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http://www.ausa.org/publications/armymagazine/armyarchive/12_08/Pages/HelpWantedFrontCenter.aspx

Help Wanted

12/1/2008

By Gen. Frederick J. Kroesen, U.S. Army retired

Serving in the military forces of the United States is an honor. The opportunity to serve with men and women who have volunteered to risk their lives, if necessary, to protect the interests of our country is, for many, personally rewarding. But it is also an opportunity to serve with an exceptional segment of our population, one that numbers less than 1 percent of the total.

A study published in August by The Heritage Foundation and entitled Who Serves in the U.S. Military? provides a wealth of interesting data answering that question, all of which is compiled from the complete statistics of the year 2007.

Limiting this column to U.S. Army numbers, it is apparent that many of the popular shibboleths cited routinely among the news media require explanation, if not outright refutation. For example, 70 percent of Army recruits are from families of middle income or higher, almost 25 percent from the richest family quintile. This totally discredits the old saw that the Army draws from the poor and disadvantaged.

Approximately 80 percent of 18- to 24-year-old American men hold high school diplomas or GEDs; 98.6 percent of our 2007 recruits do. This total includes 4.2 percent college graduates and an additional 2.6 percent with some college credits. Nearly 67 percent of recruits score above average in the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT), outscoring by 20 percent all applicants who take the test and are found eligible. (Those figures ignore the Category V applicants, the 20 percent of the total who rank in the fifth quintile, who are not qualified mentally for service.)

Race representation is surprisingly consistent with the racial composition of the nation. Caucasians, 62 percent of the population, furnish nearly 66 percent of our recruits. African-Americans, nearly 12 percent of the population, furnish nearly 13 percent. Hispanics and Asian/Pacifics are underrepresented, but American Indians and Alaskan natives more than double the recruit-to-population ratio of the other races.

There is more information in the report than can be cited here, including separate treatment of the officer corps, but its overall message is that our soldier population is not composed disproportionately of the poor, the disadvantaged or those of any single race. Soldiers are well educated and did not join because they lacked lucrative opportunity elsewhere. They are a professional class worthy of admiration and appreciation.

Spread the word: We need to disavow and change the disadvantageous and detrimental impact that misperceptions have on the Army’s recruiting efforts. Only three out of 10 American males 17 to 24 years of age are qualified physically, mentally and morally to be soldiers. The propensity of those three to enlist, go to West Point or join ROTC is being affected adversely by some parents and educators and inaccurate portrayals of the military profession in published works. Reeducation of the naysayers by members of AUSA, veterans’ associations and the retired Army population would be a valuable contribution to today’s Army.

The misperceptions of today are not much different from those of the past, promulgated by antimilitary groups, exaggerated by the disgruntled who once served unhappily and embellished by reporters to improve the salability of a column. They do not seem to impress serving soldiers: Retention rates, which continue to exceed target requirements, reflect job satisfaction that is likely the envy of many employers.

The largest ever reenlistment ceremony, held by Gen. David H. Petraeus on the Fourth of July, 2008, in the courtyard of Al Faw Palace in Baghdad, provided memorable photographic proof—not widely distributed in our news media—of the dedication and pride our soldiers take in their profession and in the mission they are serving.


They deserve better recognition for that. And the nation, which needs a larger Army, deserves a better portrayal of Army service and the quality of the men and women new soldiers will join.

GEN. FREDERICK J. KROESEN, USA Ret., is a former commander in chief of U.S. Army Europe and a senior fellow of AUSA’s Institute of Land Warfare.

As an Active Duty Air Force member I concur 100% with the General! Our Military Branches contain the best and brightest young men & woman this Nation has. It sickens me when I hear the MSM, Liberal Dems.,RINO's and Holly-weird say different, that goes for Semper-Dork Murtha and BHO too! I'm proud of what we do for this Nation, and because of what I VOLUNTEERED to do, those who dislike us may complain. If that don't make this the greatest Nation in the history of the World, please tell me what will?

>> Michael Brady

Thursday, December 4, 2008, 3:00 pm

As a veteran and a volunteer who served with pride alongside some of our nation's finest men and women, I'm pleased to see this refutation of some of the most insidious stereotypes about our armed forces. Spread the word!

>> Ron Miller

Friday, December 5, 2008, 1:34 pm