The Dishonesty Of Recruiters And The Military
The Berzerkeleys are at it again. In a recent editorial in the Berkeley Daily Planet former Berzerkeley Councilmember Mark McDonald slanders military recruiters and leaders. He presents three fallacies that I’d like to correct him on.
Berzekeley Myth #1: “The recruiters have long been guilty of not honoring the agreements and contracts they make with recruits. Though not a new problem, this dishonest activity continues and has even been ratified by some conservative high court decisions.”
Fact: If, in fact, contracts were not being honored, surely troops could find a good ACLU lawyer and file a breach of contract suit in court. The fact is that the contracts are pretty standard documents and don’t make a whole lot of promises. If recruits would take the time to actually read things they stick pen to, they’d be smarter.
Berzerkeley Myth #2: “Recently the Pentagon has been failing to meet minimum recruitment goals most likely because of the unpopularity of the Iraq War and the fear of permanent deployment of troops due to stop-loss regulations.”
Fact: Every service, to include the National Guard and Reserves, has met or exceeded their recruiting and retention goals - some by more than 20%!!
Berzerkeley Myth #3: “Incidents of rape of female recruits by recruiters have increased significantly and the Pentagon has acknowledged the problem by issuing an order prohibiting any recruiter from being alone with a female recruit at any time. Alleged perpetrators have gone uninvestigated and women who report the assaults continue to be penalized for doing so.”
Fact: Allegations of sexual harassment are aggressively investigated at all levels. The fact is that there is a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment in the military. We undergo mandatory quarterly training in Equal Opportunity and Sexual Harassment. While it is true that male recruiters are not allowed to be alone with female recruits, female recruiters are likewise not allowed to be alone with male recruits. It’s just good business and protects the recruiters from false allegations and recruits from actual sexual harassment - real or perceived. Those found guilty of sexual harassment are harshly dealt with and many careers are ended because of it.
McDonald continues down a path of dishonesty in his commentary when he blatantly accuses Marines of being “ordered to deceive potential recruits by their commanding officers.” Naturally, the liberal whacko provides absolutely no proof to substantiate his claims. Instead, he furthers his lack of knowledge about the military by blathering about how commanding officers in recruiting battalions are replaced because they were “critical of the botched illegitimate war and occupation in Iraq.”
At least in the Army, an officer is normally only in command of a unit for no more than two years. It’s rare that it exceeds that, but the typical command length is 12-18 months. This isn’t because they disagree with ANY policies, it’s to give other officers “command time,” which is needed for the professional development and promotion.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that anyone buys this blubber-mouth’s propaganda except the tinfoil hat wearing freaks that shouldn’t be trusted with a spoon to begin with, but I thought I’d at least respond to it since I’m positive the psychos in Berzerkeley aren’t going to question it.



