Comments on: Fewer U.S. Soldiers Have H.S. Diplomas

Report: Demand Creates Concern Over Declining Number Of "High-Quality" Recruits

[inventagod]

alphaa10

Kudos!
Great post.

[alphaa10-2009]

Bush and Cheney are caught in the classic dilemma of unpopular politicians fighting an unpopular war. What can they do, draft fellow citizens? That will never work, and would drive opposition to a fevered pitch--
and might even bring Articles of Impeachment to the Senate floor.

So, you fight with any mercenary you can find. Promise ''em free citizenship, and the rights and privileges thereto. Something on the order of the mercenary army the Romans put together to police the empire...

[wolfear1]

People shouldn''t be worried about the Army taking people w/out diplomas. Many very smart people never graduate from highschool for on ereason or another. What we should be concerned w/ if the fact that the Army has lowered it''s enlistment regulations on wth ASVAB or Armed services test. To join the Army you are only required to get a 32 out of 100. Trust me when I say that you are functionally illiterate at that level.

[netadmin1-2009]

tanker

Where did you attend college? (just curious)

[Con Mohrat]

...in the 2007 budget year, upper middle- and high-income neighborhoods were underrepresented by an even larger margin than three years earlier.

Then is it the war on poverty?

[seafang]

our lesser fortunate to die for thier bottom line.


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Posted by ThinkHarder

You didn''''t graduate either did you. This is a very uneducated post. Point: thier is not a word. Point: lesser fortunare is not correct.

So smiley 676, what sort of word is ''fortunare''; is that some special high school graduate word ?
So how about the following sequence:- fortunate; less fortunate; lesser fortunate; least fortunate ?

Do you have some problem with any others of those; besides lesser fortunate ?

I nearly forgot what exactly does didn''''t mean, and how is it different from didn''t ?

Just asking, since we are being pedantic here.

[easeup-2009]

You are incorrect, SGT.:

http://www.militarycity.com/polls/2005_chart4.php

Very conservative: 8%
Conservative: 42%
Moderate: 33%
Libtard: 6%

[sgtrds]

The military is overwhelmingly conservative/Republican.

Posted by easeup at 12:44 PM : Jan 22, 2008

Only the officers. The enlisted ranks are overwhelmingly Democrat. Even with the officers it''s only while active and vets are overwhelmingly Democrats. Case in point out of the 13 Iraq war veteran who ran for national office in 2006 12 ran as Democrats.

[samsel3]

War is the lowest form of Human behavior..... This is the 21st century, and mankind has not solved the problem.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by ThinkHarder- at 01:44 PM : Jan 22, 2008

Well said.

[thinkharder-]

Smiley...first of all, I have a PhD in Chemistry so I think I''ve spent plenty of time in the classroom.
Second of all, "thier" is a typo...sue me.
Thirdly, there is absolutely nothing incorrect about "lesser fortunate," though I admit it I may be standing on some shaky grammatical ground on that one.

So...aside from the spelling and grammar, do you have any other objections? Because from what I can see, it makes sense that the military would see a surge in high school dropouts when the system in America keeps sending their other oppotunies overseas.

And since you were so kind to correct my spelling and grammar, I''d be more than pleased to help you with your chemistry homework.

[tbweb]

I don''''t have a problem with giving guys a second chance. But now give me (and all commanders) the authority to boot out the ones who don''''t change.

Posted by tankersmash at 01:18 PM : Jan 22, 2008,,,

Interesting Post, my Marine Boot Camp Platoon started out with 50, we graduated 33! The Marines didn''t seem to have trouble getting rid of anyone, but I''m showing my age, things were a lot different then, if you even looked g.a.y. the Marines kicked you out when I was in, you could even lie about it and they still kicked you out if you wanted to use that! I didn''t know it was that hard to get rid of anyone now, maybe because of the War and needs of the military :)

[easeup-2009]

Walt

I printed your post--some co-workers really get a chuckle out of your brave, keen insights.

LOL!!!!!!!!

[tankersmash]

Just getting into the military without a High School Diploma is giving many an opportunity at a second chance at a good life, albeit at great risk, but an opportunity they would not have otherwise had. So this is a great opportunity. My buddy who had sick parents had to drop out of High School and work to take care of them, went into the Army later in life, got his GED finishing High School and went on to college and got his degree, all paid for by Uncle Sam. Many High School drop outs leave school because of family hardship reasons, no all drop outs are losers! Some criminals with minor offenses also get a second chance,

Posted by tbweb

From a AD commander''s standpoint...I agree with your rationale on second chances. Everybody makes mistakes. However, the military is an organization that needs to allow Commanders an easier road to boot out the terds who don''t change. I''ve got all sorts of different soldiers from different backgrounds in my company. Most can adjust to the army lifestyle, but some cannot-and DON''T. These few terds take a lot of good servicemembers down with them, believe me, I see it everyday.

I don''t have a problem with giving guys a second chance. But now give me (and all commanders) the authority to boot out the ones who don''t change.

[walt1944-2009]

It is a known fact that the military does NOT want soldiers who are capable of THINKING. They want soldiers who will follow orders with no question, no matter how illegal those orders are.

What they are looking for are Nazis "Storm Troopers" who will have total and unquestioning loyalty to the Great Emperor Bush and be willing to come back home in a body bag if the Great Emperor and Corporate America demand it!

SIG HEIL, BUSH!!!!

[smiley676]

our lesser fortunate to die for thier bottom line.


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Posted by ThinkHarder

You didn''t graduate either did you. This is a very uneducated post. Point: thier is not a word. Point: lesser fortunare is not correct.

[thinkharder-]

You know...it seems to me there is no better way to populate an army with mindless followers than to take all of the service industry jobs, jobs otherwise filled by those lacking higher educations, and ship them overseas. This leaves a gaping hole in the opporunities available for those who couldn''t/wouldn''t hack it in school. Keep sending service and low wage technician positions to China and India and watch our military inflate to capacity with eager, under educated, loyal for no good reason, brave/stupid recruits. Our government is suckering our lesser fortunate to die for thier bottom line.

[JJASMAN]

THE USA CORPORATIONS NEED SOMEONE TO JOIN THE MILITARY AND WORK FOR THEM AND OUR POLITICIANS.

[gunnerv1]

usmcvn Actually it was the French who got us into it with Ike, He gave it to JFK, LBJ GREATLY expanded it and Nixion got us out of it. Now wasn''t that a great history lesson.

[gunnerv1]

paris 1969 You can not join/enlist without your parents/guardian signature under the age of 18. At the age of "majority" (18) You can vote, enter into legal contracts, enlist into the service of your country. You just can''t purchase/consume alcohol until the age of 21 (just too many drunk/dead teenagers).