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Main Page Us Military Lowers Standards For Recruits
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Posted by: Inspector

The BBC reports today that the U.S. military is lowering moral standards for recruits in order to keep up with the demand for more troops. This report comes on the heels of another report which showed the intelligence level standards have been lowered.

The number of people with criminal records in the United States military has doubled in the past three years, according to a new study.
The report comes at the same time as the US armed forces is facing a decline in the number of volunteers wishing to enlist in the armed forces.

It says 824 felons were allowed to sign up in 2004 as opposed to 1,605 in 2006 under the moral waivers scheme.

Almost 59,000 drug abusers entered the military in the same period.

The report, sponsored by the American think tank Michael D Palm Centre, also showed that 43,977 people convicted of serious misdemeanours such as assault were permitted to enlist.

Posted by: NFAfan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inspector

The BBC reports today that the U.S. military is lowering moral standards for recruits in order to keep up with the demand for more troops. This report comes on the heels of another report which showed the intelligence level standards have been lowered.

The number of people with criminal records in the United States military has doubled in the past three years, according to a new study.
The report comes at the same time as the US armed forces is facing a decline in the number of volunteers wishing to enlist in the armed forces.

It says 824 felons were allowed to sign up in 2004 as opposed to 1,605 in 2006 under the moral waivers scheme.

Almost 59,000 drug abusers entered the military in the same period.

The report, sponsored by the American think tank Michael D Palm Centre, also showed that 43,977 people convicted of serious misdemeanours such as assault were permitted to enlist.

Big F'ing deal! It used to be standard practice in the courts to give a defendant an option of military service or prison. People convicted or who would be convicted of certain types of crimes have always been in the military and most of them who enter the service grow up and turn their lives around for the better. They aquire the structure that was missing while on the block and learn respect for other people and their property.
The military is no different than any other facet of society in that it is made up of people from all walks of life.....that includes good, and what some consider "bad".
If there was anyone I'd like to have fighting beside me, its someone with some tenacity rather than some pansy assed, whiney, son of a suburban soccer mom who's had his whole life handed to him on a silver platter until the day he entered the military.

Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

Agree 110% NFA fan

Posted by: Killjoy

I would disagree with that...the practice of offering people military service in lieu of jail arose only in the period of time when there was mandatory military service (the draft). While some would argue that it could lead to someone "turning their life around", I think that statistically you would find that it led to mediocre to poor soldiers with constant discipline problems who then burdened their units with bad attitudes. It only takes one bad apple to cause a lot of problems in a platoon or squad...think of the massive discipline and morale problems in Vietnam era draftees. This was another period of time when the military lowered its standards to bolster its numbers, and I think that in the long term, it was harmful to the military. Only be a massive reorganization and a switch to an all-volunteer force was the military able to shake off the after effects of Vietnam.

A person who is so anti-social as to commit felonies, is not a benefit to the military or the the soldiers in their unit. The criminal class is rife with people with anti-social personality disorder, and the bottom line is they would not risk themselves to help others...even the persons in their unit. More likely than not they would try to survive at all costs, even sacrificing the lives of their fellow soldiers. They would follow orders only to the point that it was convenient to them, then as soon as the leader wasn't watching, they would shirk their duties. NFA fan, you made the statement that you would rather have someone fighting next to you with some "tenacity, rather than some pansy assed son of a suburban soccer mom who has had his whole life handed to him on silver platter." Of course the opposite of that is that the criminal minded soldier would NOT risk their own life to save you because they are selfish and have no true relationships. The pansy would risk everything to save you because you're his FRIEND, his brother-in-arms and he understands the value of your friendship. Criminals have no friends, only people they simulate relationships with in order to get something from them; when they lose their value, they simply cash you out and move on.

Another problem is giving the criminal minded training and skillsets that could incredibly dangerous to the general public and the police. A skilled infantryman is trained in CQB, MOUT, a variety of weapons, small-unit tactics, and a number of things that could very easy be turned to the pursuit of crime. Throw in a little "combat seasoning" a you have a criminal who is probably better trained than the average police officer and at least an even match for tactical team officers. These people don't just go to Iraq and Afganistan and "go away", most of them come back and go right back to their hood. Most of them would not make the military a career, because behaviors that are tolerated in the AOR, would not be tolerated in stateside bases and they would probably get kicked-out or let their enlistments expire.

My father was a career soldier (22 years) and a Vietnam veteran. He deplored many of soldiers he was made to serve with in Vietnam. These were not military professionals, but people "marking time" until they could get out. As an NCO he had to watch these people constantly, or at the first chance they could get, they were sneaking off, shirking their duties. They were the "sick call" soldiers, and the ones who would hide rather than fight. He told me the smartest thing the military ever did was switch to an all-volunteer system; it increased the level of the soldiers immeasurably. As a veteran, and NCO myself the last thing I would want to deal with is some criminal in the midst of my unit, sowing discontent and causing problems. As a police officer I don't relish the idea of going up against gang members or criminals taught the latest weapons and tactics at Ft. Bragg, Camp Lejune or Ft. Bliss.

Posted by: KozmoKramer

Incredibly insightful opinion Killjoy, very well done.

Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

I was part of the volunteer army as well..three times. Some of the best soldiers I served with came into the service needing waivers just to get in. They were hard chargers always giving a 110%. They came from the Watts area of LA, Miamis Cuban district . Im not saying you wash them in. Your suposed to weed out the disilpline problems, mental defects and general retards during basic training. I learned alot from a couple of them.
As a soldier I certainly dont want hard core drug users, thieves and such around me butI dont mind " the courts" giving a guy a second chance to do better.
My view might be biased because most of the " weeding" was done by the end of infantry school and definately by the time they had finished RIP .

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