Letters to the Editor, and why it's not always such a good idea to sign your real name or allow your picture to be taken ...

"'Kids' want a career, not combat"

"Forcing recruits into combat roles discourages youth who may join the Canadian Forces for a different career", writes Martin Neuteboom.

The Ottawa CitizenPublished: Monday, November 13, 2006

Re: Military recruits must be ready to fight for first two years: Hillier, Oct. 26.

"Gen. Rick Hillier's comment was outright insulting. He is completely out of touch about the mindset of young Canadians applying to the country's armed forces. No doubt "kids," as he says, "are flocking" to recruitment centres. But this is mostly due to the fact that new graduates find that they are otherwise persona non grata in the workforce as employers are reluctant to invest any resources into recruiting and training fresh blood."

"The military is the rare employer that actually gives young people a chance to employ hard-earned, higher-level education. Or at least it was."

"Gen. Hillier's proposal to disregard the education and talents of new and potential recruits by forcing them into front-line combat roles in Afghanistan for two years before allowing them the privilege to proceed to the professions they applied for, changes the perspective potential recruits will have of the military as an employer."

"Gen. Hillier does not consider the motivation for educated young people to join the Canadian Forces. He is making assumptions that young people who have invested a lot of time, money and energy into getting educated, and still have the option of walking away from the military, are willing to abandon such accomplishments to become a convenient solution to one of his problems."

"Gen. Hillier's attitude toward young, educated applicants is wrong because it most certainly will have "a chilling effect" on recruitment."

"With a post-graduate degree in engineering, having endured three years (yes, three years!) of jumping through the hoops of the military application process, and having just recently been offered an engineering position with the air force, in view of this proposal, I am not just "chilled," I am stone-cold frozen."

"Martin Neuteboom, Ottawa"

Cross Posted