Army Marks Record Low Level Of Recruits, But Gays Still Banned

This story (http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/11/110107army.htm) shows the idiocy of banning gays from military service (particularly when gang members and felons are being waivered in). When this country will follow simple common sense and tell the Christianists to take a hike remains to be seen. In the interim, I feel no sorrow for the foes of recruiters in trying to achieve enlistment targets. Here are highlights:

(Washington) The Army began its recruiting year Oct. 1 with fewer signed up for basic training than in any year since it became an all-volunteer service in 1973, a top general said Wednesday. Gen. William S. Wallace, whose duties as commander of Army Training and Doctrine Command include management of recruiting, told reporters at the Pentagon that the historic dip will make it harder to achieve the full-year recruiting goal - after just barely reaching it in the year ended Sept. 30.

"It's going to be another tough recruiting year," the four-star general said. Making it even tougher is the decline in what the Army calls its delayed entry pool, which is the group of enlistees who have signed contracts to join the Army but want to wait before shipping off to basic training. Normally the Army tries to start its recruiting year with a delayed entry pool equal to about 25 percent of its full-year goal, which in this case would equate to 20,000 recruits. Instead, the Army began with 7,392 recruits, or about 9 percent of its full-year goal. Last year at this time the Army was beginning its recruiting year with 12,062, or about 15 percent.

That is of concern for us because the delayed entry program gives us guaranteed enlistees to meter out across the year," Wallace said. Without that cushion to begin the recruiting year, recruiters are going to have to sign up enough people to meet the existing goal as well as replenish the pool for next year.