Report: 75% of youths are unfit for military service

[tippy]

Military »Factors cited in potential recruits: Obesity, poor education, drugs, criminal records, mental illness.

By Christian Davenport
And Emma Brown

The Washington Post

Salt Lake Tribune
Updated:11/05/2009 11:02:54 PM MST

Washington » It's tough enough selling military service to teenagers who might not be so keen on getting their heads shaved or buy the whole "we do more by 9 a.m." line. And the fact that enlisting today could very well mean a visit to the front lines doesn't help, either.

But according to a new report, there are other factors that make recruiters' jobs even more difficult: the country's poor education system and the worsening obesity crisis.

About 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments that make them unfit for the armed forces, according to a report issued Thursday.

Other factors, such as drug use, criminal records and mental problems, contribute to what military leaders say is a major problem that threatens the country's ability to defend itself when the all-volunteer force is already strained fighting two wars.

To combat the problem, a group of retired military leaders has joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan to call for greater investment in early education, which advocates say helps boost academic achievement and social development.

"We are very concerned," said retired Army Maj. Gen. James Kelley, a member of Mission: Readiness, the Washington-based nonprofit organization that issued the report. The report, "Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve," comes after the military had one of its best recruiting years since the draft ended in 1973. During the budget year that ended Sept. 30, the military met all of its recruiting goals and had a higher quality of recruit than in years past. About 95 percent of all Army recruits had a high school diploma, up from 83 percent the year before.

Military officials say their recent success is due to increased spending on recruiting and bonuses, which in the Army went from an average of less than $8,000 in 2000 to more than $18,000 in 2008.

A dismal economy, which drove up civilian unemployment, helped fill the ranks as well. But in its report, the group warns that "a weak economy is no formula for a strong military.

One of the main reasons recruits don't qualify for the service is inadequate education. One in four between the ages of 17 and 24 does not have a high school diploma, according to the report.

Asthma, eyesight and hearing problems are also factors. But about a third of all potential recruits can't join is because they're too fat and out of shape.

"When you get kids who can't do push-ups, pull-ups or run, this is a fundamental problem not just for the military but for the country," said Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon's director of accessions policy. Many kids are not "taking physical education in school; they're more interested in sedentary activities such as the computer or television. And we have a fast-food mentality in this country."

[Vince Kargatis]

Seriously, they should feature "millitary recuiter" on the show Dirty Jobs. Gotta be awful.

[rollhead]

That's why God made drones. So all those video game playing, McDonald's eating fatties will have a job in the military.

[patricia]

Those kids look like they are still pre-schoolers, or elementary schoolers.
YIKES!!! If they don't get their shit together, we could be looking at a newcast years from now showing them being taken out of their houses by tearing down a wall and using a forklift.

[rollhead]

The Youth of today!




Kids today are a mass of jangled nerves!!

[claude]

Hey, as long as the rest of the world is as unfit, there could be peace in our time!!

And the Nobel peace prize goes to... McDonalds

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by rollhead

Fat people - A potential food source for the even fatter people?

[lonely-at-the-top]

From "Desert Storm" to "Dessert Storm"

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by lonely-at-the-top

From "Desert Storm" to "Dessert Storm"

Snrf! Snrf! Nice one Latty! The 'sheesh loves a bit of wordplay.

[jesus marion joseph]

Originally Posted by rollhead

[Dr Dave]

"Try hard
Get barred
Get back
Write braille
Get jailed
Jump bail
Join the army if you fail."

...unless they won't take you because you're dumb and fat and crazy.

Was this the real reason for the volunteer Army?

[GoodSpeak]

"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."

-Dean Wormer, Animal House