Wednesday, January 14, 2004
Supporting Our Troops By Bribing Them
Don't know how I missed this one: (from "U.S. soldiers balking at staying in Iraq for $10,000 bonus", AP, 1/8/04)
BAQOUBA, Iraq - At a checkpoint on the barren plain east of Baqouba, word of a new U.S. Army plan to pay soldiers up to $10,000 to re-enlist evoked laughter from a few bored-looking troopers.
"Man, they can't pay me enough to stay here," said a 23-year-old specialist from the Army's 4th Infantry Division, headquartered at Fort Hood in Central Texas, as he manned the checkpoint with Iraqi police outside this city.
His comments reflect a sentiment not uncommon among the nearly two dozen soldiers in Iraq who have spoken with The Associated Press since the Army announced the increased re-enlistment bonuses for soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait on Monday.
[... snip ...]
Some cited the monotonous routine of a lonely life spent thousands of miles from loved ones. Others offered simpler reasons - such as the fear of an early death.
