Discussion: Needing Troops, Army Offers Up To $90K Bonuses To Re-Enlist

Anyone thinking of taking the Army up on the offer might do well to remember the experiences that “A Few Good Men” (Marines) had just last year.

This “bonus” will also have the added benefit of pissing off thousands of soldiers who re-upped in just the last few years. Well played.

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How amazingly simple it is for the military to just start offering huge bonuses in order to fill its ranks; it knows that our war-mongering Congress will gladly pay the premium. Can you imagine if the Dept of Education suddenly offered huge bonuses to teachers to fill much needed spots in schools? There would be outrage by the GOP. Plenty of money for guns and bombs, but it’s “no soup for you” when our kids’ minds are at stake.

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I’d be OK with cutting military funding to pre-9/11 levels. All of the funding we’ve done since hasn’t done us any good.

Take the extra money and give it to Amtrak. There’s no reason for why it should take five days to travel across this country by train.

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And guns and bombs are, really, just foreign aid. It’s not like we’re getting invaded.

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You mean Americans aren’t signing up in droves to run toward bullets?

In a world made increasing more dangerous by the hour?

Because our Commander-in-Chief can’t stop whacking hornet nests with a golf club?

And trashing our oldest and most-reliable allies?

While practically begging Russia to invade the Baltics?

Well color me surprised!

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Sign up now for a Korean/Yemeni adventure!

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You’d think bonuses wouldn’t be necessary. They should be able to get along just fine on the many “thank you for your service” platitudes they receive from never-enlisted Republican voters.

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That’s abominable. It’s pocket change to the US Military, but it’s real money for the people involved. Instead of doing the right thing and covering it, they screw the people involve, and hurt recruiting in the future. That’s trump level brilliant.

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More accurately it’s a massive corporate welfare program for the military-industrial complex.

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Sorry but my family is going no where close to a recruiting station. A Rep Commander in Chief is bad enough, but an imbecile Rep Commander in Chief is what we have now. There is no way they will make their goals.

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Trump may have to start drafting people since his people are not signing up.
If you say you voted for Trump you will get 5 deferments,but you must go out and have sex with as many women as you can and brag about the chances you took.
Then find someone to give you a Purple Heart for being a coward.

Enlistment bonuses are fine. I hated being in the military as much as anyone but if someone finds the Army a place of meaning and is willing to shoulder arms in times of conflict that’s fine with me. Trump is temporary.

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Hummm…my life or 90K, my life or 90K…

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I’m a retired LTC and you could not get me, if I was still serving, to stay around. Remember the last time a “bonus” was offered, yea, 3 or 4 years later they demanded it back… The DOD is not the soldier’s friend.

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Bingo, and with Chinese made ribbons to boot…

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When I say “Thank you for your service,” to my wait person, they at least get a tip.

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Who the eff wants to re-enlist to serve at the beckoning of a crazy person, knowing he wants to go to war with the rest of the world?

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The Army did this back when I was in around the time Vietnam was winding down. Only then it topped out at $10,000 and, I think, only for 2-years. Pissed off a lot of career enlisted. Those who said no would sing this to those that did re-up or were thinking about it (to the tune "Colonel Bogey):

Re-up!
And buy a brand new car!
Re-up!
Show what a jerk you are!
Re-up?
I’d rather throw up…
than get the Green Dick, right up in, the ass!

" It’s pocket change to the US Military…"

Yes and no.

The guys counting the beans and bullets know it is far more than that. They look at the costs to bring them in, train them, clothe and equip them, sustain them, house them, their medical and dental, and for their families if they have any. They will also look at future acquisitions and wonder how this will affect those programs.

And then you have the bean-counters across town at the VA who will have to do the actuarials on 7,000 more coming to them in the out years.

This $380-million is just the start. Over time, a trillion or two…?