For Guard recruiters, a tough sell

<snip>
Two years removed from that encounter, though, O'Ferrell is having a tough time. In December, he experienced a first as a Guard recruiter: O'Ferrell, 42, "rolled a donut," military lingo for going an entire month without signing a recruit.

Last year, Army Guard recruiters fell nearly 7,000 short of their goal of 56,000 soldiers. This year, the Guard's recruiting goal is an even more ambitious 63,000 soldiers, in part to make up for the 2004 shortfall. But through January, four months into the recruiting year that began in October, the Guard had recruited just 12,821 new soldiers, almost 24% below its target for that period.

By contrast, the Navy and Air Force are having no trouble recruiting. Those branches play only a small role in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-03-07-recruits-cover_x.htm

They're the ones that get the shaft regarding equipment, protection, respect, etc. Their only upside was the '2 weekends a month' thing, but now that that's gone, there's no benefit to joining the reserves over the regular military.

College Republicans!

Ask for a list at your local GOP headquarters.

http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/225933-9027-009.html


NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Investigators say he picked out teens and young women with backgrounds that made them vulnerable to authority. As a military recruiter, he had access to personal information, making the quest easier.

(oh like the provisions in the NCLB Act, that gives recruiters access to personal information on high schoolers??)

Indiana National Guard Sgt. Eric P. Vetesy, 36, Westfield, was jailed Monday, accused of sexually assaulting six female recruits -- most of them Noblesville High School students -- he met during his 18 months as a full-time recruiter. Hamilton County investigators said Monday he is accused of raping at least one recruit.

Nationwide, military recruiters reportedly have been linked to at least a half-dozen sexual assaults during the past few years, since the creation of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. This broad education law requires, among other things, that high schools give military recruiters greater access to students.

"These were very young women who were being recruited out of high school classes," said Hamilton County Prosecutor Sonia Leerkamp. "Most of these activities took place either before they signed up as an actual recruit for the National Guard, or just after their recruitment."

Leerkamp said investigators suspect there may be more victims.


--((Weird thing about this is it has only appeared ONCE at each media outlet around here. Then NO follow up at all. it is 'old' news now so I can't give it its' own thread. ANd I missed it the day it came out. Another weird thing about this is if you do a google news search on this you ONLY get the ONE article from the Indianapolis Star. No one else covered it and all the tv station links to it are scrubbed !! As far as I can tell.)

Seems like he was cruising Westfield High School, too.

I had an Army recruiter chasing me almost 30 years ago that I swear probably would have bedded me if she thought it would get me to sign. Hey, I'm no prize, but that WAS 30 years and 90 pounds ago....:-)

thanks. There should be outrage over this.

didn't you see the Support Our Troops Stickers on the back of their SUVs?

What is this? Class Warfare ???? You may owe some one a appology .

Good Grief !! !!!

cuz if they were the ranks of the Army and the Marines would be swelling with their brownshirted youth...

Like their hero Dick Cheney.

Stand outside congress and try to get Congressional members to enlist their kids.