Phantom Blooper
09-25-05, 09:51 PM
COX NEWS SERVICE
September 23, 2005
WASHINGTON – More than half of young people are not qualified to serve in the military because they can't meet entry level standards for health, education and other requirements, a government study released yesterday said.
In 2004, there were about 24 million people ages 16 to 21 in the United States, the prime recruiting age for the military. Of those, 58 percent, or about 14 million, are ineligible for service.
Of the remaining 10 million, 6 million go on to college – leaving only 4 million that the Pentagon can try to recruit.
There is also less propensity among youth to want to join the military. For example, the number of blacks attracted to the military has been on the decline for three or four years, in part because of the influence of parents, coaches, teachers and church leaders who are less likely to encourage military service.
The Army has been struggling to meet recruitment goals, a situation recruiters blame on nightly news footage of the carnage in Iraq and attractive employment alternatives to military service. It has responded by adding at least 1,000 recruiters and offering sign-up bonuses to recruits worth up to $90,000 in cash and college tuition payments. In addition, the Army is spending millions of dollars on television, print and radio ads targeting parents, coaches, teachers and others.
The accountability office report, requested by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, also found that most military reservists who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan came from rural and urban areas, as opposed to suburban areas.
The report found that 58 percent of the reservists who died were middle class and 29 percent were poor, as determined by the U.S. military though the use of commercial marketing software and ZIP code information.
In addition, the report found that the military is becoming more racially diverse. It also has more women and more soldiers who are married and have children.
Blacks are overrepresented in the military, constituting 17 percent of personnel, while only 11 percent of the civilian work force. Hispanics, on the contrary, are underrepresented, partly because of high school dropout rates, which could disqualify them for service, the report said. Hispanics constitute 9 percent of the military and 11 percent of the civilian work force. Whites make up 67 percent of the military and 71 percent of the civilian work force.
September 23, 2005
WASHINGTON – More than half of young people are not qualified to serve in the military because they can't meet entry level standards for health, education and other requirements, a government study released yesterday said.
In 2004, there were about 24 million people ages 16 to 21 in the United States, the prime recruiting age for the military. Of those, 58 percent, or about 14 million, are ineligible for service.
Of the remaining 10 million, 6 million go on to college – leaving only 4 million that the Pentagon can try to recruit.
There is also less propensity among youth to want to join the military. For example, the number of blacks attracted to the military has been on the decline for three or four years, in part because of the influence of parents, coaches, teachers and church leaders who are less likely to encourage military service.
The Army has been struggling to meet recruitment goals, a situation recruiters blame on nightly news footage of the carnage in Iraq and attractive employment alternatives to military service. It has responded by adding at least 1,000 recruiters and offering sign-up bonuses to recruits worth up to $90,000 in cash and college tuition payments. In addition, the Army is spending millions of dollars on television, print and radio ads targeting parents, coaches, teachers and others.
The accountability office report, requested by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, also found that most military reservists who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan came from rural and urban areas, as opposed to suburban areas.
The report found that 58 percent of the reservists who died were middle class and 29 percent were poor, as determined by the U.S. military though the use of commercial marketing software and ZIP code information.
In addition, the report found that the military is becoming more racially diverse. It also has more women and more soldiers who are married and have children.
Blacks are overrepresented in the military, constituting 17 percent of personnel, while only 11 percent of the civilian work force. Hispanics, on the contrary, are underrepresented, partly because of high school dropout rates, which could disqualify them for service, the report said. Hispanics constitute 9 percent of the military and 11 percent of the civilian work force. Whites make up 67 percent of the military and 71 percent of the civilian work force.