This strains our military in their professional and personal lives. And fighter air wings during this period were cut from 24 to 13. The Navy had a 600-ship fleet during the Cold War, but now it has just over 300. Recruiting is not the military's only problem retaining troops is also difficult. Not only must families deal with unexpected separations, they also have difficulty meeting basic needs.
Hundreds use food stamps or other forms of federal assistance or the charity of fellow troops.
Although Congress has tentatively approved a 4.8 percent pay raise effective January 1, the raises will still leave a military-civilian gap of 11 percent. Our troops deserve better. An Unhealthy Mix Mixed-sex training and the placement of men and women in close working quarters have caused problems . Catherine Aspy's experience with mixed-sex training in the Army has been published in Reader's Digest and Focus on the Family 's Citizen . On her first night, her married roommate, a mother of two, yelled at her recruiter, with whom she was having an affair.