Military recruiting problems

In an Aug. 27, 2015, article on military.com, Tom Philpott wrote about issues being confronted by military recruiters. Philpott blames persistent news articles about problems in the military or those faced by veterans for discouraging men and women from enlisting.

News reports about sexual harassment and crimes in the active military, stories about issues facing veterans seeking health care, and frequent news and advertising about private organizations that need funds to help wounded warriors all caused young people to have second thoughts about enlisting.

Stephanie P. Miller, director of military accession policy for the Department of Defense, said that in 2004 youths had an 85 percent positive reaction to the idea that military service would help with college expenses. That percentage has fallen to 60 percent. Similarly in 2004, 63 percent of youths eligible for enlisting saw the military as a positive lifestyle. That number has fallen now to 36 percent.

The shift in attitudes about joining the military began after the U.S. ground war in Iraq began producing increasing numbers of casualties. We then began a road paved with war dead and wounded as well as repeated deployments of active duty, reserve and National Guard personnel.

The reason given for the war in Afghanistan in 2001 was that the Taliban provided support to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. Although people initially believed that bin Laden had some part in the 9/11 attacks, after we invaded Iraq, President Bush clearly stated that Iraq had no part in the 9/11 attacks.

So, the suffering of the wounded and the pain of the families of the deceased have not exactly been a great enticement to enlist. The military is not being blamed for the wars as they were during and after Vietnam, but the repeated deployments have made enlisting an unattractive career choice for many. One positive change might be to stress that our military is part of the Department of Defense and not just a war department. There is much more to defending the country than Special Operations Warfare, and the military needs a wide range of skills and abilities. All of these positions carry the pride of being part of the defense of your country.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.