QandO

April 02, 2004

Well it seems the Doomsayers were wrong about this too
Posted by McQ

Remember all the doom and gloom about the effect the increased numbers of deployments and the war in Iraq were going to have on retention in the military?

Well if the army's any indication, the doomsayers were wrong AGAIN.

Army divisions that fought the past 12 months in Iraq have met virtually every re-enlistment goal, a sign that the all-volunteer force remains strong under the stress of frequent deployments and hazardous duty.

The Pentagon has been closely monitoring the re-up rate for five Army divisions that fought in Iraq for about a year. Some officials feared the time away from home and the gritty duty would prompt a large soldier exodus. After all, the war on terrorism is unchartered territory. The 30-year-old volunteer Army has never been this busy in combat.

But numbers compiled this week for the first half of fiscal 2004 show that those five combat units met, or nearly met, all retention targets for enlisted soldiers — the privates, corporals and sergeants who total 416,000 of the Army's 490,000 active force.

A word of caution though ... where we might see some cracks in all of this is when we begin hearing about the reserve and National Guard numbers. But regardless, its heartening to see the world's finest fighting force is able to retain its soldiers even with the hardships they've faced in the last couple of years. That speaks volumes for the leadership of the officers and NCOs and the grit and loyalty of the soldiers.

Some details:

•The 101st Airborne, which sent helicopter-borne soldiers to Baghdad's eastern flank and then patrolled northern Iraq, has achieved 107 percent of its retention mark.

•The 4th Infantry Division arrived in Iraq after Baghdad fell April 9. It was assigned the toughest-to-tame corridor, from Baghdad to Tikrit, as soldiers took down scores of cells of pro-Saddam insurgents and led the operation to capture Saddam himself Dec. 13. New numbers showed it achieved 117 percent of its retention goals.

•The 1st Armored Division is now vacating Baghdad after mounting months of counterinsurgency operations to break up more than 20 pro-Saddam cells. The division reports it met 120 percent of its re-enlistment goals the past six months.

Huuah!

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