Army Opens Preparatory for Dropouts

[Xaquin44]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

I understand your logic, but I question the ultimate benefit of lowering the bar for recruiting. What's next? Do we recruit from prisons? Maybe just the convicts that have the potential to be rehabilitated to military character?

People drop out for any number of reaons. It isn't lowering the bar so much as helping raise some people who want to reach it.

[LateApex]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

...When the going gets tough,
.
.
.
.
.
just lower your standards.

You don't need a high school diploma to fire a gun.

Likewise, bullets don't care if you finished school.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

Holy smokes! I was just googling the subject and discovered that:

[i][indent]By comparison, 11.2 percent of Army recruits were granted criminal waivers in all of fiscal year 2007, which ended Sept. 30. The 2007 figure was the largest percentage of recruits admitted on waivers since the Iraq war began.
]

...from the story;

The waivers are required when an Army applicant has been convicted of committing four or more "minor offenses" such as littering or disorderly conduct, or two to four misdemeanors such as larcency, trespassing, or vandalism.

Recruits who have committed a felony such as arson, burglary, or aggravated assault must also receive a moral waiver to join. Applicants with multiple felonies - or with a single conviction for a more serious crime such as homicide, rape, or drug trafficking - are automatically disqualified.

...really that big a danger to the effectiveness of the military?

[Xaquin44]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...from the story;








...really that big a danger to the effectiveness of the military?

.... they all moved away from me on the group W bench ....

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by Xaquin44

.... they all moved away from me on the group W bench ....

...serve. What's a group w bench?

[Xaquin44]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...serve. What's a group w bench?

hehe it's from Alice's Restaurant

essentially the bench the 'criminals' were sent to.

even though all he did was litter.

I love me some Arlo Guthrie

[The Oyster Guy]

Originally Posted by Larry Gude

...really that big a danger to the effectiveness of the military?

All part of a trend to lower the bar for recruits. And this, after we had kids knocking-down the doors at recruiting offices after 9/11. What happened?

There wouldn't be a recruiting problem if we had the proper incentives. When we've got military tours being extended from 12 to 15 months, guys on their 5th rotation, and a stop-loss policy - well, the smart kids start ain't so interested in signing-up.

Fix those issues, and we wouldn't need to lower the bars (education, physical fitness, or criminal history) to meet recruitment goals.

[vraiblonde]

I'm surprised that anyone would have an objection to this. This beats the hell out of welfare and government dependency.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

All part of a trend to lower the bar for recruits. And this, after we had kids knocking-down the doors at recruiting offices after 9/11. What happened?

There wouldn't be a recruiting problem if we had the proper incentives. When we've got military tours being extended from 12 to 15 months, guys on their 5th rotation, and a stop-loss policy - well, the smart kids start ain't so interested in signing-up.

Fix those issues, and we wouldn't need to lower the bars (education, physical fitness, or criminal history) to meet recruitment goals.

...written in favor of pay raises and opportunity for more people to stay in longer for years, so, that we agree on, for sure.

What happened on 9/12 forward is George Bush and Don Rumsfeld insisting on keeping a smaller force. The generals knew we needed more troops. The coming situations demanded more troops and for darn sure the way they ran the wars called for more troops.

Failure of leadership in my view.

[vraiblonde]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

All part of a trend to lower the bar for recruits.

Lower the bar? Why would you exclude a perfectly acceptable candidate simply because they don't have a high school diploma? Especially since they're willing to work to get their GED?