Not the Navy's fault, but it is the Navy's problem. We took them in. We should take care of them.But that’s not the Navy’s fault.
That's right, why wouldn't you take the GI Bill?Hell, Post 9/11 GI Bill is worth at least $150k-$180k. I would enlist again just for that benefit alone.
It's not about convincing E-1s to join. It's about convincing E-5s to stay past the first 5-6 years. They're so far from 20 the pension doesn't even feel real. There's a Lockheed tech on the ship whispering sweet nothings in their ear. They're getting real tired of port and starboard every deployment, they're getting tired of being assigned 60 man-hours of work every week, and they're fed up with missing just about every major family milestone for the past four years. They've had all these problems and issues with pay and personnel and travel and misgivings about their leadership.
Why wouldn't they just take Skillbridge and the GI Bill and leave?
A 20 year might buy being grateful for three squares and a cot. At 27 they're weighing other things, and one of those things is absolutely getting out and cashing in the GI Bill. They can stay reserves and keep all the medical benefits too.
The original point I was trying to make: Asking sailors to fuel themselves by their wondrous patriotism through these issues is tone-deaf. They will just leave active duty. They are.
"Be grateful you're not sleeping on the dirt." Okay. Right.