Recruitment figures
Buried in yet another NYT story of Impending Doom we find this:
...as the demands grow for both active-duty and reserve troops, Pentagon officials are nervously watching the long-term effects on recruiting and retention for both.
So far, however, the Army numbers are holding. Through the end of August, the Army had recruited 67,354 new soldiers, exceeding its year-to-date goal by 307, according to the Army Recruiting Command. In the same period, the Army Reserve had signed up 25,212 people, surpassing its goal for that period by 1,257.
Wow. Not only is this good news, but my hat is off to those who are signing up under the current conditions. A lot of current military personnel signed up during peacetime, expecting a stint and maybe a free college education. It goes without saying that when the conditions changed, they accepted the unexpected challenges, went to the front lines, and did a great job. But to sign up knowing you have a good chance of spending months in the Mideastern desert under attack...I am impressed.