Why the military needs broken and injured troops.
In the modern age, with enlistment and retention problems being at an extreme high, the modern military can not afford to pass up on anyone interested in joining. There is a significant number of people who would like to join the military but for one reason or another there is a physical characteristic that bars them from enlistment. That is utterly ridiculous. If this were a private company or other government job, the AWD and ACLU would be screaming bloody murder. And rightfully so!
Schleppy the 350 pound computer geek does not need to pass the current PT test or fire a weapon to hack into the Chinese defense computers and find out what those sneaky fuckers are up to. Larry the flat footed accountant does not need to hump a 75lb ruck to work in the finance department. Like wise Mike the double amputee at the knees does not need to run the PT test in order to be in the administration section and process pegs into the right holes.
We need to find all the odd shaped pegs out there and match them up with the right shaped holes. We are wasting a lot of good talent in this country who would like to serve this great Nation. Serving with honor can be done from all positions, by people of all physical capabilities.
Oh yeah, all of you pouges that past the PT test in April, welcome to Combat Arms you fuckers. Please report to Fort Benning for re-training.
PvtPyle's World 
January 24, 2008 at 4:26 am
Why should the military lower its standards of physical ability when there are plenty of able-bodied men and women out there who are perfectly capable of serving? We can solve our personnel problems by bringing back the draft. We should start with the Spawn of Bush and Romney, all of whom are of recruiting age.
We should also drop the stupid and pointless ban on gays and lesbians. It’s ridiculous, wasteful and counterproductive.
Any draft should be a good old-fashioned, WWII style, get your ass in a uniform and fight kind of thing.
That, or we should end the war now and bring the troops home.
January 24, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Turned me down as “too old” in October of 2001. I was 44, with 6 years of prior service in the Marines. I was an electronic tech, worked on Radar on jets. I’m as good at electronics as I ever was, and reasonably fit. Still don’t understand it, I thought we were at war.
January 24, 2008 at 8:38 pm
In Robt. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” where the only people who can vote are veterans, the government MUST take someone who wishes to serve and earn their franchise. NO MATTER WHAT their disability may be, it’s up to the govt. to find a job they can perform that will serve and support the fighters. That doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. We have a huge pool of people who really want to serve — but cannot be front-line troops. If their talents were utilized, each one of them could free a more able-bodied person for combat duty.
If a woman can drive a truck or fly a chopper, why can’t a one legged man work in a support position.
January 25, 2008 at 1:03 am
This is mostly being taken care of by contracting. That 350 pound hacker can get a civilian job doing the same thing, but not having to deal with basic training, allowing the drill instructors to focus more on teaching people to fight, and knowing that knowledge will be put to good use.
The other affects of contracting are of debatable relevance to this topic.
January 26, 2008 at 1:51 am
Draft? That’s not a good idea unless we are in a very high attrition war. This isn’t.
We have a military made of volunteers. This makes our forces better than those that are not. That’s a historical fact. A guy with a weight problem but wants to help can serve as a cook in the field and would do better at it than the guy who doesn’t want to be there that can do a few more pushups.
Look at the military, and who is actually fighting. What, 10% at most? There a lots of jobs people can do and do them just fine without meeting the same requirements as that 10%.
It makes sense.
For example, I couldn’t run 2 miles in 10:30 anymore, but I could drive a HUMVEE, pilot a Blackhawk, operate the guns in a AC-130, command a platoon of engineers… or a maintenance section. Older guys who know how to do things, get jobs done that they have done before… why turn them away when they want to do it? What do we have to lose? They know the risks. But look at what we could gain. Experience and men and women who are more than willing to serve. A great deal probably wouldn’t even have to be retrained. I know a lot of guys who where retired out, they could go back in freeing up younger guys moving closer to the front.
February 10, 2008 at 3:41 am
Heck, I wish they took old fat prior service REMFs… Army Public Affairs, guys, and I’m here to make YOU look good… So gitcher hats on, hide the playboys, and smile for the camera!
And if I need to shoot something, that’s not a problem either…
May 15, 2008 at 3:02 am
I have to agree with bogie. I also wish they would take me back, medical discharge and all. I dont need to pass the PT test to work in an armory like I did for the D.O.E. or fix and refinish weapons like I do for FBMG.