I am the spouse of a military recruiter.

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May 23rd, 2005 3:32 PM

I am the spouse of a military recruiter.

From: Jocelyn
Date: Mon, 23 May 2005 15:32:49
To: soldiers@michaelmoore.com
Subject: Army Recruiting

I am at a loss when it comes to finding help. I just stumbled upon this website and thought hey--it cant hurt. I am the spouse of a military recruiter. Army to be exact. I have been writing members of congress and even the President himself and I am not finding help or support. My husband who served in Iraq was selected for recruiting. This life is not his choice. We have been relocated to a city where we have been stripped of all our military customs, commissary and PX and housing, and there is minimal compensation. I do not see my husband until Sundays. He is so exhausted from day to day that I fear something is going to happen to him. The hours are horrid, the pressure on him is outrageous and the mental change that he is going through is unacceptable!!! Iraq changed him to begin with and now the recruiting assignment is changing him even more. We are completely broke living paycheck to paycheck, which we have never done. We are in a town that IS NOT affordable for a military member. We have no family time and the kids and myself are suffering. We have no hope of owning a home anytime in the near future and that is ever if my husband doesn't enter a mental facility. I started writing people long before the whole recruiting scandal. I am yet to find a report that shows how much pure HELL the military recruiter goes through himself. Nothing has been shown on how much the family that is behind him suffers either. The hours are so long and tiring that recently there was an incident where a recruiter was in accident because of lack of sleep. Luckily he or anyone else was not injured but what about next time? I don't want that to be my husband!!! I have not spoke to a spouse yet that is happy with their husbands lifestyle as a recruiter. I just want people to hear a different side to the story. Not to dismiss what the recruiters are doing wrong but to help reform recruiting in general so they don't have to be lying scum. My husband is a wonderful soldier that would rather go back to Iraq than be here recruiting. I am so outraged and at a loss. I am doing my best to be there for my husband but I am ready to give up. He doesn't have a choice in this matter. In fact he was forced to either reenlist indefinitely before this assignment or get out of the military and never be able to enlist again. And flush that 13 years that he has giving to this country down the drain. I am sick of this scandal, I am sick of those head honchos acting like they didn't know what the recruiters were doing when they are the ones putting the pressure on the soldiers to get the contracts. I don't appreciate it AT ALL! The recruiters cannot even speak up in fear of punishment. Even us as spouses should keep our mouths shut in fear that it will be taken out on our spouse. I will not keep my mouth shut. The country needs to know!!!

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