Katie Couric's Notebook: Military Recruitments
Army recruitment has been rising steadily since last fall. It dropped sharply six years ago … just before we invaded Iraq. Since then, the Pentagon had to lower its standards and accept more soldiers with criminal records or without high school diplomas and hike the maximum enlistment age from 35 to 42. This new surge will let recruiters be pickier and should help build a better qualified force.
Even though the Iraq war is winding down, we still face a long and hard fight in Afghanistan and may very well have to send troops to other parts of the world.
People need to think long and hard before they sign up.
The Army has to have soldiers who are dedicated, who serve out of patriotism and a sense of duty -- not those enlisting because no one else is hiring.
That's a page from my notebook.