Are Dispirited Troops Trying To Get Out Of The Military?
Hmm...
Well, that certainly doesn't sound very encouraging, but lets take a closer look at the article.
So, in 2004, there have been 110 filings for conscientous objector status. Given that our military has (as of September of 2005) 1,389,394 active duty military personnel and and 875,074 in the reserves/National Guard (as of February 2004) those 110 filings make up 0.0000485% of our total military force. So unless those filings went up dramatically in 2005 (and I would think that we would have heard if they had) then it is really hard to see them as much of a problem.
The article continues.
Twelve lawsuits. Out of over 2.3 million soldiers. Color me underwhelmed.
More from the article:
The number of troops who deserted in 2005 was 2,500. That's 0.001% of our total military forces, and half of the number of deserters we had before the war in Iraq began!
In the opening paragraphs of this article we were lead to believe that our military was having trouble keeping soldiers enlisted, yet when we read the supporting facts we find that the number of soldiers lost through conscientous objector status, stop loss lawsuits and desertion is actually less now then it was before the war.
And yet the tone of the article was that these numbers are a negative thing.
Media bias? What media bias?
(via Q and O)
iraq war, military, stop loss, desertion, conscientous objector, enlistment, media bias
More soldiers try to exit service as war continues
Kevin Benderman spends his days sitting in a plastic chair in the stockade at Fort Lewis, Wash., completing a 15-month sentence for "missing movement" with his unit. Jeremy Hinzman is raising his baby boy in Toronto, awaiting a court date when he hopes the Canadian government will grant him political asylum. Aidan Delgado is back in school, studying religion at the New College of Florida and practicing Buddhism.
All three are among a small but growing number of soldiers who have become disillusioned with the war in Iraq and are trying to get out of their required service.
Increasing numbers of men and women in uniform are seeking honorable discharges as conscientious objectors. Others are suing the military, claiming their obligation has been wrongfully extended. Many have simply deserted, refusing to appear for duty.
Well, that certainly doesn't sound very encouraging, but lets take a closer look at the article.
Requests for conscientious objector status, which can qualify someone for an honorable discharge, have steadily increased since 2000 --- about 110 soldiers filed the complex paperwork in 2004, about four times the number in 2000. Of those, about half were approved. Those who were rejected either went back to the war or refused to serve. Some are now on the lam. Others have been court-martialed and done time.
So, in 2004, there have been 110 filings for conscientous objector status. Given that our military has (as of September of 2005) 1,389,394 active duty military personnel and and 875,074 in the reserves/National Guard (as of February 2004) those 110 filings make up 0.0000485% of our total military force. So unless those filings went up dramatically in 2005 (and I would think that we would have heard if they had) then it is really hard to see them as much of a problem.
The article continues.
About a dozen reservists have filed stop-loss lawsuits, arguing that it is illegal to make them stay in the military once their required term of service is complete. The Bush administration has argued with success so far that under federal law, the Pentagon can involuntarily extend the deployment of any reserve officer who's on active duty, if the president believes it's essential to security.
Twelve lawsuits. Out of over 2.3 million soldiers. Color me underwhelmed.
More from the article:
Simple desertion has been decreasing in the military in recent years --- about 2,500 troops last year simply didn't show up for work, down from almost 5,000 in 2001, according to the Pentagon public affairs office. Some of these men and women are in hiding in Canada, where about 20 have applied for refugee status.
The number of troops who deserted in 2005 was 2,500. That's 0.001% of our total military forces, and half of the number of deserters we had before the war in Iraq began!
In the opening paragraphs of this article we were lead to believe that our military was having trouble keeping soldiers enlisted, yet when we read the supporting facts we find that the number of soldiers lost through conscientous objector status, stop loss lawsuits and desertion is actually less now then it was before the war.
And yet the tone of the article was that these numbers are a negative thing.
Media bias? What media bias?
(via Q and O)
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