August 12, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Military: Intelligence Issues: Arizona Republic: RPCV Rick Freas says Peace Corps is no place for military

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Special Reports: August 2, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Military: Intelligence Issues: Washington Post: Peace Corps Option for Military Recruits Sparks Concerns : Top Story: Peace Corps Option for Military Recruits Sparks Concerns: August 12, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Military: Intelligence Issues: Arizona Republic: RPCV Rick Freas says Peace Corps is no place for military

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-37-25.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.37.25) on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 - 6:34 am: Edit Post

RPCV Rick Freas says Peace Corps is no place for military

RPCV Rick Freas says Peace Corps is no place for military

"If the military needs help recruiting new members, then Congress should increase pay or other incentives to entice people to join. Damaging the mission of the Peace Corps and putting volunteers at risk is the wrong approach."

RPCV Rick Freas says Peace Corps is no place for military

Peace Corps is no place for military

Aug. 12, 2005 12:00 AM

Regarding "Peace Corps plan fuels concern" (Republic, Sunday):

I am writing to express my dismay about the U.S. military allowing recruits to meet part of their military obligations by serving in the Peace Corps.

I was a Peace Corps volunteer (Sierra Leone, 1988-1990). Any association with the U.S. military or intelligence services would compromise the mission of the Peace Corps.

The countries we serve need to know that the Peace Corps has only one mission: to assist them. If they are suspicious of ulterior motives, then Peace Corps volunteers will either not be welcomed or their opportunities to assist will be greatly reduced.

Furthermore, individual volunteers may be put at risk. As a volunteer, you are often the only Westerner for many miles around. You depend on the goodwill of the people you live with and are there to serve.

Political trouble can occur in any country, as it did in Sierra Leone while I was there. If someone has any reason to view you as a threat, such as rumors that you work for the military, you could become a target.

If the military needs help recruiting new members, then Congress should increase pay or other incentives to entice people to join. Damaging the mission of the Peace Corps and putting volunteers at risk is the wrong approach.

I encourage Congress to stop this practice and preserve the Peace Corps as one of America's premier goodwill ambassadors. - Rick Freas, Phoenix





When this story was posted in August 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
The Peace Corps Library Date: March 27 2005 No: 536 The Peace Corps Library
Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

Top Stories and Breaking News PCOL Magazine Peace Corps Library RPCV Directory Sign Up

Military Option sparks concerns Date: August 3 2005 No: 698 Military Option sparks concerns
The U.S. military, struggling to fill its voluntary ranks, is allowing recruits to meet part of their military obligations by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is rising opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" Latest: RPCV Chris Matthews to discuss the issue on Hardball tonight.

Top Stories: August 1, 2005 Date: July 31 2005 No: 693 Top Stories: August 1, 2005
Paul E. Tsongas Public Service Award unveiled 21 July
Charlie Peters writes book on Wendell Willkie 25 July
Protests against Peace Corps in Bangladesh 30 July
Christopher R. Hill leads talks with North Korea 29 July
Chris Shays blocks senator's plan to reopen bases 29 July
Dr. Joann LaPerla-Morales leads Middlesex College 28 July
Jacob Mundy supports struggle in Western Sahara 28 July
Paul Theroux blames big oil for ‘catastrophe’ in Ecuador 28 July
Bruce Wilkinson has called Africa home for 17 years 25 July
Taylor Hackford producing "E-Ring" for tv 25 July
Robert Haas to retire as head of Levi Strauss 24 July
Brent Lynn turned Janus Overseas Fund around 24 July
James Rupert says Musharraf walks tightrope in Pakistan 23 July
Thomas O. Mann describes Carp Fishing in France 22 July
Rob Quigley receives Maybeck Award in Architecture 22 July
Blackwill says visit by India PM a 'historical breakthrough' 21 July
NPCA studies membership structure 21 July
Mark Lenzi says Poles deserve the West's support 20 July
Mark Gearan weighs in on Bush's Supreme Court pick 20 July
Ofelia Miramontes championed bilingual education 18 July
Hank Stelzer supports school for blind in Lesotho 16 July

Special Events for RPCVs Date: July 31 2005 No: 694 Special Events for RPCVs
RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15
"Artists and Patrons in Traditional African Cultures" in NY thru Sept 30
See RPCV Musical "Doing Good" in CA through Sept
RPCV Film Festival in DC in October

July 17, 2005: This Week's Top Stories Date: July 17 2005 No: 690 July 17, 2005: This Week's Top Stories
C. Payne Lucas writes "Can we win the war on HIV/Aids?" 11 July
Director Vasquez hints at expansion in Bangladesh 17 July
Why didn't I spend my life helping others? 17 July
John Beasley returns to the islands of Micronesia 17 July
Jennifer Field to study glacier melting 17 July
Tucker McCravy works with Serendib in Sri Lanka 17 July
David Vick writes "Waging civilized warfare" 16 July
Tom Petri says Nelson helped to promote civility 16 July
Peace Corps Director Visits Volunteers in Mongolia 15 July
John Bridgeland writes "An example for Boomers" 15 July
Robert Blackwill says India and US have a great future 15 July
Peace Corps debuts new internet recruitment tool 14 July
Eight New Country Directors Appointed 13 July
Shelton Johnson Honored for Buffalo Soldier program 13 July
Bill Lorenz leads trek for Sudanese refugees 12 July
Emilie Pryor says Peace Corps ignores Lariam problems 12 July
DDN is Award Finalist for reporting on PC Safety 11 July
Randy Lewis to hire 200 people with cognitive disabilities 10 July
Maryland needs people like Tom Lewis 10 July
Dan DeWayne puts on music festival 10 July

Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000  strong Date: April 2 2005 No: 543 Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong
170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Arizona Republic

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Speaking Out; Military; Intelligence Issues

PCOL21591
86


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: