CommunityEditor
05-05-2009, 07:19 PM
For the past five years or so, Army leaders have insisted they were not lowering the bar by signing up recruits who were felons, drug offenders and high-school dropouts.
In 2006 and 2007 alone, more than 1,000 felons joined the active Army.
Young people make mistakes, Army leaders said, and can go on to be good soldiers and solid citizens — they deserve a chance to serve their country, too.
That’s what they said then.
Now, they’re singing a different tune.
In March, the Army stopped granting waivers to felons.
Likewise, recruits who test positive for drugs during entrance processing are now being flatly turned down. More than 1,200 of them were sworn in in 2006. And high-school dropouts, who made up 21 percent of new recruits in 2007 and 17 percent in 2008, are now down to just 7 percent so far in fiscal 2009.
The truth is, the Army did lower the bar during the worst of the Iraq war. It had no choice. Huge financial incentives were not enough. Now that the violence in Iraq is largely quelled and the U.S. job market has collapsed, however, more young people are giving the military a chance.
The turnabout is tacit admission of the obvious: Felons and dropouts are last-resort options. Granted, there are some diamonds in the rough. But the numbers don’t lie: They are more likely than other recruits to have discipline problems, be under-performers, and sap time and attention from their leaders. Many soldiers who came in on waivers in recent years are serving with distinction. But many will also require a disproportionate amount of oversight by busy NCOs and officers who cannot afford the time.
It’s good to see standards rising again. Let’s hope we can keep them that way.
In 2006 and 2007 alone, more than 1,000 felons joined the active Army.
Young people make mistakes, Army leaders said, and can go on to be good soldiers and solid citizens — they deserve a chance to serve their country, too.
That’s what they said then.
Now, they’re singing a different tune.
In March, the Army stopped granting waivers to felons.
Likewise, recruits who test positive for drugs during entrance processing are now being flatly turned down. More than 1,200 of them were sworn in in 2006. And high-school dropouts, who made up 21 percent of new recruits in 2007 and 17 percent in 2008, are now down to just 7 percent so far in fiscal 2009.
The truth is, the Army did lower the bar during the worst of the Iraq war. It had no choice. Huge financial incentives were not enough. Now that the violence in Iraq is largely quelled and the U.S. job market has collapsed, however, more young people are giving the military a chance.
The turnabout is tacit admission of the obvious: Felons and dropouts are last-resort options. Granted, there are some diamonds in the rough. But the numbers don’t lie: They are more likely than other recruits to have discipline problems, be under-performers, and sap time and attention from their leaders. Many soldiers who came in on waivers in recent years are serving with distinction. But many will also require a disproportionate amount of oversight by busy NCOs and officers who cannot afford the time.
It’s good to see standards rising again. Let’s hope we can keep them that way.