thedrifter
02-07-07, 03:29 PM
Conway asks Marines to re-enlist, extend
‘Your Marine Corps needs you’
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 7, 2007 13:34:45 EST
The Corps’ top officer is making a personal appeal to Marines to re-enlist or to extend, at a time when the service is expanding its ranks to fight the toll of repetitive combat deployments.
Commandant Gen. James Conway e-mailed an open letter to all Marines on Wednesday — including to those in the Individual Ready Reserve — acknowledging the strain deployments have caused over the past five years.
The Pentagon wants to add 22,000 Marines to the fold by 2011 — for a total of 202,000 Marines — to give leathernecks more time at home between deployments.
Corps officials are ramping up retention efforts to help meet the goal, including adding 600 recruiters this year, increasing the cap on the Selective Re-enlistment Bonus to $60,000 and offering bonuses to former Marines who have been out of the Corps for as long as four years. Officials also have lifted re-enlistment boatspaces, meaning anyone who is eligible to re-enlist will be able to.
“In a larger Marine Corps, we will need the leadership, savvy and determination that experienced Marines like you provide,” Conway wrote. “Now, more than ever, your Marine Corps needs you.”
Conway urged Marines considering leaving the Corps to reconsider — a plea he said comes with incentives for extensions and re-enlistments.
“Think about the experience you have to offer and what it could mean to your fellow Marines still engaged in the fight,” he said.
“You are part of a new generation of Marines — carrying the battle-tested colors of our Corps. You have carried them with pride and with honor; I ask you to carry them with me for just a while longer,” Conway wrote.
Here is Conway’s message:
From: General James T. Conway - Commandant of the Marine Corps
Subject: Call to Service from the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Our Nation is at war — our Corps is at war — fighting a determined enemy bent on terror and domination. Make no mistake, it is a war we must win! Success by the enemy will dramatically change the world as we know it, leaving a harsh environment for our children and grandchildren to endure.
I don’t need to tell you that over five years of deployments to the fight have put a strain on our Corps. Acknowledging that, and the necessity to win this struggle, the President has recently authorized the Marine Corps to grow. In a larger Marine Corps, we will need the leadership, savvy, and determination that experienced Marines like you provide. Now, more than ever, your Marine Corps needs you.
Many of you have already sacrificed a great deal — and have already served your country in a courageous and honorable manner. However, in this hour of national crisis, I encourage every Marine who is considering closing the chapter on his or her Marine Corps service to reconsider. You are elite among the Nation’s warriors. America and your Corps need you now, and I ask you to re-enlist — or to extend your commitment — to help us defeat this enemy and see us through the crisis. Think about the experience you have to offer and what it could mean to your fellow Marines still engaged in the fight. I know that any decision to stay in the Corps is both very important and very personal — one that has far reaching effects on both you and your family. In light of this, I have authorized new incentives for your extension / re-enlistment in recognition of your experience and honorable service.
Contact your Commanding Officer, First Sergeant or Career Retention Specialist for more information.
You are part of a new generation of Marines — carrying the battle-tested colors of our Corps. You have carried them with pride and with honor; I ask you to carry them with me for just a while longer.
Semper Fidelis,
James T. Conway
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Ellie
‘Your Marine Corps needs you’
By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Feb 7, 2007 13:34:45 EST
The Corps’ top officer is making a personal appeal to Marines to re-enlist or to extend, at a time when the service is expanding its ranks to fight the toll of repetitive combat deployments.
Commandant Gen. James Conway e-mailed an open letter to all Marines on Wednesday — including to those in the Individual Ready Reserve — acknowledging the strain deployments have caused over the past five years.
The Pentagon wants to add 22,000 Marines to the fold by 2011 — for a total of 202,000 Marines — to give leathernecks more time at home between deployments.
Corps officials are ramping up retention efforts to help meet the goal, including adding 600 recruiters this year, increasing the cap on the Selective Re-enlistment Bonus to $60,000 and offering bonuses to former Marines who have been out of the Corps for as long as four years. Officials also have lifted re-enlistment boatspaces, meaning anyone who is eligible to re-enlist will be able to.
“In a larger Marine Corps, we will need the leadership, savvy and determination that experienced Marines like you provide,” Conway wrote. “Now, more than ever, your Marine Corps needs you.”
Conway urged Marines considering leaving the Corps to reconsider — a plea he said comes with incentives for extensions and re-enlistments.
“Think about the experience you have to offer and what it could mean to your fellow Marines still engaged in the fight,” he said.
“You are part of a new generation of Marines — carrying the battle-tested colors of our Corps. You have carried them with pride and with honor; I ask you to carry them with me for just a while longer,” Conway wrote.
Here is Conway’s message:
From: General James T. Conway - Commandant of the Marine Corps
Subject: Call to Service from the Commandant of the Marine Corps
Our Nation is at war — our Corps is at war — fighting a determined enemy bent on terror and domination. Make no mistake, it is a war we must win! Success by the enemy will dramatically change the world as we know it, leaving a harsh environment for our children and grandchildren to endure.
I don’t need to tell you that over five years of deployments to the fight have put a strain on our Corps. Acknowledging that, and the necessity to win this struggle, the President has recently authorized the Marine Corps to grow. In a larger Marine Corps, we will need the leadership, savvy, and determination that experienced Marines like you provide. Now, more than ever, your Marine Corps needs you.
Many of you have already sacrificed a great deal — and have already served your country in a courageous and honorable manner. However, in this hour of national crisis, I encourage every Marine who is considering closing the chapter on his or her Marine Corps service to reconsider. You are elite among the Nation’s warriors. America and your Corps need you now, and I ask you to re-enlist — or to extend your commitment — to help us defeat this enemy and see us through the crisis. Think about the experience you have to offer and what it could mean to your fellow Marines still engaged in the fight. I know that any decision to stay in the Corps is both very important and very personal — one that has far reaching effects on both you and your family. In light of this, I have authorized new incentives for your extension / re-enlistment in recognition of your experience and honorable service.
Contact your Commanding Officer, First Sergeant or Career Retention Specialist for more information.
You are part of a new generation of Marines — carrying the battle-tested colors of our Corps. You have carried them with pride and with honor; I ask you to carry them with me for just a while longer.
Semper Fidelis,
James T. Conway
General, U.S. Marine Corps
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Ellie