New Army Recruiting Tactic: Obama will "Get Us Out of Iraq"

by: Brandon Friedman

Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 02:49:04 AM EST


Well that didn't take long.  Polls across America had been closed for less than 24 hours and Army Career Counselors were already exploiting Barack Obama's victory in an effort to recruit former soldiers back into units.  This email was forwarded to me by an Iraq veteran and former Army captain who received it on Wednesday:

The relevant text says:

24 Month Mobilization Deferment.  A President Elect who says he'll get us out of Iraq.  What are you waiting for?  Stop taking your chance's [sic] in the IRR and be safe from deployment for 2 years.  By that time our new President will have gotten us out of these other countries.

For those who are unfamiliar, this means that if you're a former soldier who's still subject to being recalled to active duty (IRR), you can join a Reserve or National Guard unit on a contract that guarantees you won't go anywhere for at least two years.  That's all well and good.  But in this email, the career counselor seriously raises some eyebrows in suggesting that by the end of the two years, Obama "will have gotten us out of these other countries."  

So has this career counselor simply gone "rogue" on us?  Or is this going to be the new method by which the Army attracts soldiers into--and back into--the ranks?  Leaving aside for a moment the fact that the recruiter is making a promise he knows he can't keep, I'll be honest: I'd be lying if I said the prospect of an Obama administration hadn't made me consider the possibility of rejoining.  So, in essence, this career counselor has probably just taken a logical, reasonable step.

But larger questions become immediately apparent: Was this career counselor told to use this tactic by his chain of command or not?  Is this going to be a shift in recruiting Army-wide?  Is the Army going to use President Obama as a recruiting tool?  If so, this would symbolize a stunning--if not totally rational--renunciation of the Bush administration and its handling of the military.  If this becomes an Army policy, it represents a true "ding-dong the witch is dead" moment for the service.  

We'll be watching this closely to see if other, higher-ranking officers make similar statements.  Because it's a fact that many of them have been eagerly awaiting this moment to begin the rebuilding process.
Brandon Friedman :: New Army Recruiting Tactic: Obama will "Get Us Out of Iraq"
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New Army Recruiting Tactic: Obama will "Get Us Out of Iraq" | 12 comments
WOW. (0.00 / 0)
Given another article I read today about reaction by troops in Afghanistan, I wonder how this would square with them...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

I'll be interested to hear what my husband is hearing...

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America. -Barack Obama

Some real issues in the Huff stuff... (4.00 / 1)
I would have to start with the way that the absentee ballots are handled, especially with a guarantee that they are counted. Seems to me that a form of secure on-line voting is needed. Apply for a ballot on-line with a mailed return of an individual access number to your ballot. A two part ballot makes sense to me: 1. Pres., Senate, House and 2. State and local.

Secondly, looking at the 'isolation' of that container room has to be totally influential in the thought process of the troops. It would be interesting to see the 'difference' in opinions of those at COBs and those at these outposts.

The 'conservative' talkers on air that the Pentagon propagandists  have used will come back to bite them in my estimation. Much like the way the Military generally blamed Clinton for Bush I's BRAC. Let's remember that Shrub declared War and personally sent the "ME" generation to the Mall with a flag pin in HIS lapel while his oil/no-bidders raked in the profits. Or that we have had 8 years of the Shrubbers DoD/VA budgeting.

Too bad, that the media didn't cover the Grant Park celebration better. They cut out the singing of the National Anthem and are just getting around to reporting the prayer time that preceded Obama taking the stage. Did no one notice all the individual FLAGS at the rally compared to the McCain "Patton" on big flag doings?

I, also wonder how many have been getting the 'underground' swift boating of Obama that proclaims that he is an ARAB [Muslim] that Powell attempted to address.

Hopefully, Obama comes out with the SECDEF appointment very quickly. I'm not a big Gates fan, but getting him to agree to an agreement to a commitment as SECDEF in transition limited to 6mos might be a good idea.

There's been too much flack yak about religion and minutia that the media has grown to love. The whole "Mean Jean" v Murtha mentality comes to mind as well as the Stars and Stripes reporting the spin giving Bush-McCain credit for the Webb GI Bill or the whole Obama voted against funding the Troops bag of road apples.  

Change R Hard.

One thing that they did get right was the Karzai thing. Second thing that they got right is that the media has totally over played the race thing.


[ Parent ]
It is great (0.00 / 0)
First, thats a top notch career counselor. They have a difficult job and this guy is using every legit tool at their disposal.

If I was the rater, the NCOER would be stunning.

Brandon, as you said the rebuilding as begun!!

Others make statements? (0.00 / 0)
It will depend where you are at on the feeding chain.

As I wrote earlier, if I was involved in this soldiers rating scheme, they would have a perfect evaluation.

Bluntly, I think statements will come depending on when your OER is due. It will also depend if you are USAR, ARNG or AC. ARNG will in particular depend on if you are a blue or red state.

ARNG career counselors and related strength management officrs, in states that went Obama with current Dem governors, could easily flip now. Thats simply the inherent political nature of the Guard.

So today, we have a single career counselor who is doing his/her job and doing it well.

What does the senior career counselor, retention officer and strength management officer think?

My guess is that if this soldier starts hitting his/her numbers, everyone will be happy!!

Yes, I think there will be an uptick in the numbers to get over the hump.

BTW, we must start pushing that Obama sign an executive order halting all IRR mobs effective January 20, 2009 at noon.

The currently economy with a projection of growing job losses (4.00 / 2)
could become a factor in the drive to replenish the forces with experienced NCOs and mid-level officers.
[ Parent ]
Time Table Iraq: (0.00 / 0)
Will Obama Have to Adjust His Timetable on Iraq?

Senior U.S. military officials will likely advise Barack Obama to adjust his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by mid-2010. While promising a 16-month timetable for getting all U.S. fighting forces out, Obama repeatedly insisted on what he calls a "responsible" withdrawal. Pulling nearly all U.S. troops and equipment out of Iraq in 16 months is "physically impossible," says a top officer involved in briefing the President-elect on U.S. operations in Iraq.

It really will be interesting to see Who he brings into Defense and not only the Secretary!!!

'Hearts and Minds, "The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live there." -- President Lyndon Johnson

He is lying.. (0.00 / 0)

The recruiter is lying. Plan and simple. I was in recruiter school (never finished due to 9/11) and the first thing they tell you is to never lie.

By that time our new President will have gotten us out of these other countries.

Obama has only said he would get us out of one country and in fact he has said that he will put more troops in Afghanistan. So this guy is a liar.

They also said (0.00 / 0)
that the IRR would only be called up for WWIII.

If you were to ask any 1999 recruiter, "Sergeant, when I finish three years on active duty and have this I-R-R obligation, am I ever going to really put on my uniform again?"

They would so, "After your three years you should start a new life and never look back. If they call you up, the world is at an end."

[ Parent ]
Words matter. (0.00 / 0)

They shoulda said "The IRR probably would onlyget called up in the case of WWIII or something massive we havent seen yet."

[ Parent ]
no country for old men (0.00 / 0)
that's pretty damn lame- who wrote that Randy Scheunnemann? Bill Kristol? Are they for real? Soldiers go where they are deployed. Why not just say "Join the Army, now with 42 percent greater chance of not losing an arm and a leg or severe head trauma?"

Well, (4.00 / 1)
if you have to resort to a back-door draft, then it pretty much says you are not fighting wars properly. Hopefully this spells the death of all forms of back-door draft.  
Not a new trick (0.00 / 0)
Brandon,

I've been dealing with this issue since May 2008. My story is pretty interesting. I reenlisted into the Guard, fearful of being recalled. I'd already dealt with stop loss, and after seeing my own team leader, who got out years previous, was now replacing my unit at BIAP, I started to reconsider. Ultimately, being a clean record E5 in a critical MOS didn't seem to have a good chance of being home too long.

I took the bait. 24 months of stability, MSO reduced in half. Then, the trickery!  :)

http://fenominal.blogspot.com/...

http://fenominal.blogspot.com/...

http://13stoploss.blogspot.com...

http://13stoploss.blogspot.com...

http://13stoploss.blogspot.com...

New Army Recruiting Tactic: Obama will "Get Us Out of Iraq" | 12 comments
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