1. haystack

   04/21/2008 at 11:09 pm

   I’m rather surprised at this, CJ. Well, not at the idea that the media might take this news out of context..that is the norm. What surprises me most is the play on words with this “moral waivers” nonsense.

   For those youngsters out there, too young to “remember” Viet Nam, there were many youthful indiscretions that a judge saw fit to offer young men (read troubled youths) a choice between county lockup and a chance to learn dignity, self-respect, and grow a conscience by enlisting.

   No surprise here…sadly.

   It doesn’t take much to get a felony conviction these days… but the “F” word (short for “felony”) sure raises emotions in a biased media, now, don’t it?

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2. David

   04/22/2008 at 12:11 am

   I had two guys in my Basic Training that a judge gave them the “Jail or Army” choice. Not sure what happened to them, but their look of pride on graduation made it clear that they were changing things around for the better.
   David

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3. Ken

   04/22/2008 at 5:49 pm

   Let’s not kid ourselves, there is a problem. We would be incredibly naive if we didn’t admit that recruiting during an unpopular war was not, at best, difficult. My opinion is that the raw numbers of felony-waiver enlistments do not tell the entire story.

   First, yes, there is a war. I understand. Second, the story coming from recruting command these days indicates that only 30% of the male population ages 17-24 is eligible for enlistment without a waiver. We all know that crime in that same age bracket is up 14% over the last few years, due mostly to a society and legal system that is less tolerable to the tribulations of youth than when most of us were growing up.

   When I was a kid, you could get into a fight and at worse get a butt chewing from the principle and a couple of days at home. Back then I always liked a good fight and paid the price accordingly.

   Nowadays with no tolerance policies, kids like me end up with felony assault charges. The same stats also indicate that the average American kid is most likely to be a fattee and also noteligible for service.

   Is recruiting during a war a problem? Duh? Is the American population giving the military less to work with? Truth hurts.

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4. SSgtJ

   04/22/2008 at 6:41 pm

   Valid points all. If you actually look at the ‘raw’ numbers, we are only talking about a couple hundred kids. Out of 180,000 recruits, we gave a ‘second’ chance to a couple hundred kids. Wow, seems the ‘left’ should be jumping for joy! Compassion and a second chance! Way to go recruiters! As David indicated, most veterans probably feel that a military enlistment is a better way to rehabilitate a young man, then putting him in the slammer.

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5. Bob

   04/25/2008 at 9:04 am

   Recently a senior Army leader shared a story about a young soldier that made the ultimate sacrifice. He put himself in harm’s way to save the lives of his fellow soldiers and was lost his own as a result of his actions.

   That particular solder was one of a questionable background – he came in with a felony waiver. He’d made mistakes in his life, but saw a new opportunity in the Army and became a great soldier.

   I find it ironic that many of those media pundits making hay out of this issue are the same ones that would argue for shorter sentences and rehabilitation of criminals.

   I guess, to them, doing time in a penitentiary is more rehabilitating than serving your country in the Armed Forces.

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6. CJ

   04/26/2008 at 7:39 pm

   You know, Morton. I’m not afraid of you. Could you kick my ass though? yes, because I don’t hit 80-year old sissies with glasses. I’ll gladly let you show me what a great man you are though.

   I am a proud government puppet. I revel in the fact that I do what I do what I’m told when it’s legal, ethical, and moral. You wouldn’t know anything about what it means to be a Soldier. Your opinion about me, my brothers and sisters in arms, my military, and my country really mean nothing to me.

   But, everyone else gets a kick out of you every time you open your mouth, so as long you refrain from profanity, I’ll suffer your petty excuse for intelligence.

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7. Robert W. Brown

   04/26/2008 at 10:44 pm

   Does anyone have any idea why 1,000 military personnel are committing suicide each month? Why are felons, drug addicts and over age men and women being enlisted into the military? Why are veterans groups telling the American people that we have no more troops to commit. These are questions that must be answered. The most influential and power man in Iraq is Al Sadr. Why is he telling the Iraqi government and the US military to stop setting up concrete barriers all over Iraq? That is normally done for crowd control. Al Sadr said that he will declare war on the occupiers in Iraq and the Iraqi puppet government if they do not stop dividing his country. Sure, the Surge is really succeeding, that is if you believe lies.

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8. ConspiracyDebunker007

   05/08/2011 at 1:49 am

   Hey, Robert…. Shut your mouth, you do not know what you are talking about…

   Reply

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