WSJ; the recruiting dilemma
Average NCO sends Someone sent us this link to the Wall Street Journal which warns that the shrinking pool of military recruits endangers our ability to field a military for the upcoming challenges we face in the world;
The military deems many youngsters ineligible due to obesity, lack of a high-school diploma, felony convictions and prescription-drug use for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But others are now also running afoul of standards for appearance amid the growing popularity of large-scale tattoos and devices called ear gauges that create large holes in earlobes.
A few weeks ago, Brittany Crippen said she tried to enlist in the Army, only to learn that a tattoo of a fish on the back of her neck disqualified her. Determined to join, the 19-year-old college student visited a second recruiting center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and was rejected again.
Apologetic recruiters encouraged her to return after removing the tattoo, a process she was told would take about year. “I was very upset,” Ms. Crippen said.
I guess folks who who are looking for a career in the military ought to rethink whether they want a tattoo or not. At least until there’s a new sergeant major of the Army. The article continues that the pentagon estimates that only 71% of folks who are military age are fully qualified for service;
About a quarter of high-school graduates also can’t pass the Armed Forces Qualification Test, which measures math and reading skills, Gen. Youngman said. “They aren’t educationally qualified to join the military in any capacity, not just the high-tech jobs,” he said.
Well, so much for the myth that service members are drawn from the lower educated portion of the population. It supports the contention that we send our best and brightest to fight our wars, while the rest of America hangs out at the mall, though.
Category: Military issues
Note that the article says tats, etc., don’t even count against that figure.
As a recruiter, I knew the number was high, but not THAT high. Of course, that won’t mean jack when it’s the 29th, you still need on more to make monthly goal, and the kid you finally got to go on deck just had his mommy call up and say he isn’t going.
Yeah, that happens.
The only thing that should matter is whether the kids can pass the physical & mental qualifications for the job they want.
I can understand the bit about gauges, and multiple piercings, but tats ought to be allowed as long as they aren’t on the face.
Still, Jonn, I agree with you about a new SMA. It’s hard to understand how, on the one hand, he can banish tats as being unseemly, yet on the other hand he supports having the Army look like a bunch of mall cops in their new blue suits.
Disagree, Tim. Drugs and civil involvement should come into play as well. I don’t want a kid running a power plant or maintenance on an aircraft engine if he/she’s a dirtbag, stoned, etc.
And frankly, it’s a LOT worse than when I was on the bag. Kids using HAND CLEANER to get high. Seriously. And around here, heroin and meth are coming in big, having taken over for Xanax and Oxy.
Sparks,
Poor wording on my part. The drug bit would fall under “physical” requirements. If they test positive or have a record for drugs, then that should be a no-go.
My main complaint was about tats. I see no reason to refuse entry to someone who would be otherwise qualified just because they have a lot of tattoos. As long as they aren’t on their face or head, then I’d be good with it.
Again, to a point. You’d be amazed how many 17-20 year olds think it’s just ducky to get a racist tattoo, among them swastikas, Brown Pride, the usual gamut. Sorry, those also should be a no-go.
Let’s see…dumb ass kids who learned nothing in school. Parents who let a 14 or 15, who am I kidding, make that 12 and 13 year old kid get a tattoo because they have to sign, since minors can’t without parental consent. They’re fat because before dad takes them over to the recruiters they stop at McDs for the “Big Breakfast” of pancakes, eggs and sausage, as a normal routine. Plus since mom and dad don’t want to be bothered to parent and discipline the kids, so they are taken to a doctor who diagnoses ADD or ADHD and puts them on Ritalin from 6 years old till forever and wonder why the Army doesn’t want them.
We take boys and girls and make them into men women soldiers. We don’t take obese, drug addled, tattooed, slow thinkers who maybe barely tell you what century it is, if you’re lucky and turn them into soldiers. Just too much “life drama” there going on.
