Army of None Essay Example

Army of None Essay Example Army of None Essay Army of None Essay al BCOM/275 Army of None June 4, 2012 Recruiters lie. According the New York Times, nearly one of five United States Army recruiters was under investigation in 2004 for offenses varying from threats and coercion to false promises that applicants would not be sent to Iraq. One veteran recruiter told a reporter for the Albany Times Union, Iâ„ ¢ve been recruiting for years, and I donâ„ ¢t know one recruiter who wasnâ„ ¢t dishonest about it. I did it myself. (counterrecruiter.wordpress.com) The military contract guarantees nothing. The Department of Defenseâ„ ¢s own enlistment/re-enlistment document states, Laws and regulations that govern military personnel may change without notice to me. Such changes may affect my status, pay allowances, benefits and responsibilities as a member of the Armed Forces REGARDLESS of the provisions of this enlistment/re-enlistment document (DD Form4/1, 1998, Sec.9.5b). Advertised signing bonuses are bogus. Bonuses are often thought of as gifts, but theyâ„ ¢re not. Theyâ„ ¢re like loans: If an enlistee leaves the military before his or her agreed term of service, he or she will be forced to repay the bonus. Besides, Army data shows that the top bonus of $20,000 was given to only 6 percent of the 47, 7272 enlistees who signed up for active duty. (counterrecruiter.wordpress.com) What money is for college $71,424 is it in the bank If you expect the military to pay for college, better read the fine print. Among recruits who sign up for the Montgomery GI Bill, 65 percent receive no money for college, and only 15 percent ever receive a college degree. The maximum Montgomery GI Bill benefit is $37,224, and even this 37K is hard to get: To join, you must first put in a nonrefundable $1,200 deposit that has to be paid to the military during the first year of service. To receive the $37K, you must also be an active-duty member who has completed at least a three-year service agreement and is attending a four-year college full time. Benefits are significantly lower if you are going to school part-time or attending a two-year college. If you receive a less than honorable discharge (as one in four do), leave the military early (as one in three do), or later decide not to go to college, the military will keep your deposit and give you nothing. Note: The $71,424 advertise d by the Army and $86,000 by the Navy includes benefits from the Amy or Navy College Fund, respectively. Fewer than 10 percent of all recruits earn money from the Army College Fund, which is specifically designed to lure recruits into hard-to-fill positions. (counterrecruiter.wordpress.com) Never been a recruiter but I have served in the Army for 21 years. I used my GI Bill benefits to pay towards my degree and so have other countless other soldiers. Most benefits are guaranteed to you and the terms of how the money is paid are immediately. For anyone to sit here and say the majority of people never receive their benefits is false. The only way you donâ„ ¢t receive the benefits is choosing to not use them or have a discharged under less than honorable conditions. The job you choose when you enlist is the job you train for. Never met anyone in the Army who didnâ„ ¢t receive the training for the job they choose itâ„ ¢s in writing on a contract thatâ„ ¢s binding. It sounds like this website has its own issues with omitting facts and stretching the truth. Not sure when 47, 7272 enlistees signed up, but someone needs to check their data. We are talking about serious life issues. The Army has not had 47,000 people joining for many years. All services (reserve included) have not had 47,000 join in a single year ever. One in four enlistees getting out with less than honorable is not true. One in three getting out early included people getting out going to college or attending West Point as well as switching to another service, but this is still completely false. Lastly, this is the simply the most poorly prepared webpage I have ever visited. Thank you for your time, and Iâ„ ¢m proud to serve my country to continue giving you the right to whine about it. Referenceâ„ ¢s 1. (Internet from 11/22/11) http://counterrecruiter.wordpress.com

