National Guard recruitment is down

Well what do you expect? But, you know what? The news accounts make it out to be because of the year-long deployments or extensions of military time before they get to rotate home. That plays a role, but the local radio news was making a big deal out of it being because the soldiers don't want to go to Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm calling bullshit on this. There may be some like that, but most soldiers I know WANT to be in the action and WANT to help their brothers at arms. I know Army of Dad would be packing his ruck right now if he could go and help the others. Every time a soldier dies, it injures him a little and makes him want to go even more. I look at him funny every time he says that. Finally, the other day he said "Maybe if I were there and doing the job right, those soldiers would be alive today." Ok, that makes sense to me.

But, the MAIN reason most former soldiers don't join the National Guard is for one major reason - the money. If Army of Dad was in the National Guard right now, he'd likely be called up and deployed for a year - stateside or abroad. Regardless, he would take a paycut so large that I'd either have to go back to work full-time and put the kids in daycare or we'd have to sell the house and move in with my parents while he was gone. He makes at least four times what he made when he left the Army. It may be more than that, actually. We could not survive on what his National Guard pay would be and THAT is the ONLY reason I think AoD hasn't joined the guard. I actually encouraged him to do it when he left the Army. I figured it would be good extra income and I never thought we'd go to war. I think most of the men and women in the National Guard thought the same thing. That is why they're bitching so much. THIS isn't what we expected! Well, AoD had the forethought to think of it. This story does a good job of telling it like it is, but because it is focused on recruiting young soldiers, it doesn't touch on the pay issue. I wish someone in the media would. That is a great disparity. Our men and women serve this country and I know many military families on food stamps because they get paid so little that they can't pay their bills. THAT to me is the greatest tragedy here. I'd pay more taxes for THAT!