So parents, learn to parent and be the adults you are suppose to be and lead and guide your kids if they have designs on the military or any type of positive self supporting life. Or college that will be of any value except a degree in “Communications” or “20th Century English as a Considered Language”. Otherwise, plan on having junior or junior miss live with you until they are in their 40s. Plus plan on having the woman junior knocks up and her kid with you too or your daughter and her baby and babies biological donor eating at your table.
I have to agree with you. In many ways, it is the fault of the parent or the lack of them that leads to the flaws in the child.
If that child is willing to work, they can push past their disadvantage, but far too many don’t. It’s not like our school system even encourages work.
Farflung Wanderer…I remember in High School a course for seniors named, “Preparing For The World Of Work”. That, simply stated was what it was about. How to look, speak, write a resume and fill out applications and speak to potential employers. We did practice sessions with the teacher pretending to be an employer you were talking to about a job. Then he and the class critiqued your performance. It was a good course and helped a lot of those who did not work in high school as I did. You’ll never see those classes in American schools again unless they are private schools or maybe, just maybe at some senior college level. Even then the newly minted degrees count on just being “scooped” up by future companies because they made it through four years after all and well, they are just so darned special and unique. Reality…is a harsh task master sometimes. Real life…hits like Muhammad Ali on Joe Frazier, every day. The sooner these special, unique snowflakes learn this the better off they will be. It is what they have to offer the world, not what the world is waiting to hand to them. America’s education system and liberal thinking have led them butt backwards on this issue for decades now.
The closest thing we had to that was “Consumer Education”, but that is real hollow compared to what you had. We never even did a practice interview.
It was an easy A, but, like Health, anyone who wasn’t VWP could get a good score.
Sparks, one other facet of the ADD/ADHD culture. Once Junior or the Little Princess is “diagnosed” with either, he or she becomes a “Special Education” student. They can still take regular classes, and sports and all the rest, if they’re so inclined. They just can’t be kicked out of school, or disciplined, for the things that other people’s kids get kicked out of school for or get disciplined for. They’re now “protected”, so they acquire the entitlement mentality quickly.
And, many times, mom and dad are given the “suggestion” that the little darling needs to be “diagnosed” with having ADD/ADHD from school counselors or teachers.
Then they get the ear gauges, nose gauges, and the tattoo of their favorite fantasy figure on their arm, from their wrist to the shoulder. And, the guys get 17 piercings in each ear.
UpNorth…Absolutely dead on. That’s the way it is in our school systems. Counselors talk to parents about Junior’s or the Little Princess’ bad behavior, caused by no parenting at home, and make that suggestion regularly here. Friends who work in the school district tell me it happens routinely. Then when special, snowflake child pitches a tantrum for a tattoo and multiple facial piercings, the parents say SURE! Anything to keep them off our backs until the meds kick in and turn them to zombies. So, the parents along with the schools are determining their futures at that point. When they show up at McDs or someplace for a job with tattoos down both arms and on their necks and piercings in their ears, nose, lips, eyebrows and cheeks, mom and dad are all aghast that they didn’t get a call back from even McDonalds. How can that be they wonder? Junior and our Little Princess just have ADD/ADHD and that’s all. They can’t read, write or spell when they do. They misspelled half the words on the application and walked away with a “meh, so what, I did what dad said to do”. So mom and dad pat them on the back and give them a car or a newer car because, well darn it, their trying and that’s all we can ask for.
UpNorth, this one hits particularly close because they stuck me in a SpecEd class since I was in 7th Grade.
Now, I didn’t belong there *at bloody all*, but there I was. You’re basically immune to all harm in there; there was one student who talked constantly about violence among students, and even school shootings, but no one could do anything about him.
Thankfully, I think he’s at some other school, though I have no idea if he’s still as obsessed with it as he was over with my school.
Yes, but there are now two – count ’em, two – full generations of chilren in adult bodies who are unable to cut the umbilical and move away from dependence on mommy and daddy.
That’s not a joke.
Then there are exceptions, those who are the adults in kids’ bodies who don’t look at the military as a last resort, but more as a stepping stone to adulthood.
