
I'd love to be home for the 4th of july. Hell, I'd like to be home for the 4th of August. But I have a job to do. We all do. The president BETTER spout flag waving rhetoric. The flag reprsents the nation he is in charge of. He better love everything about it, especially the republic for which it stands.
I can't stand with you on this one, I'm afraid. If we came home just for the 4th, this place would fall apart in two days. Besides, you (the taxpayer) would have to pay for it all) and all our shit would be missing when we got back!
Chuck
Thanks Chuck, That's why I asked for your opinion on this one from Iraq. Back here we don't know how to help you guys, but we all feel proud of what you are doing for us, and every day I am grateful. The more we hear from soldiers directly in Iraq and Afghanistan, the better we will be able to give proper support. It reminds me of executives at Christmas time. They try to give their employees something for the holiday and so some give turkeys or a ham. Problem is most employees want extra time off to be with their family and don't want the stupid turkey. Often the reward isn't perceived as a reward. The best advice is to ask them what is good for them. That's why I asked you. Thanks, God bless you and the others.
Appreciatively,
Charles
This entire problem is about just one thing == politics. The Administration is determined to show the American people that they can have war on the cheap, with the absolute minimum sacrifice. As long a the great majority of Americans are not affected by the war, they will not complain. Taxes are low, no one is getting drafted, and people can drive their SUVs.
We are at war, but, for most Americans, that war is just five minutes of TV per day.
The Admnistration is taking it out of the hide of the armed services. Most of the folks in the military are devoutly patiotic and have a high tolerance for sacrifice. They are also mostly very conservative politically and will tend to support the Republicans on the basis of other issues. The Administration has made a calcuation that it can afford to put the burden of this war exclusively on military families and get away politically unscathed.
Personally, I oppose a volunteer military. I think that all Americans should understand that defense of the country is a shared repsonsibility. Our freedom was never free and it is important that citizens understand that. But no politician -- except John McCain -- has the courage to say it.
Stop move, and Stop Loss may as well be considered a fucking draft. The Army is losing numbers, and first term soldiers are doing everything they can to get out of war even if it means putting heroin in their arm. The Army is at it's all time high for divorce rate, and obviously that proves that the spouses and soldiers cannot mentally handle such a long term of war. Women are getting pregnant on purpose to be able to get out of the military, and men are choosing drugs for their choice to get out of the military. Oh, and lets not forget the soldiers who return from war and find out their wife is fucking another man, and end up either killing the man or their wife. Or how about the soldier dual in Iraq, soldiers killing soldiers. Or how about soldiers killing their commanders and SGT's, they aren't mentally insane or they wouldn't have been able to be processed into the military. They are simply fed up with having to be at war for such a long enduring 12 month to 18 month tour. I've been to Iraq, and I've seen the faces and felt the fear. I have spoke with soldiers who did fucked up ship just because they don't want to be sent BACK to Iraq, arguing they didn't have a year in Garrison environment. Our nation is spoiled, and the families and soldiers where not ready for such a long deployment, and I believe that is the reason for the loss of recruitment, sky high divorce rate, and I never voted for Bush. Let's be honest here, is oil that important? Or are you the American people so foolish to believe that we don't want money or oil from Iraq, and that we honestly just want to help them. Please, we are to selfish of a nation, and very successful nation as well. Don't be fooled by the media, read the facts, and visit Iraq. Soldiers voted for Bush because he gives a well off raise to the military every year, money. Soldiers feel they deserve this extra money, even though they have medical, mental, dental, house, and food paid for. Also, Chuck the congressman who lost his son, well, he does want to be elected again, and just because he lost his son, does not mean he can say that he is against the war, thats politics, you say want the people want to hear. A congressman can't change his mind on the war when so many other families have lost their sons, daughters, and spouses. Money, politics, and success is what our Nation is now standing for. If we trusted the Iraq's at this point why was I pointing my weapon at the Iraq's while they were simply eating dirty, filthy, old, discusting, food as they sat in the desert heat drinking water from a fucking water hose. Shouldn't we be taking better care of our own before we try to change another country values? Oh, and the weapons of mass destruction where never found. Oops, I guess since we blew their shit up now we have the responsiblity to fix it as well, and I do believe in that. Chuck no one wants to be at war honey, not even you, but I am pleased to see that at the least you believe in dieing for a cause they may end up meaningless. I know the feeling, and so does my husband.
"I've never seen a wild thing feel sorry for itself, a bird will fall frozen dead from a bough before ever feeling sorry for itself"
GI Jane
Hey GI Jane, you might be interested to know that the guy named Chuck who wrote the comments above was in Iraq, has been wounded and arrived at Walter Reid Hospital in DC on Friday night and is recovering from a blast from insurgents. His wife has been posting stuff on his condition on his blog at
http://tcoverride.blogspot.com/
With all do respect Chuck is very fortunate, not only to be alive, but to have his wife by his side as well.
As recruitment is low, and divorce rate is high, it is time for the American people to take a stand. Our generation can make a change within are Army by contacting our Senator's and insisting on six month deployments for the Army. This action is more than a yellow sticker, and shows support for our Army beyond what history has shown us.
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