Army having hard time Recruiting Blacks

[Phasad1913]

http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid...S_Armed_Forces

The Army says fewer young Blacks are recruitable nowadays. They cite two reasons:

1. Blacks are in more opposition to the war in general and, therefore, don't want to go.

2. Blacks fear combat.

The article also talks about women and the lack of availibility and willingness but I am interested in what their studies have shown regarding Blacks.


Does this seem accurate to you all? Is this an adequate representation of the sentiment out there in your opinion?

Would you be able to be recruited?

How much does your sentiment about the war have to do with your sense of patriotism?

[bobbyearl93]

I enlisted for four years during the time between the two GULF WARS (mid to late 90's). So I narrowly escaped having to participate (thank goodness).

Personally, they could offer me more money than what BILL GATES has and I still would not go back.

[SKEEphistAKAte]

Originally posted by Phasad1913


Would you be able to be recruited?

NEVER!! And if I was draft-able I'd rather go to jail.

[SummerChild]

I think #1 is probably true. I think that #2 is ludicrous, given all the combat some of us see (and participate in) on the streets on a daily basis. I think that we are tired of the BS that the government shovels us on a daily basis. Too many folk believe that the war in Iraq is not for genuine purposes to put their life on the line for it. I think that we just recognize that a little more than other folks.

An army recruiter called me and asked me to recruit just before I finished my BS in electrical engineering. I laughed at him and gently explained to him that I would be a fool to sign up, risk my life for ya'll cocamamie (ok, I can't spell that word) crap about why we have to go to war only to make like $8 a day when a sister like me was about to easily clear 50,000 a year, straight out of school and I wouldn't have to get up before the chickens to do so! He couldn't understand it. I think there is alot of brainwashing with recruiters. They really believe all of that be all you can be stuff that they shovel potential recruits.

Originally posted by Phasad1913
http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid...S_Armed_Forces

The Army says fewer young Blacks are recruitable nowadays. They cite two reasons:

1. Blacks are in more opposition to the war in general and, therefore, don't want to go.

2. Blacks fear combat.

The article also talks about women and the lack of availibility and willingness but I am interested in what their studies have shown regarding Blacks.


Does this seem accurate to you all? Is this an adequate representation of the sentiment out there in your opinion?

Would you be able to be recruited?

How much does your sentiment about the war have to do with your sense of patriotism?

I have had a couple of family members, former classmates, and friend be deployed to IRAQ. Every last one of them stated that they would never reenlist nor would they go back into combat. My brother was 10 minutes from fleeing to Canada (we live in Detroit) to avoid having to go back to iraq. He was home on a two week break and did not want to go back under any circumstances. We had to do some serious talking to him to get him to go back. He served his time (sounds like jail) and is home now. THANK GOD!

I would never join for any amount of money or anything else they could think to offer me. It's not worth my life. Also, I can not reasonably see leaving this country to fight people that are being oppressed just like me. If we would leave people alone, we wouldn't have to worry about another 9-11, Oklahoma City, or any other terrorist act. Then we wouldn't need more recruits now would we!! The bottom line is that these people want us out of their country and out of their affairs and I for one think we should respect their wishes. If another country tried to invade us for the reasons that we have invaded other countries such as Iraq, we would blow thme to kingdom come. We would never tolerate it. Why is it that our government expects them to tolerate us?

[OrangeMoon]

I see what Vietnam has done to my Dad. Every person that mentions going to the Army, Navy, National Guard or Marines I take them to my dad and show them the results of war. This may be a different type of war but WAR is WAR no matter what decade. We fight wars everyday at home in our own neighborhoods in a country that gives less than a darn about us.

I see men from Vietnam and Gulf War at VA hospital applying to get benefits for fighting a WAR just to live. The government denies them benefits but these men did not deny the United States when they shipped them off. Better yet lets talk about the health problems: Agent Orange, Gulf War syndrome, the skin rashes, the breathing problems, death and countless other disease that they cannot pinpoint that result from WAR.

They (the government) uses money, education and promised benefits to get US in but when it comes time to GET what WE were promised it's not available or they give you BS about how you don't meet the criteria. Bump the government.

#1 is correct
#2 is B.S.

[Phasad1913]

Originally posted by bobbyearl93
I enlisted for four years during the time between the two GULF WARS (mid to late 90's). So I narrowly escaped having to participate (thank goodness).

