The U.S. military estimates that roughly two thirds of today's youth are ineligible to serve due to a variety of physical, behavioral, and educational issues. Military hopefuls can be deemed unfit for service due to tattoos, felony convictions, low scores on intelligence tests, and drug use, among other reasons.
The most common reason recruits are disqualified is obesity. Child and adolescent obesity rates have skyrocketed in the past 30 years, and in some states nearly one out of five high schoolers is considered to be obese.
The military's new tattoo standards have also put a hamper on some recruits. The military has banned tattoos on the hand, forearm, calf, and above the neck. In most states, it is illegal to tattoo someone under the age of 18 unless a parent has given consent or is present.
Additionally, about a quarter of high school graduates cannot pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test, meaning that they lack even basic mathematics and reading skills needed to join the military. A recruit scoring below the tenth percentile on the AFQT is "generally" not permitted to join the military.
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Pardon my warped sense of humor, but oh the irony of it all; remember the convention wisdom was if you didn't get good grades in pubic hi skool, you wouldn't get to go to collage. And every body was supposed to go to collage, to get their degree, then their well paying, upper middle class jobs (that 3 letter word, j-o-b-s). Ahhhh, never mind that student loan debt thingy. Only dumbies, rednecks and the unhip, uncool kids who actually believed all that patriotic crap joined the military. Now it seems the only wars we are able to win are those on a computer (HALO 3, et al).
ReplyDeleteWhat hell has happened to this country? To think, when I was 18, I was MORE qualified to join the military than the average 18 year old is today!
The country of 50 years ago was in a different world.
DeleteAnother WTF moment. Damning indicment of our public education (and I use that term very losely) when a kid who is deemed unfit for military service can enrole in a public university. Think of this situation: the kid who is attending a unversity due to how well he/she plays a sport (e.g football, basketball ect). BUT is still lacking in the basic skills to be in the military?
DeleteI also remember a time back in the dark ages when TV was in black and white, a judge would present a young man with the following career choices, jail or enlistment. Take your pick.
a judge would present a young man with the following career choices, jail or enlistment.
DeleteWe had a few in military school who were there because of the judge's option.
This is not really a problem, As I stated here: http://newrebeluniv.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/young-people-not-good-enough-tobe-cannon-fodder-any-more/
ReplyDelete