Teach Your Children Well
Those damned parents, aren't they supposed to be looking out for their children's welfare:
The National Guard won't meet its recruiting targets for the remainder of
the budget year, the service's top officer said Tuesday.''It's physically possible,'' Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum
told reporters. ''Is it likely? No, it's not likely we are going to close that
gap.''
Blum's comments came a day after the Pentagon announced that the National
Guard had failed to meet its recruiting goal for June, the ninth straight month.
The service attempted to recruit 5,032 soldiers but could only sign 4,337.For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, the National Guard has a
goal of recruiting 63,002 soldiers but will end up about 18,000 short, if
current recruiting rates continue.
Blum blamed the slump on the parents of potential recruits who
are advising their children not to sign up for fear of being dispatched to Iraq and Afghanistan. He added that the media has exaggerated the
threat to soldiers in Iraq, exacerbating the recruiting problems.''It is dangerous, but it is - I shouldn't say it to this group but I'm going to - it is misrepresented, how dangerous it really is,'' he said.
Of about 250,000 National Guardsmen called to active duty since the Sept.
11, 2001, terrorist strikes, 262 have been killed, a ''remarkably low'' casualty
rate for the National Guard, he said.