Personally, they could offer me more money than what BILL GATES has and I still would not go back.

Why do you feel that way? Just curious. I am not conducting a survey or anything, I would just like to know more specifics (if appropriate) about what would make you feel so ademant about not serving or so dissatisfied with your time in the service.

[Phasad1913]

In general, why do you guys think the sentiment (which overwhelmingly seems to be negative on this board) is so different from older generations of military personnel that we all know of in our families and so forth who, depsite having to fight under the conditions of segregation and mediocre status, still felt/feel pride in having served the country and being a veteran? In you all's experiences, is this true? Is there a difference in how younger "military-eligible" Black people feel about the military NOW and how our parents/grandparents felt about the service then?

[SummerChild]

OrangeMoon,
Not only are the older vets having difficulties as a result of past wars, my line sister's cousin was approximately 23. He was sent home last year from fighting over in Iraq with some kind of rare kind of cancer that only a handful of vets have been sent home for from Iraq. He has already passed away. So do not think that those ailments are from days long ago. War is still war and people are being sent home from having contracted all sorts of ailments, even as recent as the Iraq war. It is so sad to think that this young man of 23 has lost his life. One thing is true, however. My grandmother (a vet) mentioned that when you sign up, you have signed up and there is no such thing as you don't want to serve your duty. You have to fulfill the obligation to adhere to Uncle Sam's decisions so I think that young people should really think about this when they sign up to be in the military during times of *peace* or war - if a war jumps off, you have to go. There is no second thoughts b/c you didn't anticipate war at the time that you signed up. People have to think further into the future.

SC

Originally posted by OrangeMoon
I see what Vietnam has done to my Dad. Every person that mentions going to the Army, Navy, National Guard or Marines I take them to my dad and show them the results of war. This may be a different type of war but WAR is WAR no matter what decade. We fight wars everyday at home in our own neighborhoods in a country that gives less than a darn about us.

I see men from Vietnam and Gulf War at VA hospital applying to get benefits for fighting a WAR just to live. The government denies them benefits but these men did not deny the United States when they shipped them off. Better yet lets talk about the health problems: Agent Orange, Gulf War syndrome, the skin rashes, the breathing problems, death and countless other disease that they cannot pinpoint that result from WAR.

They (the government) uses money, education and promised benefits to get US in but when it comes time to GET what WE were promised it's not available or they give you BS about how you don't meet the criteria. Bump the government.

#1 is correct
#2 is B.S.

[AKA_Monet]

This is an interesting report...

I think that most African Americans who can go into combat duty might not be able to due to a criminal histories...

Remember when the military kicked out recruits a few years back because of that issue alone in the mid to late 90's...

Then they class them out of being able to use the "high tech weaponry" that they have out there... No way are they gonna pay to train some "negro" to drive a $gazillion dollar humvee to only get it blown up over a landmine... There just too many good white boys to do that...

This goes not to say that black folks cannot fight, but what's the incentive? I know my uncle who went to Vietnam twice had to sleep in a ditch from the Viet-cong... Why do that when you can sleep in a fairly warm corner of a jail cell with Bubba/Bubbaette?

But different war, different time, newer and deadlier weapons...

Oh well...

[BabyBlue91]

Originally posted by AKA_Monet
This is an interesting report...

I think that most African Americans who can go into combat duty might not be able to due to a criminal histories...

Co-sign. I also think that fewer of "us" would pass the physical to begin with, so the numbers will continue to slide. There are studies upon studies that black children watch more television than other races and their bodies are paying the price.

[Steeltrap]

Originally posted by BabyBlue91
Co-sign. I also think that fewer of "us" would pass the physical to begin with, so the numbers will continue to slide. There are studies upon studies that black children watch more television than other races and their bodies are paying the price.

Again, very good point. Besides TV, kids are also on the computers with the Internet and video games. Throw in poor nutrition (when I was a kid, fast food was a treat, not an everyday occurrence) and you've got a recipe for physical fitness failure.

[msn4med1975]

Originally posted by Phasad1913
In general, why do you guys think the sentiment (which overwhelmingly seems to be negative on this board) is so different from older generations of military personnel that we all know of in our families and so forth who, depsite having to fight under the conditions of segregation and mediocre status, still felt/feel pride in having served the country and being a veteran? In you all's experiences, is this true? Is there a difference in how younger "military-eligible" Black people feel about the military NOW and how our parents/grandparents felt about the service then?