I don’t know why anyone would hesitate. I could not wait to get away from my parents and be out on my own. And guess who gave me the most crap about being an independent adult? NOT my father.
Agree 100 % 🙁
Spot on Sparks,
My parents were old school German-Americans…there were 5 boys in our family and my dad was a construction worker his entire life. There was no time for sitting on our asses getting fat. We went to school, we cut wood, we worked in the yard, we got jobs, we were taught that work involved body and mind and there was pride to be taken in doing hard work and doing it well.
I used to joke that after being raised that way and eating traditional German foods involving lots of organ meat boiled with vegetables that basic training was actually easier than living with my parents.
I’ve been coaching elite athletes for about 25 years now in my “leisure” time. It’s because I can’t stand coaching “average” athletes any more. The parents of the average kids are convinced you’re being mean when you tell a little fat slob that he is struggling in soccer because it’s a sport that requires running and his lard ass can’t keep up.
WIth 90% of the nation behaving like giant namby pamby wusses it’s not hard to see why it’s tough to find decent raw materials for the military.
You did forget the powerful benefit of a degree in “Comparative Literature” though in your list of “useful” degrees…my kids both went in the military, my son in the Navy and my daughter in the Air Force my son now runs his own company at age 32 and is doing okay even in a lousy economy. My daughter and her husband both work for large corporate concerns in the Boston area, my daughter as a senior executive even though she’s only in her late 20s. They did so because they grew up tough and learned from Uncle Sam that their hard work could pay off in both education and prospects.
Too many kids miss that lesson well before they become ineligible to serve their nation.
Gee, having trouble finding qualified recruits…check. Losing most of their combat tested NCO’S from the being driven to insanity by all the new bullshit…check. Good job Sgt. Major fucking dipshit. I’m glad you and the rest of the higher ups are happy with your little fucking social experiments. But hey, they can’t qualify to enlist, they just become “community organizers.” That’s the same thing, right?
It’s amazing. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the myth of the military being a last resort when all others have failed (and after your life is basically fucked) is still alive and well. Sorry kids, it just isn’t so. Many a time a kid came to my office after dropping out of college, multiple DWIs and committing other crimes attesting to their lack of character seeking the perceived “last resort”. Only to hear “sorry son, you’re not qualified.” The facial expressions from them afterwards are just beyond words, as if they suddenly realized they’ve been lied to for most of their lives.
Wish I could be there to see it, Redacted.
Spent a tour on recruiting (why I drink) and was always amused by the Cat IV who strolled in and thought he was god’s gift to the Army. Wanted a high tech MOS but at MEPS offered Laundry and Bath specialist. or something. Never occurred to them “I have to start somewhere” and walked away. Was back in 2-3 weeks.
Ohio,
I was a USAF Non-Prior Service recruiter in Akron from 89 to 93, and I KNOW the type well. My favorites though were the ones who had been professional students until about age 25, and then discovered that their educations did not entitle them to making 100K a year starting. One in particular had an MBA from (IIRC) U of Akron, and when he couldn’t get a job at his preferred salary, came to me and told me what commissioned grade he’d start at and what job he’d take. He enlisted as a vehicle operator with two stripes, then refused to ship. Last time I saw him, his first words to me were, “Would you like fries with that?”
Did want to point something out on the ASVAB scores – 25% fails on school-given tests was pretty much standard, because at least that percentage (give or take a few points)didn’t want to take the test, and just wrote in whatever answers they wanted. The passing numbers were much higher when they got to the MEPS.
Mike
A lot of times that’s because if they failed the mock ASVAB in the office, the recruiters were smart enough (usually) to not bother putting them on deck.
Our station rarely put kids who cut less than 40 on the practice test up to test, unless it was the end of the month and the station hadn’t made goal yet.
Gee whiz, I don’t do drugs, don’t have tattoos or piercings (except for earrings and those are allowed),
I’ve lost weight, I have no bad stuff on my ‘record’ – not even a parking ticket – and I still work in my rate/MOS. Can I go sign up?
