Army Opens Preparatory for Dropouts

[Nonno (Premo)]

Army Opens Preparatory for Dropouts - TIME

(FORT JACKSON, S.C.) —Austin Swarner left high school to care for his mother while she fought a losing battle with cancer. Tony Brown wanted to begin supporting himself and left two classes shy of a diploma. Haelee Holden got tired of trying to make it through school while flipping burgers until 1 a.m.

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."

[BOP]

"Me llama est Raul."

"My name is Raul."

[The Oyster Guy]

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

[vraiblonde]

It's about friggin' time! The military is a great opportunity for kids who've dropped out of school for one reason or another. Get their GED, learn a trade, get some college money - I could never figure out why they wouldn't take GEDs in the first place.

[Xaquin44]

I don't see the problem here .... it's not like they're being forced to join the army.

[thurley42]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

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

yeah....why bother with these people right? Let them run their eventual course that will find them in the prison system living off of tax dollars?

This is a great idea...why not kill two birds by filling manning requirements and bettering peoples lives?

[The Oyster Guy]

The problem is this program stands to weaken the military by accepting recruits that aren't military caliber.
I'm sorry, but if you didn't have the discipline to finish high school, you're not the demographic we need in the military.

[Xaquin44]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

The problem is this program stands to weaken the military by accepting recruits that aren't military caliber.
I'm sorry, but if you didn't have the discipline to finish high school, you're not the demographic we need in the military.

but the point of the school would be so that they do finish HS ....

Also, it is for all intents and purposes nothing but training (I know it's more, but for the sake of this argument .... ) when you get there.

It's not like they just slap a uniform on you and pack you off.

You do get trained and educated while there, just so you are military caliber.

[Larry Gude (Premo)]

Originally Posted by vraiblonde

It's about friggin' time! The military is a great opportunity for kids who've dropped out of school for one reason or another. Get their GED, learn a trade, get some college money - I could never figure out why they wouldn't take GEDs in the first place.

...right!

This stupid administration should have gotten this started 5 years ago. We need the man power and this is a GREAT opportunity for these kids.

[AK-74me]

Originally Posted by The Oyster Guy

The problem is this program stands to weaken the military by accepting recruits that aren't military caliber.
I'm sorry, but if you didn't have the discipline to finish high school, you're not the demographic we need in the military.

I bet there would be a large number who could excel in the military even though they didn't not excel at academics. I'd say the two have little to do with one another, I am sure there are some very smart people you have joined the military but were just not "cut out" for it.

I think just because a person may not be interested what is offered in the school system does not mean they are incapable of learning altogether and would make a bad Solider, Sailor or Marine.