Because most of us with direct contact to those family members know that they were promised a lot and were given nothing. We've seen too many peers come back from basic or combat all screwed up in the head. And really, like another poster said, I gotta fight HERE to get what I'm SUPPOSED to be able to claim as an American citizen. I'm not flying across the globe to support W's retarded policies, watch my family go broke because the aid they were supposed to get was cut in half and maybe get blown to bits because he cannot admit he was wrong and pull out.

Originally posted by msn4med1975
Because most of us with direct contact to those family members know that they were promised a lot and were given nothing. We've seen too many peers come back from basic or combat all screwed up in the head. And really, like another poster said, I gotta fight HERE to get what I'm SUPPOSED to be able to claim as an American citizen. I'm not flying across the globe to support W's retarded policies, watch my family go broke because the aid they were supposed to get was cut in half and maybe get blown to bits because he cannot admit he was wrong and pull out.

Ditto!! I'd rather take out student loans to pay for college then have my A$$ on a leash for them to drop in whatever hot spot that they feel like has something of interest to them such as, I don't know, IRAQ and OIL. I'm perfectly happy paying back my thousands of dollars in loans and staying home happily NOT KILLING PEOPLE.

[bobbyearl93]

Originally posted by Phasad1913
Why do you feel that way? Just curious. I am not conducting a survey or anything, I would just like to know more specifics (if appropriate) about what would make you feel so ademant about not serving or so dissatisfied with your time in the service.

Sorry it took me so long to get back with you.

I've been busy .

There were several experiences that helped make my mind up.
I remember one day when I first arrived at my permanent duty station, I was helping someone type a letter and this 1st Lt. walked up and said, "Wow... You can type!" It was as if black men have no business knowing how to type.

Also, some (not all) black men who go to the army go there for discipline or to keep from getting into (more) trouble. As a result, some people like to assume that black men in the army are not intelligent and can't think for themselves without being given orders. Seeing as how I knew I was intelligent, I knew it was not the place for me.

Third, there is no excuse for sending men to fight in an unecessary war. People in the military don't have the option to say, "Hey this war is a bunch of crap. And I am not going." Fighting for your country is an honor, when what you are fighting for is honorable. However, when the people who send you to war have no honor, then you are fighting for no reason at all (but to make them richer).

Another problem is that I didn't like the idea of being told what to do everyday. I know we live in a world where we will always have bosses in some shape form or fashion, still the army way is far different than any other way. There's a right way, there's a wrong way, and there is an army way. Once you make a certain rank in the army (about E7 or above), you are virtually untouchable and always right even if you are wrong.

Oh yeah, I saw too many husbands and wives (particularly when I went overseas) acting like they were not husband and wife. I know adultery exists everywhere, but I have NEVER seen so many people cheat on their spouse than I did in KOREA. I mean I witnessed RECORD numbers. I knew I didn't want to be married and be in the army. 365 days in another country is a LONG DAYUM time. It was unbelieveable. People tell their husband or wife, "I LOVE YOU, SWEETIE" on the phone with a female or dude sitting right there in the bed with them.

Last, I remember putting in a request to get out early, so I could get into summer school at the time. I was scheduled to get out in June, but I needed to get out in May. The request went all the way up to batallion and my racist Sergeant Major tried to give me the WE ARE LOW ON MTOE (STAFFED) right now, even though he had previously approved another young man who didn't look like me, if you know what I mean. Now there is racism everywhere in the world, but ARMY RACISM is different from civilian racism. Normally there are only a few blacks in command (Captain or above), so unless you are dealing with open minded people, you won't be treated fairly and there is very little you can do about it.

Now I don't want you to assume I was a troublemaker, because I was actually good at the army. I maxed out the physical standards, I got promoted quickly, and they wanted me to re-enlist. I just chose not to.


Now, there are some good things I liked about it.
1. I really got a chance to meet some cool people. I met one of my best friends there and was a groomsmen in his wedding.
(I got to meet this FINE AZZ bride's maid.) Sorry back to the point.
2. It helped me stay in shape, because I didn't have a choice. PT was waiting for me every day before sunrise. Plus, I worked out alot with friends.
3. I am still getting paid extra money for school from my GI Bill.