Sign the dotted line!

September 17, 2004 7:28 PM

Military recruiting getting slow? Here's one solution. Scary.
posted by jeremy (13 comments total)

They really must be desperately hurting for people if they have to go this far. I've never heard of them using technicalities against people who served honorably for years.
posted by amberglow at 7:37 PM on September 17, 2004

Also:
'The serious mood was broken by Sam Poulton, who rose in the second row, wearing a VFW cap, to poke fun at himself. He turned to face the audience and cameras. "I want you to look at this face," he said. "I'm 56 years old, a proud reservist. I was ordered back to Iraq. It's something when my son and I are both deployed. I went to war for George W. Bush; I came home to vote for John Kerry."'
posted by dash_slot- at 7:38 PM on September 17, 2004

Couldn't this have been added to this thread?
posted by soyjoy at 8:10 PM on September 17, 2004

Shouldn't that question be asked in this space?

Just pulling your leg. Sorry I didn't catch that earlier link. I did a search for ROTC and nothing came up. Apologies.
posted by jeremy at 8:19 PM on September 17, 2004

This is unreal! What's next? They're going to go after people who played soldiers as a kid?

Sucks for the guy in the most extreme way. And it does nothing but kill national pride, who can take pride in a country that seeks to cheat and re-snare soldiers who have performed their duty and been discharged. I'm sure they'll get some furious fightin' men out of this, only problem is they'll want to fight their own government and not the "enemy".

amberglow, that would make a fitting epitaph for those soldiers who die because of this - Killed by a Technicality.

dash_slot, thanks for excerpting that part since its a subscription. Kerry should seize on that quote. Its very powerful and illustrates just how out of control the war is and its drain on our resources.

soyjoy, it would have gotten nowhere near the impressions and its important enough for an FPP. Course, that's just my opinion and I've been wrong once or twice.
posted by fenriq at 8:20 PM on September 17, 2004

Or this part that sounds one hell of a lot like entrapment "Army lawyer Maj. Chris Soucie told the judge that Parrish could be recalled to duty because he failed to sign a resignation line on a letter asking for an update on his personal information."

That is messed up and lame.
posted by fenriq at 8:44 PM on September 17, 2004

I don't get the logic behind this. In a time of war, do you really want to be backed by someone who really, really doesn't want to be there? How safe would you feel if this guy was your designated 'buddy'?
posted by clevershark at 9:08 PM on September 17, 2004

My father-in-law, who has 30-years of experience in the JAG corps (he knows a thing or two about the administrative side of the military) suggested that he probably has a particular skill they need.

He said that doctors who have been in the reserves should be looking over their shoulders just about now. It'll be interesting to see if that happens.
posted by jeremy at 10:33 PM on September 17, 2004

This seems like a perfect example of bureacracy trumping common sense and the "right thing." If it truly does come down to only one signature being missing -- I'm not yet fully convinced that the whole case hinges on that aspect -- then it is indeed sad. More than sad, actually -- it almost appears sadistic. Based solely on the linked article, and not having any other facts, it seems to me that the man served his time honorably and should be left alone to get on with his life.
posted by davidmsc at 12:23 AM on September 18, 2004

I don't get the logic behind this. In a time of war, do you really want to be backed by someone who really, really doesn't want to be there? How safe would you feel if this guy was your designated 'buddy'?

This is why, of course, governments and armies since the dawn of human history have eschewed conscription. It's just not effective.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 3:21 AM on September 18, 2004

".....Martha Jo McCarthy, whose husband is on National Guard duty in Iraq, was the first. "Everyone supports the troops," she said, "and I know they're doing a phenomenal job over there, not only fighting but building schools and digging wells. But supporting the troops has to mean something more than putting yellow-ribbon magnets on your car and praying they come home safely."

"I read the casualty Web site every day and ask myself, 'Do I feel safer here?' No. I don't think we can win this war through arrogance. Arrogance is different from strength. Strength requires wisdom, and I think we need to change from arrogance to solid strength." - from the WaPo article cited by Dash_Slot. That woman needs a bigger megaphone - The Kerry campaign needs to put her on TV, in ads.
posted by troutfishing at 5:41 AM on September 18, 2004

I'm almost positive that all officers from any branch can be recalled unless they resign their comission. It's more common than you think, but it may get out of control with this war and the speed with which people are getting out of the military.

The really sneaky thing is what this administration has done to the national guard. We've already abused these guys way beyond what they are supposed to do. They're only supposed to be called up for a certain amount of time (one year I believe) before they must be sent home. However, if they change the name of the operation, they can redeploy the guard. The rumor that I've heard is that after the election we're gonna rename "Iraqi Freedom" and the guard is redeploying to lessen the workload on the active duty.
posted by tcobretti at 5:46 AM on September 18, 2004

Sweet though - you don't need a valid email to sign up.
posted by lightweight at 6:50 AM on September 18, 2004