What should we do to encourage the next generation to serve?

MANDATORY MILITARY SERVICE AND SALVAGE THE NEXT GENERATION TO SAVE AMERICA!!!

To inspire selective service you must appeal to the aspects of the job applications to civilian life and experience of travel and seeing the world.

I feel there are a few things that could and should change that would allow us to grow as a force and have the greatest people.

1. Now that we have the future soldier prep course and it has shown great success we need to eliminate the AFQT. Basically it will still be on everyone’s test but 50 and higher still makes you eligible for a bonus where as anything else lower can be evaluated. Said applicant can either go to the prep course or if they have a qualifying score and can get a job then they get it.

2. When it comes to medical conditions obviously some are worse than others and some should stay disqualifying I.E asthma. Most of the other treatable things people are on medication for half the force is on them as well, and can continue to serve. So we can’t they continue their medication and during BCT and AIT have a morning med call to ensure they are all getting taken care of? Also, certain meds before the age of 18. That’s huge since COVID so many people have got on medications and now can’t serve because of it. But being younger than 18 you fall underneath your parents so if the DR proscribes it you’re getting it from the pharmacy because you have no choice.

3. When we were involved in an active war you seen and heard things about it all the time, but now that we aren’t there isn’t any media letting the public know we aren’t at war.

These few changes I believe would make a huge difference, because I personally know some individuals that would be great soldiers but they can’t pass the test, they just aren’t good with tests. We have to realize and understand that this new generation isn’t learning what we did in school. Example everyone has a laptop for school, we had computer labs.

Give those people in society that need a second chance a chance to serve their country, let all people be included in service to this country . Start with military exposure at an early age to let people know that this could be a choice/option. Change how you deal with soldiers and let the upcoming generation see it

Yes, initial enlistment is down, but overall retention is down as well. Good people keep getting out (myself included). For overall retention, hold S1 accountable. I have held multiple jobs over my lifetime and never had so many pay issues in one organization. It truly is mind boggling how unorganized every S1 is in the Army. When you aren’t paid properly, you don’t have an incentive to do your work well. Also, the overwhelming extra duties for no extra pay—again, no incentive to do the work properly. That’s why every assumed extra duty is almost always done poorly. Also, how about increasing the pay overall? Yes, the health insurance is free, but it is so hard to make an appointment. I have dealt with this as a Soldier and now, as a spouse. I have less problems with the VA, and that is saying something.

We don’t want to lower the standards for people to initially enlist, we want the benefits in the organization to increase. If the benefits increase you can hire a higher caliber of Soldier.

We need leadership to eradicate the social justice politics and critical race theory movement in our ranks. The current Z generation unfortunately is immersed in these values, or lack thereof, through TikTok and other media outlets.
Recruiters need tools to work around these mindsets and show patriotism and love of country is a higher calling. That said, it is imperative the force structure stays away from wokeness in the workplace.

Get back to honor, respect for authority & each other, & devotion to duty!

I shared with my daughter my experiences and also the help I now get from the VA and because of that she herself enlisted. She is now in basic training for the Army, following in my footsteps.

I know the military is not anyone's mamas and papas, that is, IF some persons even have the mamas or the papas. Nonetheless, we seriously need more educated peoples, and the US military can additionally help creating an alternative to college and university by offering career path for the enlisted service members. Work with local city colleges where we have military bases and make it mandatory for enlisted service peoples to learn trades of their own choosing in short-term classes for Certificate of Completion in their down times. Certainly, controlling their liberty times going to bars and go-go places to be future alcoholics or creating a criminal record with arrests and be dishonorable discharged. Also make mandatory for enlisted to get automatically sign up for GI Bill for their higher educations, if the GI Bill is not being use later, then reimburse their portion taken out for the GI Bill.

Treat the past generations who have already served better. ICARE cant just be a slogan, it has to be an action statement!