History and Geography of Guantanamo Bay

History and Geography of Guantanamo Bay Located four hundred miles from the mainland United States, Guantanamo Bay in the Guantanamo Province of Cuba is the oldest overseas American naval base. It is also the only naval base in a communist country and the only one that has no political affiliation with the United States. With 45 miles of naval infrastructure, Guantanamo Bay is often called the Pearl Harbor of the Atlantic. Due to its remote location and jurisdiction, Guantanamo Bay has been deemed by one United States government official as the â€Å"legal equivalent of outer space†. History of Guantanamo Bay At the wake of the 20th century, the U.S. formally leased this 45 square mile parcel from newly independent Cuba to use as a fueling station. The lease was renewed in 1934 under Fulgencio Batista and President Franklin D. Roosevelts administration. The agreement required consent of both parties should either want to withdraw; that is, reconsider U.S. occupation of the base. Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba were severed in January of 1961. In hopes the U.S. will forfeit the base, Cuba no longer accepts the $5,000 annual American rent. In 2002, Cuba officially requested that Guantanamo Bay be returned. Interpretation of the 1934 mutual consent agreement differs, causing frequent squabbles between the two countries. In 1964, Fidel Castro cut off the base’s water supply in response to the U.S. government fining Cubans for fishing near Florida. As a result, Guantanamo Bay is self-sufficient and produces its own water and electricity. The naval base itself is divided into two functioning areas on either side of the bay. The east side of the bay is the main base, and the airfield occupies the west side. Today, both sides of the base’s 17-mile fence line are patrolled by U.S. Marines and Cuban militiamen. During the 1990s, social upheaval in Haiti brought over 30,000 Haitian refugees to Guantanamo Bay. In 1994, the base provided humanitarian services to thousands of migrants during Operation Sea Signal. That year, civilian employees and their families were evacuated from the base to accommodate for the influx of migrants. The migrant population climbed upwards of 40,000. By 1996, the Haitian and Cuban refugees had filtered out, and family members of the military were allowed to return. Ever since, Guantanamo Bay sees a small, steady migrant population of about 40 people each year. Geography and Land Use of Guantanamo Bay The bay itself is a 12-mile long north-south indentation and is six miles across. Islands, peninsulas, and coves can be found on the east side of the bay. The Guantanamo Valley lies west of the bay along the Sierra Maestra. The lowlands on the west side are adorned in mangroves. Its flat nature makes it ideal for Guantanamo’s airfield. Similar to many American towns, Guantanamo Bay is furnished with subdivisions, baseball fields, and chain restaurants. Roughly 10,000 people reside there, 4,000 of which are in the U.S. military. The remaining residents are family members of the military, local Cuban support staff, and laborers from neighboring countries. There is a hospital, dental clinic, and a meteorologic and oceanographic command station. In 2005, four 262-foot tall wind turbines were constructed on John Paul Jones Hill, the highest point on the base. During the windiest months, they provide the base with about a quarter of the power it consumes. Since the sharp population rise in 2002 of military and support personnel, Guantanamo Bay boasts a golf course and an outdoor theater. There is also a school, but with so few kids that sports teams play against groups of local firefighters and hospital workers. Separated from the base by cacti and elevated landforms, residential Guantanamo Bay bears much similarity to suburban America. Guantanamo Bay as Detention Center Its true nature and inner workings are somewhat elusive to the American public and are under constant scrutiny. One can only speculate on the future of Guantanamo Bay and as history suggests, its utility and habitation are ever changing.

Should society be more active in developing alternative strategies for Research Paper

Should society be more active in developing alternative strategies for caring for the elderly - Research Paper Example Therefore, there is an additional momentum to make societies more active in developing alternative strategies for caring for the elderly population. Elderly population involves both, individuals who remain fit by adopting healthy lifestyles and others witnessing an intense health care requirements. However, demographic and epidemiological surveys state that over 85% individuals belonging to the age group above 80 years witness one or more health related chronic condition while 62% of this population reports more than one health related predicament (Anderson & Horvath, 2004; MacKellar, 2000). It becomes even more challenging for the societies to devise appropriate strategies for elderly care as UNPD stated that â€Å"the number of older persons has tripled over the last 50 years; it will more than triple again over the next 50 years† (UNPD, 2002). The trend in population is attributed to decreasing fertility and increasing life expectancies, life expectance increased by two decades since 1950 (from 48 years in 1950-55 to 68 years in 2005-10) while the fertility rate dropped from 5 children per women (1950) to 2.5 in present situation and is likely to reduce to 2.2 by 2050 (Population Aging: Facts, Challenges, and Responses). The fact brings to attention that over the yea rs there will be higher elderly individuals and less population of working-age which could directly influence economy and business of the societies. Thus, population ageing lift alarming and primary challenges. In order to deal with the coming events it is essential that strategies be designed to deal with such overwhelming situation. Strategies should encompass novel opportunities, in the form of extensive working years depending upon individuals capability and requirements. The present article deals with the formulation of strategies involving elderly individuals, organizations and the societies. These involve- World elderly population estimated by UN Population