Blood money

Aug 6, 2007

On July 25, the U.S. Army started offering so-called “Quick-Ship” bonuses to new recruits: $20,000 if recruits sign up and report for basic training within thirty days; $40,000, if they also agree to stay for four years.

A new recruit could be in and out of basic training and on the ground in Iraq in as little as three to four months.

These bribes – blood money, really – show the army’s problems in finding people ready to fight in this dirty and deadly war, even in a period when good jobs are exceedingly scarce.