GG091014: Ah to be young again, brimming with potential energy, stepping out into the world ready to make your own way, to be highly trained in the art of killing people– wait, what?

A Historic Success In Military Recruiting — [T]he U.S. military has met all of its annual recruiting goals, as hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted despite the near-certainty that they will go to war. … [T]he economic downturn and rising joblessness, as well as bonuses and other factors, [have] led more qualified youths to enlist. … “We delivered beyond anything the framers of the all-volunteer force would have anticipated[.]” … The recession “was a force … given the unemployment that we had not directly forecast, allowed us to be for much of the year in a very favorable position.” … Historically, there has been a strong correlation between rising unemployment and increases in “high quality” enlistments[.] … [G]iven the success this year, the Pentagon is cutting its $5 billion recruiting budget by 11 percent for next year. — By all accounts, this is a triumph. —