Veronica Hendrix Black Los Angeles

Veronica's View
by: Veronica Hendrix

There's a Draft in the Air

There's a tail wind a blowing. And it causing a bit of a draft.

The Army and Marine Corp. have missed their recruiting goals, once again, for the fourth consecutive month. While the Marine Corp. has missed their goals by only a small margin, the news about the Army missing its mark is a "major concern" of Pentagon officials because 40% of ground troops currently deployed in Iraq are from the Army and their National Guard or Reserves.

A recruiting shortfall of 27% in February; 31% in March; 42% in April, and 25% in May now dims any prospect of the Army hitting that magic fiscal year goal of 80,000 enlistees. With only four months remaining in the Army's fiscal year, they are barely at 50% of their recruitment goals. So you see, its getting a bit drafty up in here.

The two and half year bloody war in Iraq has depleted military resources to the tune of over 1,700 American lives so far. That's average of about two U.S. servicemen - and yes women - a day. And lets not forget about the over 13,000 troops who have been injured, some so seriously mangled they border on being casualties, clinging to some semblance of life.

The all volunteer armed forces are just not attracting volunteers. Even as we approach the summer months which traditionally yield a bumper crop of new recruits from recent high school graduates, things look bleak. Signing up these days is more like shipping lambs off to the slaughter than an invitation to "see the world." Parents who once saw the armed forces as a viable alternative for their graduating seniors to grow up and get an education are opting out, literally.

A provision of the "No Child Left Behind Act" requires school districts to provide military recruiters with student contact information so they can dangle the carrot of signing bonuses of as much as $10,000 and college scholarship packages of as much as $50,000. But that same act also requires that parents be told they can "opt out" simply by submitting a written request to keep their contact information private.

Needless to say, the "opt out" info just isn't being filtered down to parents, especially those in the inner cities. That doesn't surprise me, especially when recruiters have been found guilty of offering unauthorized benefits to students just to make their recruitment quotes. And many of those students are those who live in economically depressed communities whose only hope of going to college lies in them enlisting in the armed forces. It's just plain exploitation of a disadvantaged group.

While the troops in Iraq try to evade exit wounds, Americans are trying to evoke the President to delivery some kind of exit strategy. But he has refused to establish any sort of deadline or timetable for withdrawing of American troops under his administration. Essentially he can't, or maybe won't is a better choice of words because he's got a tougher decision to wrestle with - and that's the growing speculation that the government may be forced to reinstate the draft, discontinued 32 years ago.

They are trying like heck to avoid it. Heroic efforts such "stop-loss" programs which retain active duty soldiers after their enlistment period has ended, and the involuntary recall of soldiers who have left active duty has been instituted to counter the short fall and put more boots on the ground. But at best these are just "stop-gap" measures delaying what seems inevitable, because the buzz is a possible draft in the air.

It actually looks like more than just buzz, now that the election is over. In fact Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has introduced a House bill to reinstate the draft which is currently in the Armed Services Committee. While his bill didn't garner much support when he first introduced it last session, he feels fairly confident that with the absence of any concrete plans by the President to restock the loss forces on the ground, the reinstatement of a draft is "inevitable and only a matter of time."

With over 13.5 million men, from 18 to 25, currently registered with the Selective Services, this pool of potential draftees could be the ace in the hold to solve the military's critical shortages. And last year's proposal to register women for the military draft which was essential shelved, may even get a second look.

That has many folks concerned, including Mothers Against the Draft (MAD), which organized this year - with chapters in every state - to lobby elected officials not to support the draft. MAD is also in the process of organizing affiliate advisory board of Dads Against the Draft (DAD) and Students Against the Draft (SAD). I think if we enlist in anything, it should be these organizations.

Veronica Hendrix is a journalist and columnist whose work has covered the span of the human continuum - from clinical trials of male contraceptives, to the gang violence. She is the producer of the highly acclaimed half hour talk show called "LA Woman," which airs on L.A. City View Channel 35, and is a Los Angeles Emmy nominated producer. Veronica's career as a journalist has included being a reporter for USA Today and a producer for a radio talk show in Los Angeles, which focused on issues impacting the African American Family. Veronica is a proud native of Southern California where she with her two sons.

