I think it be useless to waste lives and money to hunt down the terrorists. It will be impossible.

well wat are we going to do let them stay safe in there hide outs planing to kill thousands of us????????

To quote my favorite source of strength and inspiration...."One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half. Never run away from anything. Never!" -- Winston Churchill

This war started many years ago and has just now become a world threat. It has to be fought and must be won or civilization as most of the World knows it today will cease to exist.

About losing so many of our people when their enlistment is up, look at the economy, not only in the US but in most parts of the World. It is booming and good jobs are more plentiful. Because of having a volunteer service, we have and lose to industry, the cream of the crop. Most of our young Electrical Engineers at Raytheon have prior service and had their educations paid for.

Originally Posted by Captain Patel

I think it be useless to waste lives and money to hunt down the terrorists. It will be impossible.

wow....

So you think it's a waste of time hunting down terrorists that has the potential to kill hundreds, even thousands of people? sorry, can't say I agree much with ya there....

Although terrorism will never go, the point of the war is in my mind to just deter the terrorists plans. Instead of being busy planning what building to blow up next, they are too worried about the most powerful military blowing their off into space...sounds fine to me

Look at Israel, look at the Balkans, look at Turkey... the tit for tat addressing of symptoms and responding in kind is a vicious never ending circle of escalating violence. Address the cause, the root of the problem and the symptoms will disappear. You can never oppress people into peace.

http://ideas.repec.org/p/nbr/nberwo/10859.html

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=4213

http://chronicle.com/free/v49/i39/39b01001.htm

http://news-service.stanford.edu/new...iraq-1120.html

http://www.uncommonknowledge.org/700/723.html

So in other words. We need to support the economies of unfriendly nations. Give them low tariffs, pour money into their industries, and support their importation of products into our economy at the detrement to our and friendly nations workers and industry that will be undercut by such actions? Not buyin it. How but some hugs all around and promise that we kow tow every time they threaten us.

Originally Posted by Doody

I have read a rash of articles saying how people are not joining the military for a variety of reasons. The War on terror seems to be the one common arguement for most of the anti war views. Officers are getting out rather than staying in to try their luck on the civilian side of things. Recruiting is down across the board. Even the Marines, who in the past have had few problems recruiting, are seeing recruting shortages of their own.

With all this going on, I am curious as to if the War on Terror has changed your view on the military. If it has, please state what views have changed and why.

SGT Doody

Doody has made a good point. If you want people to join up and stay for the long course in Iraq and beyond in the US military then you have to look after them with good pay and conditions.

At my school I find people don't want to join, because they really don't know what they are in for, and essentially fear it. Everyone at my school knows i have wanted to join the ADF since before 911, and are amazed by the fact that I moulded my entier High School Certificate (HSC) around getting into the ADF. The question I get is "why do you want to go fight in a war?"

The general populace beleives that all the military does is fight. Most people don't want to join on that grounding. So really, the problem is the media creating a false image of what the military is like, and the general (voting) populace beleive it.

The thing that gets me about these people is, they think they are experts on the military, because they've read a few books, or seen a few movies and take in what they see as fact, not knowing that Hollywood directors BS movies up, to sell seats, not to tell an accurate story, no matter what they say.

Originally Posted by Bory

At my school I find people don't want to join, because they really don't know what they are in for, and essentially fear it. Everyone at my school knows i have wanted to join the ADF since before 911, and are amazed by the fact that I moulded my entier High School Certificate (HSC) around getting into the ADF. The question I get is "why do you want to go fight in a war?"

The general populace beleives that all the military does is fight. Most people don't want to join on that grounding. So really, the problem is the media creating a false image of what the military is like, and the general (voting) populace beleive it.

The thing that gets me about these people is, they think they are experts on the military, because they've read a few books, or seen a few movies and take in what they see as fact, not knowing that Hollywood directors BS movies up, to sell seats, not to tell an accurate story, no matter what they say.

"Fear" can be a very strong deterent to joining the military.

My opinion and decision to join the mil despite the war on terror hasn't changed. I'm still very patriotic and fully support the military and what we are doing. I'm unsure about how all this political bull and war began but i know that we are now in this for the long haul and well i'd rather be out there doing something than sitting at home watching the news when i have a chance to make a difference. Despite the deployments and sometimes unfavorable conditions the military is a good career with decent benefits for those who choose it and like it. well that's my opinion
~Niki