Mercenaries

MANIFESTO

Demonstrating once again that everyone has his price:

More than 90 percent of the Army's new recruits since late July have accepted a $20,000 "quick ship" bonus to leave for basic combat training by the end of September, putting thousands of Americans into uniform almost immediately.

Many recruits who take the bonus -- scoring in many cases the equivalent of more than a year's pay -- leave their homes within days, recruiters said. The initiative is part of an effort by Army officials to meet year-end recruiting goals after a two-month slump earlier this year. With the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the Army hopes the extra cash motivates those interested in joining or entices those just considering enlisting.

This shows just how desperate the military is to get additional IED fodder—that is, in addition to the "ticking time bombs" that are already serving in Iraq and Afghanistan (and being redeployed over and over again).

And, lest we forget, this is how GI George handled his own possible overseas deployment.