news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060312/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/uncle_sam_wants_you
AP Military Shuns Many of Recruiting Age By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 12, 5:08 PM ET WASHINGTON - Uncle Sam wants YOU, that famous Army recruiting poster says.
As for that fashionable "body art" that the military still calls a tattoo, having one is grounds for rejection, too. With US casualties rising in wars overseas and more opportunities in the civilian work force from an improved US economy, many young people are shunning a career in the armed forces. But recruiting is still a two-way street -- and the military, too, doesn't want most people in this prime recruiting age group of 17 to 24. Of some 32 million Americans now in this group, the Army deems the vast majority too obese, too uneducated, too flawed in some way, according to its estimates for the current budget year. "As you look at overall population and you start factoring out people, many are not eligible in the first place to apply," said Doug Smith, spokesman for the Army Recruiting Command. Previous Defense Department studies have found that 75 percent of young people are ineligible for military service, noted Charles Moskos of Northwestern University. While the professor emeritus who specializes in military sociology says it is "a baloney number," he acknowledges he has no figures to counter it. "Recruiters are looking for reasons other than themselves," said David R Segal, director of the Center for Research on Military Organization at the University of Maryland. The military's figures are estimates, based partly on census numbers. They are part of an elaborate analysis the military does as it struggles each year to compete with colleges and companies for the nation's best and brightest, plan for future needs and maintain diversity.
Census Bureau estimates that the overall pool of people who would be in the military's prime target age has shrunk as American society ages. There were 1 million fewer 18- to 24-year olds in 2004 than in 2000, the agency says. The 30 percent who are high school dropouts are not the top choice of today's professional, all-volunteer and increasingly high-tech military force. Potential recruits are ineligible for military service if they have taken such a drug in the previous year. Doctors prescribe these drugs to about 2 million children and 1 million adults a month, according to a federal survey. Many more are believed to be using such stimulants recreationally and to stay awake longer to boost academic and physical performance. Other potential recruits are rejected because they have criminal histories and too many dependents. Subtract 44 million from the pool for these people and for the overweight. Others can be rejected for medical problems, from blindness to asthma. The Army estimate has subtracted 26 million for this group. That leaves 43 million fully qualified potential recruits and an estimated 23 million more who might qualify if given waivers on some of their problems. The bottom line: a total 66 million potential recruits from all men and women in the 32 million-person age group. In the budget year that ended last September, 15 percent of recruits required a waiver in order to be accepted for active duty services -- or about 11,000 people of some 73,000 recruited. Some were for misdemeanors such as public drunkenness, resisting arrest or misdemeanor assault -- prompting criticism that the Army is lowering its standards. And about the tattoos: They are not supposed to be on your neck, refer to gang membership, be offensive, or in any way conflict with military standards on integrity, respect and team work. The military is increasingly giving waivers for some types of tattoos, officials said.
Ryan Maravilla is seen in his Humvee before heading out on a night patrol in an exercise at the Hohenfels training area, southern Germany, on Tuesday, March 7, 2006. At the Hohenfels Training Area (HTA), the second largest of the three US-controlled major training facilities in Europe, the US Army prepares their soldiers for special needs in conflict regions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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