thedrifter
02-02-06, 11:06 AM
Fewer high school seniors opt for military
Thursday, February 2, 2006
By RUTH PADAWER
STAFF WRITER
Far fewer New Jersey students plan to join the military upon graduation compared with four years ago, according to newly released state data, reflecting nationwide disenchantment with a war in which casualties mount by the day.
Only about 1,250 of last year's high school seniors -- or 1.4 percent -- intended to enlist, a 39 percent drop from the proportion of students headed to the military in 2001. That's about 500 fewer potential soldiers than four years ago, even as the number of graduates has ballooned.
"We used to tell students to consider the military, and we'd point out all the perks -- paid college tuition, medical and dental included, a decent salary, all that training -- but now, with the war going on, I just can't fix my mouth to say it," said Angela Martin, a guidance counselor at Hackensack High School, where interest tumbled 64 percent in just the last two years. "We don't feel we can morally suggest it now. If one of our students got killed, it would haunt us forever."
The Army first felt the pinch in late 2003, a challenge that intensified as the war dragged on, casualties mounted and word spread of inadequate armor, abuse scandals, extended tours of duty and accelerated rotations back into combat.
By 2005, Army officials were saying it was one of the toughest years for recruitment since the forces became all-volunteer in 1973, especially because parents, coaches and counselors were more reluctant than ever to encourage young people to join. As a result, the Army fell more than 8 percent short of its recruitment goals, its worst showing in years. The National Guard, the Army Reserve and even the Marines struggled to fill their ranks, too.
The falloff in interest has been most marked among African-Americans. In 2001, blacks accounted for 22.3 percent of Army recruits; four years later, the figure was 14.5 percent. In New Jersey, the proportion of black recruits slipped from 32 percent to 25 percent.
"The propensity to serve has been dropping since the late 1980s, but the disenchantment has intensified since the Iraq war," said David R. Segal, a military sociologist who directs the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. "In the last few years, recruitment might also have become harder because the job options for young adults have improved, the number of students attending college is up and the incarceration rate among young people has increased."
In desperation, the Army has added hundreds of recruiters, expanded its advertising budget and increased enlistment bonuses from $6,000 to $20,000. It also raised the maximum age for the National Guard and the Army Reserve and lowered its own admissions standards, last year accepting its least-qualified group of recruits in a decade. Fewer had high school diplomas. A disproportionate number scored poorly on the Defense Department's aptitude test.
A few months ago, the Pentagon launched a $10 million marketing campaign targeted for the first time at parents, hoping to assuage their fear that if their children enlisted, they wouldn't come home alive. The Defense Department's own survey in November 2004 found that only 25 percent of parents would recommend military service to their children, tumbling from 42 percent only a year earlier. The 2005 survey results have not yet been released.
"A dose of harsh reality has made its way into people's minds," said James Hughes, dean of Rutgers University's School of Planning and Public Policy. "The military used to offer a promise of glamour and excitement, and enlistees used it as a way of paying for college. But it may well be that it's not worth the risk right now."
New Jersey has never been particularly fertile ground for recruiters, given its generally strong economy, its liberal leanings and its post-secondary educational offerings. Nearly half the nation's recruits are drawn from rural areas; most come from the South (40 percent) and the West (24 percent). Geography aside, the highest recruitment rates are in areas with few economic opportunities. In towns with shuttered mills and cities with rusting factories, the Army is often the steadiest employer around.
Here in New Jersey, the military disproportionately attracts minorities. Compared with recruits nationwide, Army and Army Reserve recruits in New Jersey are far more likely to be black or Hispanic. For example, 53 percent of the state's Reserve recruits are minorities, compared with 34 percent nationally.
The state's recruits are also less prepared than the typical recruit: Only 78 percent of Army Reserve recruits in New Jersey had a high school diploma last year, compared with 88 percent nationwide. A full 10 percent of the state's Reserve recruits scored in the lowest category on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude test, compared with 3.79 percent nationwide.
These days, school counselors in New Jersey say students who might have opted for the military are now turning to vocational schools and two-year colleges. The proportion of Jersey graduates heading for two-year colleges has climbed steadily over the past four years, from 24.2 percent to 28.7 percent.
"Whenever we give post-secondary advice, we always mention the military as one of the choices, but the kids now say, 'I don't want to go to war,' " said Frank Longo, guidance supervisor at Lodi High School.
In 2003, 6.3 percent of the graduating class went into the military. In last year's class, not one planned to enlist, according to the Department of Education survey.
"They like the idea of a military career and they want a rush of battle," Longo said, "but to go to war to be in a quagmire? What 18-year-old wants to do that when they have their whole life ahead of them?"
E-mail: padawer@northjersey.com
Ellie
Thursday, February 2, 2006
By RUTH PADAWER
STAFF WRITER
Far fewer New Jersey students plan to join the military upon graduation compared with four years ago, according to newly released state data, reflecting nationwide disenchantment with a war in which casualties mount by the day.
Only about 1,250 of last year's high school seniors -- or 1.4 percent -- intended to enlist, a 39 percent drop from the proportion of students headed to the military in 2001. That's about 500 fewer potential soldiers than four years ago, even as the number of graduates has ballooned.
"We used to tell students to consider the military, and we'd point out all the perks -- paid college tuition, medical and dental included, a decent salary, all that training -- but now, with the war going on, I just can't fix my mouth to say it," said Angela Martin, a guidance counselor at Hackensack High School, where interest tumbled 64 percent in just the last two years. "We don't feel we can morally suggest it now. If one of our students got killed, it would haunt us forever."
The Army first felt the pinch in late 2003, a challenge that intensified as the war dragged on, casualties mounted and word spread of inadequate armor, abuse scandals, extended tours of duty and accelerated rotations back into combat.
By 2005, Army officials were saying it was one of the toughest years for recruitment since the forces became all-volunteer in 1973, especially because parents, coaches and counselors were more reluctant than ever to encourage young people to join. As a result, the Army fell more than 8 percent short of its recruitment goals, its worst showing in years. The National Guard, the Army Reserve and even the Marines struggled to fill their ranks, too.
The falloff in interest has been most marked among African-Americans. In 2001, blacks accounted for 22.3 percent of Army recruits; four years later, the figure was 14.5 percent. In New Jersey, the proportion of black recruits slipped from 32 percent to 25 percent.
"The propensity to serve has been dropping since the late 1980s, but the disenchantment has intensified since the Iraq war," said David R. Segal, a military sociologist who directs the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. "In the last few years, recruitment might also have become harder because the job options for young adults have improved, the number of students attending college is up and the incarceration rate among young people has increased."
In desperation, the Army has added hundreds of recruiters, expanded its advertising budget and increased enlistment bonuses from $6,000 to $20,000. It also raised the maximum age for the National Guard and the Army Reserve and lowered its own admissions standards, last year accepting its least-qualified group of recruits in a decade. Fewer had high school diplomas. A disproportionate number scored poorly on the Defense Department's aptitude test.
A few months ago, the Pentagon launched a $10 million marketing campaign targeted for the first time at parents, hoping to assuage their fear that if their children enlisted, they wouldn't come home alive. The Defense Department's own survey in November 2004 found that only 25 percent of parents would recommend military service to their children, tumbling from 42 percent only a year earlier. The 2005 survey results have not yet been released.
"A dose of harsh reality has made its way into people's minds," said James Hughes, dean of Rutgers University's School of Planning and Public Policy. "The military used to offer a promise of glamour and excitement, and enlistees used it as a way of paying for college. But it may well be that it's not worth the risk right now."
New Jersey has never been particularly fertile ground for recruiters, given its generally strong economy, its liberal leanings and its post-secondary educational offerings. Nearly half the nation's recruits are drawn from rural areas; most come from the South (40 percent) and the West (24 percent). Geography aside, the highest recruitment rates are in areas with few economic opportunities. In towns with shuttered mills and cities with rusting factories, the Army is often the steadiest employer around.
Here in New Jersey, the military disproportionately attracts minorities. Compared with recruits nationwide, Army and Army Reserve recruits in New Jersey are far more likely to be black or Hispanic. For example, 53 percent of the state's Reserve recruits are minorities, compared with 34 percent nationally.
The state's recruits are also less prepared than the typical recruit: Only 78 percent of Army Reserve recruits in New Jersey had a high school diploma last year, compared with 88 percent nationwide. A full 10 percent of the state's Reserve recruits scored in the lowest category on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude test, compared with 3.79 percent nationwide.
These days, school counselors in New Jersey say students who might have opted for the military are now turning to vocational schools and two-year colleges. The proportion of Jersey graduates heading for two-year colleges has climbed steadily over the past four years, from 24.2 percent to 28.7 percent.
"Whenever we give post-secondary advice, we always mention the military as one of the choices, but the kids now say, 'I don't want to go to war,' " said Frank Longo, guidance supervisor at Lodi High School.
In 2003, 6.3 percent of the graduating class went into the military. In last year's class, not one planned to enlist, according to the Department of Education survey.
"They like the idea of a military career and they want a rush of battle," Longo said, "but to go to war to be in a quagmire? What 18-year-old wants to do that when they have their whole life ahead of them?"
E-mail: padawer@northjersey.com
Ellie