Ex-PH2…I vote YES! Let you join up ASAP. You would be head and shoulders above the current level of average recruits that barely skim by the entrance requirements. I say yes, in Rates like yours let’s use our seasoned, well trained, highly experienced former veterans to bring some wisdom and insight back into the military. Lord knows…they need it.
Sparks, if it comes to that, rehiring geezers is the first thing that will happen.
If it’s happening in the civilian workplace, the military won’t be far behind. They’d probably even drag Jonn out of his house and give him some bling for that wheelchair of his. And he would enjoy it.
For that matter, there is an exoskeleton under development that allows paralyzed people to move and walk independently.
Ex-PH2…”For that matter, there is an exoskeleton under development that allows paralyzed people to move and walk independently.” I’ve heard of it in development. I can’t wait for the day when Jonn and many others can walk like before.
Here you go, Sparks.
http://www.intorobotics.com/overview-of-exoskeleton-suits-assistant-paralyzed-and-military-exoskeletons/
PH2,
If they came to me tomorrow and said, “We’ll give you a stripe or a commission as a 2Lt…” I’d take that so fast their heads would spin.
The wife might be a bit tougher to convince, though. 🙂
Mike
I could easily sell my house by the end of this week if that happened to me.
I’d have to figure out what to do with my cats, though. They’re lazy, fat and hairy. Oh! I know! Sign them up and shave their furry asses.
Underachiever. Come on now get your act together and try harder.
Yes, I do pay my bills on time.
I’m sorry, I know I’m setting a bad example to the slacker generations, but it’s how I was brought up: to be a responsible individual.
The thought of being a slacker just gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Eeewww!
I was AD Army from 91-94, and I came right back in in 2003 after a nine year break in service. I passed the ASVAB with flying colors both times with the Recruiters telling me I was qualified for any job they had, and there were plenty of snowflakes that still couldn’t pass the ASVAB! That says something to me about the state of today’s publik edjukayshun!
Ex-ph2- I will bet you even pay your bills on time. Damn it, we need an intervention here. Try blowing off some responsibilities and blame others or your past. Get with the program or you cant be in the club.
NEVER!!!!!
Soldiering has never been as easy to get into like the dweebs of the media make it out to be.
During WW2 30-40% of US draftees were rejected for failing the phsyical.
The standards were not near as hgh for education as they were today, ad there wasnt a way to quickly check crimina backgrounds.
After retiring 95B, went to work, got recertified as a peace officer and wound up as a township police chief and taught, part time, at a police academy. It had “open enrollment” so if you could pay you could attend. A lot of those students would have fit in the catagories listed above. And when they submitted and application, the interview process was sometimes spooky.
Our nation is in trouble.
Has the ASVAB changed that much?
I took it hung-over (and probably still “legally” drunk) and did well enough that the Navy tried to recruit me for nuclear propulsion, the Marines tried to get me for Mandarin linguist, the Air Force wanted me for missile repair (I ignored the Army recruiter).
And then I showed them all by enlisting guaranteed infantry in the Marine Corps (but I got a bonus!)
You and me both, Stacy0311, I took it the first time with a cheap Tequila hangover and passed with flying colors, the second time I was tired, filthy, and sweaty from a hard day’s work at the shipyard, and I still had a nice high GT score, I can’t see HOW some people flunk it!!
I think the term we used was functional illiterates. Barely functional. We had to screen applicants before testing, and even then we’d have peeps take the ASVAB who were ‘as smart as a box of rocks’.
When picking up my kids from High School Iwould watch the parade of “yutes” slime on by and do an accessment. A good half of them were overweight to the point that they were sucking wind like a hillbilly jug-band from walking 50 yards.
Another 20 percent looked like sticks.
Of the 30% left that might Physically be qualified I have no idea how many idiots, drugees or nut cases there were.
My kids have a grand total of two friends/high school associates they know of that have went in the military. One is Marine Motor T, the Othwr is Army Infantry.
They should be rolling in qualified recruits based upon sexual perversions.
Wasn’t that the whole goal.
