If you are anything like me, you were raised believing the military to be a proud and honorable calling. But now, it seems that even for those who have willingly joined up, little but disdain and contempt are held by recruits.
As you have likely heard, military recruitment has fallen to epic lows in the last several years. It used to be that the US Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, etc., had to turn away more than they accepted. But now, they are having such difficulty even meeting enrollment goals that they are lowering their entry standards.
According to the UK’s Daily Mail, the Army is estimating a mere 50,000 sign-ups by the end of 2023. That’s a whopping 15,000 fewer than their goal of 65,000 and what the branch needs to be optimally manned.
Both the Air Force and Navy face similar fates, fully expecting to fail to meet their goal by ten percent and 10,000, respectively.
The question is, why? Why are so few willing to stand up and serve our country anymore?
Sadly, as a few experts have pointed out, it often takes a severe threat or cause to make people want to “be all they can be.” Think of Chris Kyle, who signed up late in life and only after 9/11.
Another issue, as a recent Department of Defense report states, is that many from “Generation Z,” those born between 1997 and 2012, “generally have a low trust in institutions.” Additionally, fewer and fewer of them end up following a “traditional life and career” path.
But another reason could be that the members of Gen Z who have already joined are so soft in comparison to their predecessors that they have nothing nice to say about the military. And they make sure to post it to their well-followed social media accounts for all to see.
Take Anthony Laster, who has a following of over 950,000, for example. In 2020, he posted a video describing the cons of military life.
“No Privacy, The Pay Sucks, S***ty Food, Disrespectful Leadership, NO SLEEP!”
The Daily Mail describes this and the many others out there of a similar nature as “TikTok mutiny.” And for good reason.
Most commonly, these soft recruits complain of precisely what Laster did: little sleep, menial tasks, not-so-great food, low wages, and more.
I know, for the many of you reading this who either served yourself or simply understood that service means sacrifice, it’s like a slap in the face. And rather shocking.
I mean, this is the military. I find myself asking, ‘What did they expect? This isn’t a trip to the mall.’
Then again, the military of today isn’t exactly as most of us remember it.
As these pitiful recruits prove, pay is still not great, the food is less than comforting, and PT will wear you down faster than anything else around.
But these recruits are also told from the time they sign up that military training and war skills are not the top priority. Instead, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are. As New York Post writer Rich Lowry explained, those at the top, such as former defense secretary senior advisor Bishop Garrison, believe that DEI should be ingrained in every single decision the military makes.
This means that recruits are taught more about their feelings and sharing their “triggers” than how to handle firearms and defend their nation.
US Army Major “Rachel” Jones on diversity in the military 🤡 🌎
God help us. pic.twitter.com/kexqtzggwg
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.today (@JordanSchachtel) July 1, 2023
In fact, as Lowry pointed out, the military has spent a whopping $115 million in 2023 on DEI training alone. And that’s up $30 million from last year.
No wonder recruits can’t handle the basics of soldiering when they are taught that their feelings are more important and how to not be offensive over combat skills and battle preparations.
It also doesn’t bode well for America, should we come up against any real battles in the near future.
