Sorry folks-
All against this one. This recruit population has a stated and demonstrated problem with authority. Why can't that be recognized??? The standards are too low as it is, not mentioning the current state of accellerated, and automatic, promotion. Promo is utilized as a retention tool, not as a grooming of future leadership for the betterment of the service. Where before we could usually count on these bozos being bounced...no longer. They get multiple tries at Basic, even ALLOWABLE AWOL with re-insertion and no prosecution. Numbers drive the train. Numbers ONLY. Most AIT programs are not only "will not fail"s, but are "CANNOT FAIL"s, with the reasoning that "your NCO's will teach you that when you get there and we can't show a negative number on the training vs graduation slide in TRADOC. Not in a time of war. Trouble begets trouble...and it moves it's sorry performing ass right on up the NCO support channel.
I am currently living this nightmare and it sickens me to see what "my Army" has "evolved into" over the past 23 years. Though I am sure that there were Vietnam Veteran CSM's who said the same thing when I was a PV1 and they were at their 20+ time frame-sadly, I now feel their pain.
Already we are inundated with a culture of kids who joined up to get their college bankroll and who know that they are getting out as soon as they get back from deployment. As a result, they stay on sick call, in trouble, on the FOB (because they did not care to participate in ANYTHING outside the gate) and could care less if they are on the 1SG's hit list, because it means nothing. He is generally as big a turd as they are and HE made it.
These recruits aren't going into the MOS's to fight and die for their country either-they are primarily (from my experience) flooding the support functions and rolls where they can skim off the system for various freebies, stay locked as far away from harm as is possible in this arena, and stay clean, dry, fed, around the proverbial (and ever present) "tail", and yet STILL find crap to complain about because they aren't being treated right by "the man". Big Army OWES ME for signing up. Sure he does-here is your E-4 in 18 months and promotion to E-5 in 30. Please stay in the Army-we are short
I would rather have 10 quality dudes than 100 low end duds.
Lower the standards....yet one more idiotic idea from people who obviously won't have to deal with these clowns.
Five more years.....just 5 more years. Lord please grant me the strength.
Eagle