Since these assessments are relatively new it is very difficult to tell whether this reprents any real change from the past. It will serve a good guidepost going forward. 

Just as an aside, I wonder how much this differs from the general population and how they would perceive their own jobs (outside of the military) ? 
 

Rongone wrote:

Too many back to back deployments in too many undeclared war zones with too little support from commanders, legislators, and the public in general. Benefits no where close to offsetting the demands, both physical and mental, of the job. Inept military culture in recognizing and supplying individual and family needs required for multiple deployments.
.

When the Commander in Chief announces strategy (such as the withdraw of forces from Iraq and Afghanistan) and imposes rules of engagement--if you can call "hold fire" orders "engagment"--what can you expect?

The $207M  would have been better spent on transport for more frequent rotations out of combat zones and furloughs to home base.

Last edited by Tarnation (4/18/2015 2:19 pm)

When I die I hope that the Feds confiscate 40% of my estate to spend on more sh*t like this.
(straight-face)

We should always expect that in wars where the goal is not to basically overwhelm and totally defeat the enemy that such reactions will take place. Most recently Vietnam was such an action.

Here is an excerpt from the following. Sound familiar ? 

The troops deployed to Vietnam in 1965 were among the best in history. However, in 1971 the Armed Forces Journal reported that, "The morale, discipline and battleworthiness of the U.S. Armed Forces are, with a few salient exceptions, lower and worse than at any time in this century." This breakdown in morale came despite limited one-year combat tours and hedonistic "rest and relaxation" breaks. Historian Cecil Curry says that GIs saw themselves to be "the unwilling, led by the unqualified, doing the unnecessary for the ungrateful," as many noted on their helmets.

http://www.historyandtheheadlines.abc-clio.com/ContentPages/ContentPage.aspx?entryId=1199250&currentSection=1194544


 

Last edited by tennyson (4/18/2015 4:07 pm)

Here's an idea:  If you want to improve optimism, how about not getting into endless wars every five minutes to enrich a few civilian contractors?

Well said, CT.