Why does the US military suffer from low morale?

Question

I have seen many soldiers that are in Iraq just because they have to, very few of them are there because they want to serve their country. I personally don't see a reason myself, what are they achieving in Iraq. I am clueless. Oil? Saddam? WMD? Israel's security? What?

Answer 1

Summing up Iraq into one easy "here's why were there" is impossible. The blanket term for the war in the middle east is National Security. We have won the war against Islamic Terrorists. We continue our presence in Iraq to ensure the safety of our investments from threats like Iran.

While I'm not exactly sure of what the actual moral is of the troops, I feel like if it is low anti war organizations like Move On are to blame. They will slander our president and every politician who has ever supported the war. They say the war was useless and mock our country in the face of the world. They repeatedly protest the war and fail to see the true accomplishments. Unfortunately they also have the main stream media avoiding the fact that the war was won and instead focus on other issues. The Liberal media would rather report on Obama "fist pounding" his wife than give credit to the men and women who fought, lived, and died to promote and preserve freedom in the middle east!

Answer 2

There is no draft.  Our armed forces are filled with people who volunteered to serve your country.  You should try it sometime.

Yes, you are clueless.

Answer 3

Is that what CNN told you to believe.  I agree, you are clueless.  But you don't have to be.  You don't always have to believe 100% of what the media tells you.  You'd be surprised how inaccurate they really are.  I've been on local news twice for random things and know a few other people involved in the news and every story has been completely inaccurate.  Both times they couldn't even get my name right.  How do you get Stuart Williams out of Stephen Wilson?  If the media is 0 for 2 just for me, how many more s***w ups have they done?

I never rely on one sole media source.  Most of their stories come straight from the AP wire or Reueters and just repeat what they were told.

As far as morale goes, these guys knew what they were in for when they started.  There is progress over there, but it takes a lot of time.  You have to remember what we're trying to to here.  It's no simple task.  We're taking a country who for decades have been living in fear and have never been able to think on their own and helping to transform them into an independent democratic nation.  Freedom is something they're not fully used to yet, and that can only come with time.

So yes, there is progress.  Yes, there are still many many troops who willingly reenlist and there are many new recruits who sign up every day.  Look around here.  There someone everyday posting questions about joining the military.  Does their morale look low?

Answer 4

Many soldiers on the ground know precisely why they're there, see all the benefits they're achieving, and re-enlist in great numbers, despite the dangers. What's missing is the positive media reports. People in Iraq know what's truly going on; it's unfortunate that many back home are clueless to the positive impact of our troop's mission.

Answer 5

Low morale? Maybe its cuz its too hot, anti-war propaganda back at home, and boring, not much to do.

I would volunteer to go their right now if I can.

Reason? Securing peace in Iraq and helping the government until they can govern themselves.

Answer 6

If they didn't want to serve their country, they wouldn't be in the military.  You do not know what the soldiers are thinking in their minds.  You do not have all the facts.  You only have the media, on top of that, only the media that you CHOOSE to read.

I've serve for both wars.  I love my country.  I wouldn't be in the military if I didn't.

Answer 7

How do you think your morale would be if you went 15 months without speaking to your family, had a shower maybe once a week, lived in constant danger of being killed, only got to use the phone once a week if you were lucky, slept on an ultra thin mattress surrounded by 200 of your closest friends, and spent 12-16 hours a day on foot patrol in full battle rattle in 120 degree weather.

Yes it is a volunteer military force in this country, and they go where they are asked, but after a while wouldn't all of the above get to you just a little bit?

Yes you are completely clueless!

Answer 8

please stop watching TV

Answer 9

Well, Iraq has 79 Billion dollars in a bank on Wall Street, so at least they are doing well, while we are losing 10-12 billion dollars a month on a pointless war.

Answer 10

becuase the training provided by the us army is not efficient enough to prepare the soldiers for the stresses faced in modern combat