FORT JACKSON, S.C., Aug. 27, 2008
Army Hopes Dropouts Can Fill Gaps
Opens First Prep School Aimed At Students Who Quit High School
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Army recruit Edurado Arceo, of Pamona, Ca., studies for his General Educational Development certificate in a new Army program dedicated to helping high school dropouts earn their GEDs before they move on to basic training. (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain)
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Interactive Military 101 Basic training to learn all about America's fighting force.
But the U.S. Army, eager to fill its ranks amid wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, doesn't see them as dropouts. They are recruits who only need a GED before they're ready to begin basic training.
And so, the Army formally opens its first prep school Wednesday.
"It's academic immersion," explained Col. Jeffrey Sanderson, chief of staff at Fort Jackson, home of the Army's largest basic training school. "Our studies show that with only three out of every 10 people of military age being capable of joining the Army, we are going to have to do something different."
That includes turning six World War II-era buildings at the base into a mini-campus of spartan classrooms and barracks. Under the yearlong pilot project, classes of about 60 soldiers will enter the monthlong program every week.
Their day begins in uniform at 5 a.m. with physical training. Then they attend about eight hours of academic review classes, followed by homework each evening. An hour of marching drills and military discipline is thrown in for good measure.
"It's a tough, structured day. Some of them have sat on the couch for 18 years, but I haven't heard any howling yet," said social studies instructor John Solis, one of 14 certified teachers on hand. "By and large, they are chomping at the bit; they are ready to go."
The soldiers work in small classrooms outfitted with simple desks, chairs, and dry-erase boards. In-desk computers are used for test-taking. Grouped three to four to a class, the students hunch over special GED preparation books, working on basic math, social studies and reading selections.
Recruits must score in the top half of the Army's aptitude test to qualify for the prep school and get two tries at a General Educational Development certificate. If they still can't pass, the Army will release them from their contract, Sanderson said.
He said the Army prefers those who graduate from high school on their own, because it demonstrates "tenacity." But the reality of current graduation rates has the Army pressed to find an alternative, Sanderson explained.
Holden, 18, of Medford, Ore., is racing through her first week of practice tests before taking a formal GED exam soon. She left home at 16, one of nine children of a mill worker, and wants to be a military police officer.
"There's no jobs out there, nothing. It's just horrible. And it got hard just trying to support myself and go to school at the same time," Holden said.
Swarner, a native of Baton Rouge, La., left school in the ninth grade. Now 20, he dreams of becoming a combat engineer.
With the small classes, hovering teachers and a disciplined schedule, Swarner said he's learning quickly.
"The teachers here are helping a lot. My best class is English, the hardest is probably the math," he said.
With the GED behind them, Swarner and his classmates will enter basic training at Fort Jackson, where more than half of all incoming male soldiers and more than 80 percent of female recruits go through basic combat training. Others will go to one of the Army's three other basic training sites.
Those entering prep school have signed on for a two- to four-year stint, just like any new recruit.
"We have two missions: get the GED and prepare them physically and mentally for basic training," said the school's commander, Capt. Brian Gaddis.
Last October, Army officials said they intended to expand the force by adding 74,000 soldiers by 2010, with the active duty force growing to a total of 547,000.
But Sanderson said the Army's own studies show that only 3 in 10 people ages 17 to 24 are eligible to enlist, with the remainder barred by health or legal issues, or the failure to earn a high school diploma or equivalent.
A study issued by the National Priorities Project released in January found that while the Army has a goal that 90 percent of recruits be high school graduates, it hadn't met that percentage since 2004. In the 2007 budget year, the Project found that only 71 percent of soldiers entering the service had graduated.
Gaddis said he knows his students might have quit high school, but believes that shouldn't be held against them. He added that the school is a move to reach those who have been left behind, not to attract those who are less qualified or lower than the Army's standards.
"These kids may have quit at some point, but the big thing is, a lot of people have quit on them," Gaddis said. "We are not going to allow them to quit."
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See all 209 CommentsWhat''s going to happen when the military no longer needs all of these recruits? Or are we planning to start some more wars? Look for more stuff around the world that we can stick our big nose in. Spend more mega-billions. Not like we have any domestic needs/concerns/problems/issues.
Posted by hbevis at 01:30 AM : Aug 28, 2008
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George Bush: Military man
1972 Year that Bush walked away from his pilot duties in the Texas National Guard, Nearly two years before his six-year obligation was up.
$3,500 Reward a group of veterans offered in 2000 for anyone who could confirm Bush''s Alabama guard service.
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0 Number of guardsmen from that period who came forward with information about Bush''s guard service.
0 Number of minutes that President Bush, Vice-President *** Cheney, the Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, the assistant Defense Secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, the former chairman of the Defense Policy Board, Richard Perle, and the White House Chief of Staff, Karl Rove - the main proponents of the war in Iraq -served in combat (combined).
0 Number of principal civilian or Pentagon staff members who planned the war who have immediate family members serving in uniform in Iraq.
8 Number of members of the US Senate and House of Representatives who have a child serving in the military.
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46 Percentage increase in sales between 2001 and 2002 of GI Joe figures (children''s toys).
Regards,
Posted by Nancy_Naive at 06:45 AM : Aug 28, 2008
Exactly Nancy -
Did you know...
... that the notorious No Child Left Behind Act includes a sneaky section that requires high schools to turn over private information on students to military recruiters?
And that the Pentagon has created an illegal database of 30 million 16-25 year-olds, including names, addresses, email addresses, cell phone numbers, ethnicities, social security numbers, extracurricular activities, and areas of study?
www.leavemychildalone.org/
Good post......
I am like you I enjoyed the time I was in the USAF.
I would serve again if I was not over the age limit.
Hard to believe we all suffer from CRS. Saddam was a mad man who was given the opportunity to get out of Iraq before we invaded. Most of Congress agreed on the possibility of WMDs being present in his country. As it was, we found sarin gas, suicide vests, large munitions caches and some hostile enemy forces, who we beat the *** out of. Mistake? I don''t think so.
War is a messy business. Not hard to believe that there''s people who tire of it quickly. As far as the GED is concerned, I got mine while on active duty, have a College credit cert, a GROL, computer certs and was a licensed security officer for 7 years total. I credit the USAF for giving me a chance. I served overseas for 3 years, in the 80s. I would have gone again if I could have. Glad to see this is happening. Serve with pride, no one can ever take that from you.
Actually Carter had the amnesty for draft dodgers and the amnesty for illegal aliens came in under Reagan.
Posted by haoli25 at 01:24 AM : Aug 28, 2008
I do believe that you are right......:-)
Actually Carter had the amnesty for draft dodgers and the amnesty for illegal aliens came in under Reagan.
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