more "good" news for the military!

Guard Reports Serious Drop in Enlistment
Signing Bonuses Boosted to $15,000
By ERIC SCHMITT, The New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16
- In the latest signs of strains on the military from the war in Iraq, the Army National Guard announced on Thursday that it had fallen 30 percent below its recruiting goals in the last two months and would offer new incentives, including enlistment bonuses of up to $15,000.

In addition, the head of the National Guard Bureau, Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, said on Thursdaythat he needed $20 billion to replace arms and equipment destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan or left there for other Army and Air Guard units to use, so that returning reservists will have enough equipment to deal with emergencies at home.

The sharp decline in recruiting is significant because National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers now make up nearly 40 percent of the 148,000 troops in Iraq, and are a vital source for filling the ranks, particularly those who perform essential support tasks, like truck drivers and military police.

I hope that no one is surprised that their is a drop in enlistment in the National Guard and the Reserves, seeing as everyone knows that they will be shipped to Iraq if they enlist and will not just be reporting one weekend a month or something. Also, since these people are the most likely to die in Iraq, that's not a very strong recruiting tool either!
Anyone feel a draft coming on?!