Marine Corps misses February recruitment goals
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Saturday, March 5, 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. — Like the Army Reserve, the Marine Corps missed a key recruiting goal for the second consecutive month in February — a concrete indication of the effect the war on terror is having on the all-volunteer force.
Marine recruiters were asked to deliver 2,964 new contracts in February, but were able to produce only 2,772, or 93.5 percent of the goal, according to Maj. David Griesmer, a spokesman for the Corps’ Recruiting Command at Quantico, Va.
January’s contracting target was 3,270 recruits, but only 3,186 new Marines signed up, or 97 percent of the requirement.
The shortfalls mark the first time in 10 years the Corps has had problems getting enough youths to sign contracts pledging to serve within the next year, Griesmer said Thursday.
“Recruiting is harder this year,” Griesmer said, citing the improved economy, the lure of college, and “concern of parents for their young adults.”
Parents “see that the military’s an active place right now, and they urge caution,” Griesmer said. “That’s having an effect of slowing things down.”
However, even with the two-month shortfall, Marine recruiters have met over 99 percent of their year-to-date contracting goal, signing 15,107 of the planned-for 15,232 recruits between Oct. 1 and Feb. 28, Griesmer said.
The Marines have set a goal of 38,195 contracts for fiscal 2005, which ends Sept. 30, Griesmer said.
Marine recruiters are also continuing to meet their “accessions,” or “shipping” goal, which is the number of recruits who are actually sent to basic training each month, Griesmer said.
Griesmer said that the Corps recruiters consider their shipping achievements to be “the important, most accurate indicator of the recruiting effort.”
estripes.com
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You're so hot and bothered by war, why don't your take yourself, your children, your parents, your neighbors, your colleagues, your buddies and go fight for Dictator Bush?
If YellowBellied Bullying Republican ChickenHawks would enlist en masse, there would be ZERO recruitment difficulty and the Army and Marines would have to beat back recruits at their doors.
Why isn't that happening? Why does the military have to spend $14 million advertising at NASCAR events? Why?
Why does the military have to use tactics like foiling drug tests and faking diplomas in order to meet their numbers? Why?
Why does the military have to send recruiters to Wal-Mart parking lots and use violent videogames to get recruits? Why?
Why aren't Republicans Yellow Bellied Cowardly Thugs signing up every single day? Why?
You guys talk a big game and then you fail, fail, fail to follow through competently.
Pathetic.
This entire war is pathetic. It makes the US of A, going after a third world country devastated by decades of oppression, war and sanctions that is less than 1/10th our size look ridiculous and, most dangerously, WEAK. How is it helping that the US of A is putzing around like this in public for 3 years?
How?
All of our weaknesses, the lying, the divisiveness, the lack of interest, the money scams, the incompetence, the fabrication and magical thinking...all of it laid out for the world to see.
This is really, really dangerous for us and all you guys can see is the Xmas is under siege.
Pathetic. |
