Posted on Jan 16, 2018
Why don't more people serve? The US is launching a commission to find out
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Not a new issue... but, this also all depends on what is going on the world and with regards to economy.... I suspect they could ask just Service members/veterans what would help recruiting. I would say better pay and benefits would be on the list.
Why don't more people serve? The US is launching a commission to find out
Posted from militarytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
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Posted 7 y ago
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I think it starts at home with the parents and those generations that felt a need to serve their country - just my two cents COL Charles Williams It did for me anyway! How about you Charles?
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There was a pretty good study released recently (would take me a minute to find it) about how few families are actually represented in the 1% who serve. The same families cough up servicemembers-- multiple siblings and multiple generations serving-- so that 1% is not evenly distributed amongst our society.
In my case, both grandfathers and a great uncle were career military-- One Army, One Air Force and one Navy. My father was a draft dodger (his brother didn't have to 'dodge' due to being a first-born male). I am career military, 2 of my sisters were Army (although not career), and my brother is Army National Guard. I joke that service skips a generation in my family.
In my case, both grandfathers and a great uncle were career military-- One Army, One Air Force and one Navy. My father was a draft dodger (his brother didn't have to 'dodge' due to being a first-born male). I am career military, 2 of my sisters were Army (although not career), and my brother is Army National Guard. I joke that service skips a generation in my family.
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Hopping onto my anti-entitlement society soapbox for a second-- I don't necessarily think the military needs to offer better pay and benefits. I think society needs to offer LESS 'pay and benefits' for able-bodied societal freeloaders.
I'd wager most of us know at least a few servicemembers who joined in order to get their foot on the ladder to climbing out of a 'going nowhere' existence. One of the best Sergeants I had in the Marines was a guy who joined because he was homeless and living under a bridge so saw the military as a way out. I'm sure we all know several people who joined in order to funding for their college education. I knew a couple Mexicans that joined to streamline a path to citizenship. All perfectly legitimate reasons for joining, and so long as their service is honorable-- who are any of us to judge WHY someone signed that blank check?
We as a society are far too generous with offering benefits- everything from handing out cash, to free food, to Medicaid, to subsidized housing, to college loans (especially with current proposals to 'forgive' college debt)- so the younger generation doesn't see the extended benefits that military service offers as substantially better than what they can get for free. The latest numbers I saw on the 'entitlement society' were that a person would have to break $42K/yr AFTER TAXES in order to have the same quality of life for his/her family that the government was willing to give them for FREE for not working at all.
Just to be clear-- I am not suggesting that we should let the children, sick, and disabled die of starvation on the streets. We are a generous nation who is not willing to sacrifice our weak to circumstances beyond their control, but $42K/yr for young, healthy people??!? That is a little (okay a lot) ridiculous.
If we could dry up the teat for able-bodied, military age people while maintaining incentives of service where they are, I think a lot of people would see a need to improve their circumstances and military service as the opportunity to do it that it was seen as a generation ago. Worst case scenario, even if it didn't improve recruiting it would help to slow down the rate of increase of the national debt.
I'd wager most of us know at least a few servicemembers who joined in order to get their foot on the ladder to climbing out of a 'going nowhere' existence. One of the best Sergeants I had in the Marines was a guy who joined because he was homeless and living under a bridge so saw the military as a way out. I'm sure we all know several people who joined in order to funding for their college education. I knew a couple Mexicans that joined to streamline a path to citizenship. All perfectly legitimate reasons for joining, and so long as their service is honorable-- who are any of us to judge WHY someone signed that blank check?
We as a society are far too generous with offering benefits- everything from handing out cash, to free food, to Medicaid, to subsidized housing, to college loans (especially with current proposals to 'forgive' college debt)- so the younger generation doesn't see the extended benefits that military service offers as substantially better than what they can get for free. The latest numbers I saw on the 'entitlement society' were that a person would have to break $42K/yr AFTER TAXES in order to have the same quality of life for his/her family that the government was willing to give them for FREE for not working at all.
Just to be clear-- I am not suggesting that we should let the children, sick, and disabled die of starvation on the streets. We are a generous nation who is not willing to sacrifice our weak to circumstances beyond their control, but $42K/yr for young, healthy people??!? That is a little (okay a lot) ridiculous.
If we could dry up the teat for able-bodied, military age people while maintaining incentives of service where they are, I think a lot of people would see a need to improve their circumstances and military service as the opportunity to do it that it was seen as a generation ago. Worst case scenario, even if it didn't improve recruiting it would help to slow down the rate of increase of the national debt.
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