NYT: Army Recruiting More High School Dropouts to Meet Goals

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, June 10 - The Army is having to turn to more high school dropouts and lower-achieving applicants to fill its ranks, accepting hundreds of recruits in recent months who would have been rejected a year ago, according to Army statistics.

(snip)

But as the Army formally announced Friday that it had missed its recruiting goal for the fourth consecutive month, senior Army officials and independent military personnel specialists said the profile of this year's recruits raised troubling questions about the quality of recruits entering the service.

"The overall quality of the force today is lower than it was a year ago," said David R. Segal, who directs the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. "It means they can anticipate more problem situations with recruits in the training cycle."

(snip)

A recruiter in Washington, who insisted on anonymity to protect his career, said that at the time, he was concerned about whether these recruits could handle the increasingly high-technology tools of combat.

Another recruiter, in New York, who insisted on anonymity for the same reason, said this month that the Army seemed to care less about quality than about filling the holes left by soldiers who decline to re-enlist. "It's about one thing: numbers," he said.

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/11/politics/11recruit.html?

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. say after me, viet nam

[bluestateguy]

2. That's dangerous

Especially given today's high tech armed forces, a bunch of dropout dumbasses on the front lines puts the lives of all the other troops in danger.

Of course the solution to this whole problem would be to maybe, uh, you know, start fewer wars around the world. That would solve the manpower problem real quick.

[matt819]

6. high tech hogwash

These guys are cannon fodder.

[lebkuchen]

7. Yeah, and then that $400 billion a year spent in Iraq can go to training

the dumbasses on civilian tech jobs at home--help GM get back on its feet. What a concept.

[nankerphelge]

3. Pretty soon...

even being gay isn't going to keep me from being drafted.

[xray s]

4. So much for the argument that a volunteer army is "more professional"

I wonder how long the army can hold out before it has to go to the village idiot and tell him they need to draft people NOW!

[Lars39]

5. This article ties in...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1540021

[gratuitous]

8. And as the quality of recruits goes down . . .

Keep in mind that the atrocities at Abu Ghraib were committed by the best the military could put in the field. What fresh war crimes are waiting in the wings to horrify our nation and appall the world?

Two choice quotes from later in the article:

"We don't have a sense of crisis or desperation," said Lt. Gen. Robert Magnus, deputy Marine commandant for programs and resources. "Understandably, American moms and dads read the newspaper and watch TV, and may or may not have special interests and concerns as their sons and daughters consider becoming soldiers or marines."

Oh, those "special interests"! You know, like that special interest in having your children outlive you, or grow up, get married, have children, and enjoy a life of their own? American moms and dads are so selfish! And how about this one, from the unofficial Government Office of Faith-Based Finger-Crossing:

Some lawmakers and independent military specialists defended the practice, saying it made sense to accept some low-achieving applicants so long as overall numbers remained within the Army's standards.

"I'm not totally naïve, but I have faith in recruiters," said Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina. "There may be higher dropout rates. But a lot of times they're extending opportunities to minorities who wouldn't have opportunities otherwise."

Isn't that touching? Rep. Wilson has "faith" in the recruiters. No way they'd ever sign someone up just to make a number. And think of all those brown and black kids getting an "opportunity" they wouldn't otherwise have! Hey Rep. Wilson, how about letting your four kids in on that "opportunity"? Or are they too precious to our nation to risk in Iraq?

[avenueb]

9. Bush destroyed the military

False claim against clinton, spot on with Bush

[fasttense]

10. Lowering the recruiting standards has been

a time honored method of obtaining more recruits since Nixon did it in Vietnam.

[HockeyMom]

11. Daughter's friend who enlisted

I posted this before. He was turned down by Army because he was underweight. They gave him a job as a recruiter for 6 months. Even though he didn't gain the weight, he was accepted by the Marines.

He finished basic training and is now in Pensacola in flight school - special type of Jet? I don't know, but maybe somebody else would know what kind.

Anyway point being, we were very surprised at what happened with him. He was hardly the brightest kid on the block, but he did graduate high school and went to college for six months before he joined up. So from what I am hearing about the standard of recruits they are getting, our friend must be considered a TOP PRIZE among their recruits. lol

[wildcat78]

12. Just the numbers!

Yeah, the Army needs more cannon fodder.

Where's County Joe and the Fish?

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Got their song redux here

(From Country Joe & the Fish original lyrics: I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag )

Yeah, come on all of you, big children,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself on the attack
Way over yonder in the big Iraq
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a fuck,
Next stop is on an Iraq truck;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on generals, let's move fast;
Your big chance has come at last.
Gotta go out and get ragheads —
The only good Muslim is the one who's dead
And you know that peace can only be won
When we've blown 'em all to kingdom come.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a fuck,
Next stop is on an Iraq truck;
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Huh!

Well, come on Wall Street, don't move slow,
Why man, this is war au-go-go.
There's plenty good money to be made
By supplying the Army with the tools of the trade,
Just hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
They drop it on all Islam.

And it's one, two, three,
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a fuck,
Next stop is on an Iraq truck.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your children off to the new Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your kid come home in a box.

And it's one, two, three
What are we fighting for ?
Don't ask me, I don't give a fuck,
Next stop is on an Iraq truck.
And it's five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates,
Well there ain't no time to wonder why,
Whoopee! we're all gonna die.

[Evergreen Emerald]

14. Why aren't they going after those with GW stickers on the vehicles?

How many voted for Bush? There should be plenty of people ready to join.

[Not_Giving_Up]

15. I was at the Worksource for an orientation the other day...

They had a rep from the Army National Guard there with a big sign in front of her table that said "Earn a degree, tuition free!"...Funny, despite the announcements made every 15 minutes over the speaker system asking if you know anyone who will be a senior in high school next year that needs help with college money, no one was visiting the table.

I think at this point, even the dropouts realize that they'll be doging bullets before they get that education.