[Marxism] Tough time for military recruiters

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

NY Times, March 27, 2005
For Army Recruiters, a Hard Toll From a Hard Sell
By DAMIEN CAVE

The Army's recruiters are being challenged with one of the hardest selling
jobs the military has asked of them in American history, and many say the
demands are taking a toll.

A recruiter in New York said pressure from the Army to meet his recruiting
goals during a time of war has given him stomach problems and searing back
pain. Suffering from bouts of depression, he said he has considered
suicide. Another, in Texas, said he had volunteered many times to go to
Iraq rather than face ridicule, rejection and the Army's wrath.

An Army chaplain said he had counseled nearly a dozen recruiters in the
past 18 months to help them cope with marital troubles and job-related stress.

"There were a couple of recruiters that felt they were having nervous
breakdowns, literally," said Maj. Stephen Nagler, a chaplain who retired in
March after serving at Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, where the New York City
recruiting battalion is based.

Two dozen recruiters nationwide were interviewed about their experiences
over four months. Ten spoke with The New York Times even after an Army
official sent an e-mail message advising all recruiters not to speak to
this reporter, who was named. Most asked for anonymity to avoid being
disciplined.

A handful who spoke said they were satisfied with their jobs. They said
they took pride in seeing awkward, unfocused teenagers transform into
confident soldiers and relished an opportunity to contribute to the Army
effort.

But most told similar tales: of loving the military, of working hard to
complete a seemingly impossible task, of struggling to carry the nation's
burden at a time of anxiety and stress.

The careers and self-esteem of recruiters rise and fall on their ability to
fulfill a mission, said current and former Army officials and military
experts who were also interviewed.

Recruiters said falling short often generates a barrage of angry
correspondence, formal reprimands, threats or even demotion.

"The recruiter is stuck in the situation where you're not going to make
mission, it just won't happen," the New York recruiter said. "And you're
getting chewed out every day for it. It's horrible." He said the assignment
was more strenuous than the time he was shot at while deployed in Africa.

At least 37 members of the Army Recruiting Command, which oversees
enlistment, have gone AWOL since October 2002, Army figures show. And, in
what recruiters consider another sign of stress, the number of
improprieties committed - signing up unqualified people to meet quotas or
giving bonuses or other enlistment benefits to recruits not eligible for
them - has increased, Army documents show.

full: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/27/nyregion/27recruit.html


Louis Proyect
Marxism list: www.marxmail.org


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