Recruits receive $20,000 if they agree to leave within days

[directfiesta]

"Money talks, honor walks " ....

Updated: 10:53 p.m. ET Aug. 26, 2007

More than 90 percent of the Army's new recruits since late July have accepted a $20,000 "quick ship" bonus to leave for basic combat training by the end of September, putting thousands of Americans into uniform almost immediately.

Many recruits who take the bonus -- scoring in many cases the equivalent of more than a year's pay -- leave their homes within days, recruiters said. The initiative is part of an effort by Army officials to meet year-end recruiting goals after a two-month slump earlier this year. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Army hopes the extra cash motivates those interested in joining or entices those just considering enlisting.

The program began on July 25, and in three weeks the Army had enlisted 3,814 recruits using the bonus, according to the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky. Those recruits accounted for 92 percent of the 4,149 recruits who signed contracts between July 25 and Aug. 13.

...

"The Army is intent on trying to meet its recruitment goals in terms of numbers by the end of the fiscal year, so they're doing just about anything they can to bring those numbers up," said Cindy Williams, an analyst at the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "To me it signals something that we've been seeing already from the Army, a trade-off in terms of quality and quantity. My sense is that right now, they're willing to take anybody who is willing to walk in the door and ship by Sept. 30."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20453080/

[EdgeXXX]

They are giving recruits a bonus if they agree to start basic training before the end of Sept.


So...?

[Porn Farmer]

Cannon fodder.

[directfiesta]

Originally Posted by EdgeXXX

They are giving recruits a bonus if they agree to start basic training before the end of Sept.


So...?

Oh, it is standard procedure ... sorry for annoying you ....


BTW, read the 2 page article ... you would be more informed afterwards....

[tony286]

and they are dumbing down the qualifications,its fucking scary.

[DaddyHalbucks]

Money talks, haters walk.

[EdgeXXX]

Originally Posted by directfiesta

Oh, it is standard procedure ...

Yes, enlistment bonuses are pretty standard in all branches of the military.

Originally Posted by directfiesta

BTW, read the 2 page article ... you would be more informed afterwards....

Ok, I just finished reading the entire article. I still don't see what the big deal is. What is it that I am supposedly missing here?

[Pornwolf]

Imagine seeing all the GFY noobs holding guns and trying to bring order to a foreign country.

Pretty scary eh?

Well, that's whats over there.

[baddog]

Originally Posted by tony404

and they are dumbing down the qualifications,its fucking scary.

Way to twist reality.

Reality is that when we went to an all volunteer Army it actually became pretty difficult to enlist. We had a much smarter Army than we did when there was a draft.

Even with the easier standards to qualify today, the Army is still smarter than if they were drafting kids out of high school.

[RayBonga]

Gotta get them ready for Iran or Korea or Canada or whatever they deicde to invade next.

Btw, $20k sounds a bit expensive I doubt most private companies would ever do it. And anyway I'm sure most kids would still do it for $10k.

[Martin3]

Enlistment bonus is nothing new. Normally it's just for the job, now they're doing it for people that will take an earlier leave date is all.

I looked at going into the air force back in '98, enlistment bonus was $15,000 to take a computer job back then. I've seen reenlistment bonuses as high as $50,000.

[who]

Invade Mexico! That'll be a hoot!

[who]

BTW this is an awesome way to kull the poor people.