Vaccine Mandate Is Hurting Recruiting, Top Marine General Says
BY PGF
1 year, 11 months ago
Give the Marines credit for at least citing the cause. Last week here at TCJ, we noted how the Navy gave no reasons for its recruiting and retention problems.
The COVID-19 vaccine mandate is contributing to the military’s recruitment troubles, the top general in the Marine Corps said on Saturday.
Speaking during a panel at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger defended the vaccine mandate as a necessity for keeping the force healthy. But he indicated the mandate has posed problems for recruiting in pockets of the United States where vaccine misinformation is prevalent.
“Where it is having an impact for sure is on recruiting, where in parts of the country there’s still myths and misbeliefs about the back story behind it,” Berger said.
Speaking to reporters at the conference later Saturday afternoon, Berger added that the mandate has posed an issue for recruiting in the South in particular.
“There was not accurate information out early on and it was very politicized and people make decisions and they still have those same beliefs. That’s hard to work your way past really hard to work,” he said in response to a question from Military.com.
“Small areas, big factor,” he added when pressed about how much the mandate has contributed to recruiting issues. “You talk to me in the cafeteria, and one of my first questions is, ‘Do I have to get that vaccine?’ And you go, ‘Yeah, you do.’ Ok, I’ll talk to you later. It’s that fast.”
The military has faced a recruiting crisis over the last year as it tackles the twin difficulties of increasing numbers of Americans unqualified to serve and decreasing numbers of those who are qualified being interested in serving.
One Pentagon study found that only 23% of young Americans would be eligible, pointing primarily to obesity and minor legal infractions related to things like marijuana use as precluding the vast majority from putting on the uniform.
On December 11, 2022 at 7:14 pm, X said:
I’m sure that risking getting your legs blown off to bring gay rights and feminism to the Middle East doesn’t help recruiting, either…
On December 11, 2022 at 11:30 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Young men of traditional backgrounds, the kind who hail from rural America and other places like it, are getting wise to the fact that to join mil.gov means risking life and limb for a government and system which holds you and all you hold dear in contempt and views you as cannon fodder.
To staunch the bleeding, personnel-wise, look for the government to ask for waivers to allow non-citizens in the country illegally to join the armed forces, and for the formation of an “American foreign legion,” not unlike that of France. The policy wonks at DOD and the Rand Corp. have wanted it for years….
On December 13, 2022 at 5:20 pm, Biff said:
This guy Berger is serving the koolaid!
“Where it is having an impact for sure is on recruiting, where in parts of the country there’s still myths and misbeliefs about the back story behind it,” Berger said.
Yeah, no shit Sherlock! People are aware that the jab is poison. How come you don’t get it? Oh what you must have done to get those stars, and still do to keep them! Isn’t this the guy that got rid of Marine capabilities? I recall him saying that if the Marines need a tank, they will call the Army. Great plan Napoloen!
Marine Integrity at it’s worst!