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"Sorry, but the troops opinions don't really matter to me. Why is such a bad thing to point out that most of the troops went to crappy schools and had crappy grades, that is why they enlisted."
This was posted in a thread. It is close to what John Kerry said last year. Do you agree?
"... most of the troops went to crappy schools and had crappy grades, that is why they enlisted."
It's actually not at all close to what John Kerry said. Senator Kerry's remark was about President Bush, not the troops. He also did not say it last year, but in October 2006. I will reserve judgment as to whether your inability to get even the basic facts right are a reflection of your grades and or/school.
For the record, I think the troops' main problem is having a crappy, stunted, juvenile sense of morality, rather than an intellectual deficit.
"In summary, we found that, on average, 1999 recruits were more highly educated than the equivalent general population, more rural and less urban in origin, and of similar income status."
"We find that, on average, recruits tend to be much more highly educated than the general public and that this education disparity increased after the war on terrorism began. Comparable detailed education data from the Census classify the education level of individuals into one of seven categories (from less than high school up to graduate/professional degree). We generated a binary variable that assigns a 1 for individuals with a high school diploma or higher and a 0 for less than a high school diploma.
If one single statistic could settle this issue, it is this: 98 percent of all enlisted recruits who enter the military have an education level of high school graduate or higher, compared to the national average of 75 percent.[5] In an education context, rather than attracting underprivileged young Americans, the military seems to be attracting above-average Americans. "
"The household income of recruits generally matches the income distribution of the American population. There are slightly higher proportions of recruits from the middle class and slightly lower proportions from low-income brackets. However, the proportion of high-income recruits rose to a disproportionately high level after the war on terrorism began, as did the proportion of highly edu*cated enlistees.
We found that recruits tend to come from middle-class areas, with disproportionately fewer from low-income areas. Overall, the income distribution of military enlistees is more similar to than different from the income distribution of the general population."
thanks for posting that. a little vindication goes a long way. it is sad, but i've had people ask me why i joined the military, with some sort of qualifier like, "but you're such a bright kid." or something similarly ignorant.
i will reiterate both what i've said before, and what this little study finds, military personnel are pretty much like everyone else. they just shoot better.
Quote:
Having joined the military and knowing a lot of people in the military... there are many different reasons why some join... 1) Uneducated... it means they are not simply "smart" enough to get into a good school 2) Poverty... means they couldn't afford to go to school and hope the military will provide education 3) Opportunity.... means they hope to make military life a career choice 4) Patriotism... they believe that the U.S. military is "always" right 5) Politics... they hope it is a stepping stone to get into politics 6) Lack of employment... they need a job or have been out of a job for a long time and need to make money but have no real skills or the job market is weak in their area 7) Discovery... sometimes people are "lost" and have no direction in life, they want a breather to find their way 8) Travel.... this was my reason for joining... I wanted to see the world without paying for all those expensive airfares... The people I met in the military which were all enlisted (not officers) and I can say most of them didn't have a future either because they didn't have an education, were poor, or were patriotic... most of them were uneducated and "needed" a future and they believe the military was the only option to get into a future they want...
is there any room in your experience for those of us that are patriotic, and yet think that the country is heading toward shambles and needs to be improved? i certainly hold no illusions that the country which i love is perfect--never has been, not even back in jefferson and adam's day.
This was posted in a thread. It is close to what John Kerry said last year. Do you agree?
"... most of the troops went to crappy schools and had crappy grades, that is why they enlisted."
I don't agree at all.. Some people still sign up because they are grateful to have been born here, or to come here.
A lot of people make the assumption that people enlist because they have no other options, not true. Some people still take pride in what they do and why they do it. I wish more would take the example of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coasties. You wont find a better people.
Having joined the military and knowing a lot of people in the military... there are many different reasons why some join... 1) Uneducated... it means they are not simply "smart" enough to get into a good school 2) Poverty... means they couldn't afford to go to school and hope the military will provide education 3) Opportunity.... means they hope to make military life a career choice 4) Patriotism... they believe that the U.S. military is "always" right 5) Politics... they hope it is a stepping stone to get into politics 6) Lack of employment... they need a job or have been out of a job for a long time and need to make money but have no real skills or the job market is weak in their area 7) Discovery... sometimes people are "lost" and have no direction in life, they want a breather to find their way 8) Travel.... this was my reason for joining... I wanted to see the world without paying for all those expensive airfares... The people I met in the military which were all enlisted (not officers) and I can say most of them didn't have a future either because they didn't have an education, were poor, or were patriotic... most of them were uneducated and "needed" a future and they believe the military was the only option to get into a future they want...
I agree for the most part. I'll add more:
9) They got their girlfriend knocked up--half the time out of love or conviction, sometimes due to family pressure--they got married and needed a steady job with benefits.
10) They feel a need to get the hell out of wherever they're at (small town, farm, ghetto, rust belt, etc) so they grab the quickest ticket out.
11) Quite a few are military brats--they grew up with an ID card. They feel comfortable with the military way of life. It's kind of like following in dad/mom's footsteps.
I don't mean to burst anybody's bubble but, I spent 12 yrs on active duty. NEVER met anyone who actually said, "I joined because I love my country and I want to fight for it".
Last edited by EDnurse; 09-09-2008 at 11:34 PM..
Reason: content
The household income of recruits generally matches the income distribution of the American population. There are slightly higher proportions of recruits from the middle class and slightly lower proportions from low-income brackets. However, the proportion of high-income recruits rose to a disproportionately high level after the war on terrorism began, as did the proportion of highly edu*cated enlistees. We found that recruits tend to come from middle-class areas, with disproportionately fewer from low-income areas. Overall, the income distribution of military enlistees is more similar to than different from the income distribution of the general population."
An example of how disinformation can come into being, courtesy of such places as the Heritatge Foundation. The report cited did not collect or analyze any data at all on the actual household income of recruits. Instead, every recruit was assigned the median household income for the zip code of his or her home address at the time of enlistment. Thus, when the question is whether recruits come disproportionately from below-average income circumstances, this report simply assigns what amounts to average income circumstances to all recruits, and then claims that no, they don't come from below-average income circumstances. There is a word for this type of analysis, and the word is HOAX...
Last edited by saganista; 09-10-2008 at 06:42 AM..
I'd love to hear one of these arrogant, elitist, know it alls say something like that in the middle of a mess hall
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