Recruiting

I read an article in Time Magazine this morning about military recruiting that really made me angry. The article was talking about the high rate of suicide among military recruiters especially in one Texas location. It was discussing that many of the recruiters are decorated soldiers who are no longer out in the field for one reason or another. They are not at the end of the career, so they assign them to become recruiters. Unfortunately, the pressure put on them by their commanding officers to recruit new members is harsh and unrealistic. Some are encouraged to have the potential new recruits lie to be signed up. Then, if they are not able to meet their quota, they are humiliated in front of their peers. They are asked to work unbelievable hours to accomplish their goals and called in on scheduled days off. One person was expected to work from 7am to 10pm on a consistent basis - including weekends. It wasn't until after he and several others from one general recruiting location committed suicide that there was an investigation launched.

These are the people who willingly signed up to defend our country and then they are humiliated to the extent that they felt they had no option left but to commit suicide. Having members of my family in the military and hearing stories like this really angers me at great deal. The commanding officers of those posts involved should be relieved of duty and disciplined ot the greatest extent possible.