Watch McCain Not Support the Troops

by: Brandon Friedman

Mon May 12, 2008 at 19:43:29 PM EDT


In this video from last week, a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves asks John McCain why he won't support the new Webb-Hagel GI Bill.  Watch as McCain dances around the issue, continuing to imply that those who haven't served six years on active duty--regardless of their number of deployments--still haven't done enough to have earned the full GI Bill.

McCain supports the war, but not the troops.  He has it backwards.

Brandon Friedman :: Watch McCain Not Support the Troops
Tags: , , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
Ridiculous (0.00 / 0)
This guy is an asshat.  Why is my one deployment, service of 4 years not good enough?  What about the people that did 2 deployments in 4 years?  This makes me so mad!  I'm glad I am chopped liver.  What about those who barely serve at all and get DUI's?  Oh wait, that's our president.  Whatever.  

Was he really a stand-up type as a POW? (0.00 / 0)
He talks through his ass so well, I'm starting to wonder.

[ Parent ]
No substance in retention claims (0.00 / 0)
I posed this question to Sen. McCain last Thursday.  As of that time, the Congressional Budget Office had not released their estimate of S.22's effects on retention.(The CBO report concluded decreases in retention would be offset by increases in recruiting)

Even before the CBO report there was historical evidence that increases in educational benefits do not harm retention.  From 2000 to 2005 the GI Bill was increased by 59%, yet the Army, Air Force and Marines all met or exceeded retention goals.  

If Sen. McCain, the Pentagon or the DoD were REALLY concerned about retention, they would increase the ranks to slow the optempo.  Who wants to re-enlist after spending more than half of a four-year enlistment away from your family???  What better opportunity to increase the ranks than to offer a complete college education.  Not only would Sen. Webb's bill assist in the military's increased end-strength goals, it would fill those ranks with high-quality recruits.  Only 79% of new Army recruits have a diploma and 15% have a criminal waiver.  The recruiters should be all over this:  No more GED waivers! No more criminal waivers!


I'd say that 80% (0.00 / 0)
of the young people I talk to about enlisting cite college money as their #1 reason to go in.  If the money was adequate, that percentage would probably rise.  Plus, many military members start their college education while they're still in.  

If the service was where these people wanted to be, they'd stay in regardless.  Sounds to me as if they wanted to leave anyway.

The GEDs and waivers are acts of desperation.  If the service was what all those billions of dollars of advertising and recruiters sales talk made it out to be, retention would take care of itself.  It's not, for most, ergo the service loses them.  The DoD contractors that think up that hype should get a clue.


[ Parent ]
VetVoice on Facebook
VetVoice Recommends

"The War I Always Wanted,"
By Brandon Friedman

"The welcome mat for memoirs by veterans of operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom might never wear out so long as they write with the savvy of Brandon Friedman . . . Friedman's take is vivid, frank, precise and dramatic." --Military Times

"Add Brandon Friedman's The War I Always Wanted to the ranks of outstanding non-fiction produced by officers from elite combat units in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Always truthful, often excruciatingly so, The War I Always Wanted rises at numerous points to the level of literature." --Steven Pressfield, author of Gates of Fire

Buy The War I Always Wanted here.

"A Time To Lead,"
By General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark

"A Time To Lead confirms the rewarding benefits of military service at a time when such service is experiencing considerable strain. It also includes a comprehensive description of America's current national imperatives, which deserve serious consideration." --General Alexander M. Haig, Jr., former Secretary of State

"This is a primer on leadership forged in battle and by decades of experience. . .This isn't just a book; it's a manual for leading people and living a good life." --Barry McCaffrey, General, USA (ret.)

Buy A Time to Lead here.

"Love My Rifle More Than You,"
By Kayla Williams

"Whip smart, sassy, with a mouth as foul as a sailor's, 28-year-old Sergeant Kayla Williams. . .tells what it's like to be a female soldier in Iraq." --Booklist

". . .echoes military memoirists from Julius Caesar to Ernie Pyle." --Publishers Weekly

". . .a shocking, on-the-ground view of one military woman's experience in Iraq." --Bookmarks Magazine

Buy Love My Rifle More Than You here.

"How to Break a Terrorist,"
By Matthew Alexander

"...a riveting, fast-paced account that reads like a first-rate thriller." --Publisher's Weekly

" ...an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at the secret intelligence war within a war." --Military.com

Buy How to Break a Terrorist here.

RSS Feed Links

Subscribe to VetVoice in a feed reader!

Subscribe to VetVoice by Email!

Diaries and comments at VetVoice do not necessarily represent the views of VoteVets.org. VetVoice will strive to remove any illegal material as soon as it is flagged. Similarly, VetVoice will use its discretion in determining whether to remove exceedingly offensive material. However, between posting and removal, any offensive or illegal material does not reflect the condoning or endorsing of said material by VoteVets.org or VetVoice.
Similarly, the views expressed on this website are those of the authors alone. Opinions on this website do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or any of its components.
Menu

Front Page Writers
PTSD Resources
TBI Resources
IRR Information
Casualty Reports
VA Information
Support the Troops
Veteran Candidates We Support
Congressional Committees
Contact Your Elected Leaders
Sites We Like
Search

Advanced Search

Paid for VoteVets Political Action Committee. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. VoteVets Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization which primarily focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on behalf veterans and their families. VoteVets Political Action Committee is a federal political committee which primarily helps elect Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran candidates and educates about veterans and military issues aimed at influencing the outcome of the next election.

Site Design: Articulated Man

VoteVets Political Action and Vote Vets Action Fund are separate organizations.

Powered by: SoapBlox