And we wonder where money for the National Guard gets put to use?

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 09:28:51 -0400

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/national-guard-hendrick-motorsports-disagree-sponsorship-contract-dale-earnhardt-jr-080614

Does the National Guard rake in enough recruits to justify:

"The guard said in a statement posted on its web site it spent $32 million on its NASCAR sponsorship and $12 million on its IndyCar sponsorship this year, and noted that "sports sponsorships have played an important role in helping the guard build strong brand awareness."

While units go without needed equipment? What are your thoughts out there in RallyPoint land?

National Guard says it will end Dale Earnhardt Jr. sponsorship after this season, but Hendrick...

National Guard says it will end Dale Earnhardt Jr. sponsorship after this season, but Hendrick Motorsports is crying foul.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2014 10:02 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:02:24 -0400

Perhaps, the Guard can use that money to purchase an Apache back from Big Army. ijs

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Aug 7 at 2014 10:18 AM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:18:37 -0400

Do we need to spend $40M so people know we exist, a.k.a. "brand awareness"?

Chalk this cash up with AUSA dues - money to support a lobbying organization to lobby congress for benefits we should already have but are denied by the very same congress AUSA is lobbying - WTF?

Response by PV2 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2014 10:56 AM

PV2 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:56:11 -0400

This bugs me because it's been my perception that NG and Reserves seem to always get the short end of the stick when it comes to proper training and equipment. Has this sponsorship increased enlistment? I highly doubt it.

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Aug 7 at 2014 11:07 AM

LTC Paul Labrador — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:07:05 -0400

Being a volunteer organization, we HAVE to spend money on recruting. No way around that unless you want to reinstitute the draft. The bigger question is did the money we spend have a good return on investment? If it did, then it's money well spent. If not, then we need to put that money somewhere else.

Response by SGT Steve Oakes made Aug 7 at 2014 11:16 AM

SGT Steve Oakes — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 11:16:42 -0400

Why would 44 million be spent to recruit new people when you can not equip the ones you already have?

Response by CPT Chris Loomis made Dec 13 at 2014 12:46 AM

CPT Chris Loomis — Sat, 13 Dec 2014 00:46:07 -0500

I'm with SGT Rick Nyberg. Do we really need to spend that much on race cars? LTC Paul Labrador has a good point too.

However, me, the Platoon Leader, 2LT, at ground level... I would much rather forego the fancy fast moving recruitment advertisements and see to it that Soldiers received their due bonuses, necessary training, and much needed equipment.

Furthermore, we already have demonstration teams like the Golden Knights, Thunderbirds, and the Blue Angels ("Go Army Beat Navy!"). Unless the ROI is grossly evident and in the right column of the balance sheet, I just don't see the perk in the cars.