If you have comments about Veronica's View, email them to: vsview@yahoo.com




			Veronica's View by: Veronica Hendrix There's a Draft in the Air There's a tail wind a blowing. And it causing a bit of a draft. The Army and Marine Corp. have missed their recruiting goals, once again, for the fourth consecutive month. While the Marine Corp. has missed their goals by only a small margin, the news about the Army missing its mark is a "major concern" of Pentagon officials because 40% of ground troops currently deployed in Iraq are from the Army and their National Guard or Reserves. A recruiting shortfall of 27% in February; 31% in March; 42% in April, and 25% in May now dims any prospect of the Army hitting that magic fiscal year goal of 80,000 enlistees. With only four months remaining in the Army's fiscal year, they are barely at 50% of their recruitment goals. So you see, its getting a bit drafty up in here. The two and half year bloody war in Iraq has depleted military resources to the tune of over 1,700 American lives so far. That's average of about two U.S. servicemen - and yes women - a day. And lets not forget about the over 13,000 troops who have been injured, some so seriously mangled they border on being casualties, clinging to some semblance of life. The all volunteer armed forces are just not attracting volunteers. Even as we approach the summer months which traditionally yield a bumper crop of new recruits from recent high school graduates, things look bleak. Signing up these days is more like shipping lambs off to the slaughter than an invitation to "see the world." Parents who once saw the armed forces as a viable alternative for their graduating seniors to grow up and get an education are opting out, literally. A provision of the "No Child Left Behind Act" requires school districts to provide military recruiters with student contact information so they can dangle the carrot of signing bonuses of as much as $10,000 and college scholarship packages of as much as $50,000. But that same act also requires that parents be told they can "opt out" simply by submitting a written request to keep their contact information private. Needless to say, the "opt out" info just isn't being filtered down to parents, especially those in the inner cities. That doesn't surprise me, especially when recruiters have been found guilty of offering unauthorized benefits to students just to make their recruitment quotes. And many of those students are those who live in economically depressed communities whose only hope of going to college lies in them enlisting in the armed forces. It's just plain exploitation of a disadvantaged group. While the troops in Iraq try to evade exit wounds, Americans are trying to evoke the President to delivery some kind of exit strategy. But he has refused to establish any sort of deadline or timetable for withdrawing of American troops under his administration. Essentially he can't, or maybe won't is a better choice of words because he's got a tougher decision to wrestle with - and that's the growing speculation that the government may be forced to reinstate the draft, discontinued 32 years ago. They are trying like heck to avoid it. Heroic efforts such "stop-loss" programs which retain active duty soldiers after their enlistment period has ended, and the involuntary recall of soldiers who have left active duty has been instituted to counter the short fall and put more boots on the ground. But at best these are just "stop-gap" measures delaying what seems inevitable, because the buzz is a possible draft in the air. It actually looks like more than just buzz, now that the election is over. In fact Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has introduced a House bill to reinstate the draft which is currently in the Armed Services Committee. While his bill didn't garner much support when he first introduced it last session, he feels fairly confident that with the absence of any concrete plans by the President to restock the loss forces on the ground, the reinstatement of a draft is "inevitable and only a matter of time." With over 13.5 million men, from 18 to 25, currently registered with the Selective Services, this pool of potential draftees could be the ace in the hold to solve the military's critical shortages. And last year's proposal to register women for the military draft which was essential shelved, may even get a second look. That has many folks concerned, including Mothers Against the Draft (MAD), which organized this year - with chapters in every state - to lobby elected officials not to support the draft. MAD is also in the process of organizing affiliate advisory board of Dads Against the Draft (DAD) and Students Against the Draft (SAD). I think if we enlist in anything, it should be these organizations. Veronica Hendrix is a journalist and columnist whose work has covered the span of the human continuum - from clinical trials of male contraceptives, to the gang violence. She is the producer of the highly acclaimed half hour talk show called "LA Woman," which airs on L.A. City View Channel 35, and is a Los Angeles Emmy nominated producer. Veronica's career as a journalist has included being a reporter for USA Today and a producer for a radio talk show in Los Angeles, which focused on issues impacting the African American Family. Veronica is a proud native of Southern California where she with her two sons. If you have comments about Veronica's View, email them to: vsview@yahoo.com