posted on May 7, 2007 03:26:56 PM new
for First Time Since 1999, Media Mum
by Noel Sheppard on May 6, 2007 - 16:26.
How often in the past couple of years as the antiwar voices in the media have gotten louder and more visible have you seen a report about the supposedly poor condition of the American military and troubles with recruitment?
So often that it's nauseating, right?
Well, with virtually no fanfare from a press with a clear agenda, the Army National Guard reported in April that it had achieved a goal it had not been able to attain since 1999.
As reported by the National Guard Bureau (h/t Glenn Reynolds, emphasis added throughout): “The Army National Guard reached its congressionally authorized end strength of 350,000 Citizen-Soldiers on March 30, six months earlier than originally projected, Army Guard officials have reported.”
That’s good news, right? Yet, Google news and LexisNexis searches identified virtually no coverage of this announcement apart from military publications.
Regardless, the article continued:
"The strength of the Guard has been the amazing levels of retention among members of deployed units, surpassing all expectations," said Lt. Col. Diana Craun, the Army Guard’s deputy chief for strength maintenance.
"Retention is highest among units that have returned from deployments, and retention is an essential element in end strength," she added.
It is the first time that the Army Guard has been at full strength since 1999, Craun said. Officials had projected that the Army Guard would reach 350,000 troops by Sept. 30, the end of this fiscal year.
Read this next paragraph for a perfect indication of just how wrong the media are about morale in the military:
The achievement follows one of the Army Guard’s most successful recruiting and retention years in its history. The force experienced a net growth of 13,111 Soldiers during fiscal year 2006, Guard officials said, and it surpassed its retention goal of 34,875 by reenlisting 41,083 Soldiers. That was said to be unprecedented for the all-volunteer force since the end of the military draft 34 years ago. The Army Guard’s end strength was 346,288 when the last fiscal year ended Sept. 30.
Any questions about why the media ignored this fabulous announcement?
It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.George S. Patton
posted on May 7, 2007 04:55:59 PM newIt is the first time that the Army Guard has been at full strength since 1999
Just like most things in the Bush administration, it took six years to achieve its goals. Makes you wonder if the ANG was using the "stay the course" philosophy.
Like most of the Republican goals if you set them low enough or long enough you will eventually achieve them.
Absolute faith has been shown, consistently, to breed intolerance. And intolerance, history teaches us, again and again, begets violence.
---------------------------------- The duty of a patriot in this time and place is to ask questions, to demand answers, to understand where our nation is headed and why. If the answers you get do not suit you, or if they frighten you, or if they anger you, it is your duty as a patriot to dissent. Freedom does not begin with blind acceptance and with a flag. Freedom begins when you say 'No.'
