US military recruits more ex-cons

More than 600,000 Soldiers have been deployed in this war. That means at least 600,000 incidents of sacrifice, courage and volunteer commitment – not to mention the endurance and strength of their families at home.  The Army’s standards for admission to service remain high.  In fact, only 30% of Americans can meet our strict standards, and therefore quality.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The articles take about 16 Soldiers, Marines and American Sailors out of current population of nearly 2 million – not counting the veterans of the past mentioned with incidents dating back over a decade in some  cases.  The Army takes enlistment waivers very seriously and our waiver process is tough. Only 18 percent of the 170,000 recruits came into the Army last year with enlistment waivers.  For those who require waivers for more serious charges, even alleged felonies, our rigorous 10-step review that may lead to acceptance has proven effective.

The U.S. Army and the Marine Corps reflects the American people and our society and these are changing. A good example is the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 that limits public possession of alcohol to age 21. Many of the waivers the Army now grants involve teenage alcohol-related incidents that before 1984 would not have been illegal. Years of research and experience show us that these kinds of youthful mistakes are not good predictors of success or failure in college, the workplace and future family life, and they are not good predictors of success or failure in the Army. 

Education waivers are a fine example of the way the Army recruiting process has had to adapt to a changing <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />America. The Army used to require a high school diploma – but 85 % of high school students used to graduate in four years.  Today that’s dropped to about 60 percent – and even lower in many urban districts. 

Equivalency certificates now almost equal on-time graduations. What’s the right thing for the Army to do?  We think the right thing is to accept some promising recruits who have a GED – even help them get that GED – and then provide them our world class training and the education benefits that give them opportunities to excel.

A three-year study has compared our Soldiers with enlistment waivers to those without.  The results are remarkable.  Soldiers enlisted with waivers reenlist at a higher rate, advance to sergeant faster and had a higher ratio of valor awards.

Our Soldiers, many who have won commendations for valor -- even Bronze and Silver Star recipients -- could have been turned away from the Army because of teenage brushes with the law for offenses such as minor in possession, trespassing, fist fighting, and reckless driving.  Of course these laws are important.  But so is recognizing what training and maturity can do.