A 40-Year Old Recruit: Inspiration for Fred Kagan?

Meet Clayton Beaver of Hawaii, who just turned 40 and joined the Army. He's one of a very small number of older recruits [41-or-under] who enlisted since the Army raised its maximum age in 2006, as authorized by Congress and signed by the President.

PFC Beaver seems to be doing well in basic training and has assumed a leadership position in his platoon. We thank him for his decision to Serve Our Country and wish him, and his family, all the best.

What struck Operation Yellow Elephant the most is the lack of any patriotic inspiration, especially by any of our national civilian political leadership, in PFC Beaver's decision. He and his family certainly deserve the financial and other support for his decision, but isn't something missing here?

The Washington Post is having an online discussion of this article on Monday, November 19, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. You can submit your questions in advance; click here.

So, what does this have to do with Dr. Frederick Kagan, the intellectual author of The Surge, a neocon think tankist at the American Enterprise Institute? Well, if Clayton Beaver can get himself into shape, so can Dr. Kagan. Please invite him to do so; click here: Dr. Kagan.

Operation Yellow Elephant thanks The Washington Post for sharing the experiences of a real American who joins our Army as a 40-year-old recruit. The American people really want to Support Our Troops; this helps them know a bit about them.