The tattoo part is what sticks in my craw. When I joined the Air Force I was told “When you put on the uniform, you’re all blue.” I’ve heard similar things from the Army about “being green” and the rest doesn’t matter. Got tattood to cover up burn scars, kept it within AF regs. Left the AF to join the Army but alas, tattoos on the forearm and foot are disqualifiers.
This in not a lack of recruits, it’s misguided leadership injecting his personal hangups into national defense. Turbans-cool, beards-cool, genital mutilation-cool, tattoos-BURN THE HERETIC!!
The tattoo thing is stupid. Let me see, so nowadays if you are a pre-op transsexual, Uncle Sam wants you! But if you have a sleeve tat, you’re a no-go?
What kind of crazy world are we living in?
The following is a fine example of our youth today. While in Recruiting I handled all of the Congressional inquiries. This is a verbatim letter I received from a Senator’s office asking what we could do to get this kid in. The original was handwritten on loose leaf notebook paper. Names/locations changed to protect the innocent. Enjoy.
“Billy Bob
PO BOX 123
Somewhere, USA 12345
Dear Mr Senator
Hi my named is Billy Bob from Somewhere Town. I have been trying too enlist in armed forces for long time. And finally got an good enough score, on my testes for an cat 4 waver to go into the Army. I have tal to an Army Recruitere he told me how are things looking he doesn’t see the cat 4 wavers slots not being open for the next couple of years. And my testes would be no longer any good by than. Mr Senator i had work very hard for long time all I ever wanna do was server my country. Now I’m finally able get an cat 4 waver to go into Army, and there telling me the next time they could be doing the cat 4 waver slots could be in the next couple of years. Can you please help me with this proplem? Please mr Senator? Thank you so much for reading this letter.
Sinally,
Billy Bob”
That was freaking hard to copy/write.
Hard to write? Try hard to read!
Fell off chair laughing, scared the birds outside the window.
I don’t think his testes were ever any good. Too bad his father’s weren’t either.
That’s my favorite part John
For society’s good, I hope his testes aren’t any good. I’d hate to think of him breeding. Or what might breed with him.
(Cue “Dueling Banjos” . . . . )
And no this kid never got in either.
Well, there’s at least some circumstantial proof that the Deity exists . . . . (smile)
Come on O-4E, have a heart. The poor kid had a CAT scan of his testes. Besides, communication is effective if it conveys the message intended, according to the eduocrats. Say this sentence aloud: “Eye no their iz fare weather on it’s weigh.” Okay, that’s great. Now, do you see the point? One you read it aloud, it makes perfect sense! And that, they say, is all that counts.
Sinally 2/17
Good Lord, reading that made my brain hurt, and I swear could feel it sucking IQ points out of my head while I read the damn thing!!
Loose leaf notebook – check!
Fat pencil – check!
Tongue sticking out between pursed lips – check!
“Armed Forces Voca..Vocashin..Vacational…aww screw it! testes! yeah testes that’ll work”
When I was an AD “Joe” I had a Squad Leader that was even worse than that! He was also a champion “Profile Rider” to boot that finally got chaptered, but I remember signing one Monthly Counseling Statement written by him that read something like “SPC Infidel, you be do too unifrom but need do better boots…” and his penmanship was like that of a Special Needs second grader. He must have been a Recruiter’s quota!!
LMAO!!! We’ve all had them at one point
M-256 Chemical Detection Kit class by SSG Numbnuts:
“Take yo glub and crush amplicable number one with yo glub”
Translation: With your glove crush ampule number one
OOOOOH YEAH, BTDT!!
I was once cursed with another SL that had transferred from another MOS (Commo) that thought he knew everything until after he spent time trying to take an exhaust sample from a truck, and another unit had a spanking new 2LT that went balls-to-the-wall trying to find soft spots in a bulldozer blade using a ball peen hammer and carbon paper after an E5 that was about to ETS taught him how to do it. He was “a pretty smart guy”, he said so himself to his NCO’s!
04E, I think Billy Bob and that VWP idiot are one and the same or at least fell out of the same tree on their heads.