By It must be a great time to be a US military recruiter right now because I am sure meeting the recruiting mission is much easier now a days compared to past years:
The quality of military recruits has increased to its highest level in almost two decades partly because of a tough civilian job market and a more stable Iraq.
Last year, 99% of recruits had a high school diploma before entering the service, up from 91% in 2006, when fighting in Iraq was near its peak and the economy was stronger.
The increased interest in the armed forces means recruiters can be choosier about whom they let into the military.
“We turn away a lot more people than we have in years past,” said Army Staff Sgt. David Harris, a recruiter in Roswell, Ga.
The military has dramatically cut the number of “waivers,” which allowed people to join the military despite past misconduct or medical reasons.
The Army granted waivers to 8.7% of the recruits entering the service last fiscal year, down from 15.6% the previous year. Most of those waivers were for medical reasons. [USA Today]
Read the rest at the link, but something USA Today did not point out was that even at its lowest rate of high school graduates the US military still well exceeded the average of US teenagers that graduate high school which is hovering around the 70% range. This should be a national embarrassment in my opinion.
Despite the facts I’m sure some people out there will just continue to believe the myths about the military though. As much as some people want so desperately to believe otherwise, the military is not full of uneducated low life criminals. If anything we have never had a more educated and professional force than we have now, which is testament to the hard work of the US military recruiters that have been able to keep the force filled these past few years in the midst of a force expansion, transformation, an on going war, and a anti-military campaign being launched by some sectors of American society, which interestingly has nearly disappeared in recent years. I wonder why that is?
7:30 pm on April 9th, 2011 1
GI Korea wrote:
Although I am sure there are some people who feel comfortable with the stereotype of an uneducated military, I think a lot of the problem is plain old information inertia. It takes a long time for old ideas to subside in the face of new evidence. Think how Korea cars are still considered low quality, based on a reputation from twenty years earlier (ditto with American cars, for that matter).
If the military and its supporters keep on keepin' on, the public will come around.
10:33 pm on April 9th, 2011 2
The leftists don't hate the military when it's in their control…
11:11 pm on April 9th, 2011 3
Hmmm…
It is absolutely true that the military is full of uneducated servicemembers.
While most graduate from high school… and some might poke around with basic Algebra or English at the College of University of Maryland University College University, that is not true education.
True education is a well-rounded exposure to a larger world which develops understanding and empathy with many ideas and viewpoints that give one a foundation to form good opinions, formulate compete conceptualizations, and make correct decisions.
I suggest you study the list I provided with classes which represent the ideal of a well-rounded education which too many servicemembers lack… for now.
Amherst College's “Should Marx be given another chance?”
"Queer Musicology" at the University of California-Los Angeles
University of Washington’s "Border Crossings, Borderlands: Transnational Feminist Perspectives on Immigration"
etc.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1756661/…
When UMCU starts offering "Drag: Theories of Transgenderism and Performance", and the classes are full, I will listen to theories of educated servicemembers.
BTW… this is the type of crap that too many English "teachers" in Korea have studied… or, in some cases, have degrees in.
Sometimes quality training is better than poor education.
4:07 am on April 10th, 2011 4
#3,
"BTW… this is the type of crap that too many English “teachers” in Korea have studied… or, in some cases, have degrees in."
Totally unnecessary. It ruins your comment, which was quite good up to that point.
PS. BSc and graduate school in Linguistics, very highly ranked universities, two different continents.
4:42 am on April 10th, 2011 5
What I don't understand is with the tremendous bonuses and GI Bill offerings of the past 8 years, why many troops (higher than the public average) are soon on the streets and homeless. Their time in the service should have set them up for a fresh start.
Too many poor choices and missed opportunities?
5:03 am on April 10th, 2011 6
ChickenHead, though I often find theoretical courses to be boring, preachy, and impractical, it seems the author of that YAF article was too focused on course titles about subject matter he/she didn't particularly understand too deeply and was straining to make a political point about it.
#6 and #9 sound like they might go into considerable detail about migration of women, Filipina women in particular, which has major ramifications for a lot of different issues. In demography, public health, sociology, social work, political science, etc., these are important issues. In Korea, where we address the issue of mail-order brides in the countryside, this is highly relevant.
So really, what was the point of taking digs at that? Perhaps they could provide criteria of what an acceptable course would be for them, but that would defeat their purpose, which is probably to make "liberal" universities sound goofy.
And studying Marxism is not the same as accepting Marxism. In fact, Marx was not far off the mark in describing the problems faced by industrializing and capitalist societies, even though his ultimate solution was way off the mark. Marx is as valid a subject of study in the social sciences as the tenets of Darwin in the life sciences, perhaps more so. One should at least have an understanding of Marxist principles — it sheds light on things like why China's Great Leap Forward was a huge step backwards, for example.
Few people go into undergraduate studies and get trained in exactly what they're going to do in a future job. A classical liberal education was always about getting exposed to a world of knowledge and ideas one would not find on the playground or in the 9-to-5 grind, preparing you for whatever purpose you might find yourself in and allowing you to train into or study into that future vocation.
8:25 am on April 10th, 2011 7
Kevin Drum, progressive blogger extraordinaire, looks at the movement to require Algebra II in high school.
"Algebra II! As a minimum requirement to hold a high school diploma! We're literally saying that if you can't factor polynomials, manipulate complex numbers, do matrix arithmetic, and understand basic trig, then you can't get a high school diploma? Really?"
Read it at Mother Jones.
You didn't ask, but I agree with Kevin. Although those topics are fascinating to some, and important for some technical specialties, many fine citezens never use them and don't understand them.
9:40 am on April 10th, 2011 8
"You didn’t ask, but I agree with Kevin. Although those topics are fascinating to some, and important for some technical specialties, many fine citezens never use them and don’t understand them."
As my math teacher told us, you shouldn't ask if you'll ever use, but rather if it expands your knowledge and teaches you to solve problems in a logical and efficient manner.
10:23 am on April 10th, 2011 9
#7
Another effort (no, what's the opposite of effort) to lower the bar?
It's been a long time, but I seem to recall some polynomial factoring and trig on the SAT. Are we going to give up all attempts, pretenses of measuring ourselves internationally? Isn't calculus or pre-calculus a requirement in many Asian high schools? It was offered as an elective in mine. I took it. Good thing too, because the first semester at my first university (it was a tech university) jumped right into calculus, with only the first chapter offered as an algebra refresher.
I don't recall having to ever use calculus or factor polynomials in any job I ever did, but neither did I with many of many of the other things I had to learn in history, philosophy and liberal arts. I did find that a lot of obscure things I learned did come to mind some times when considering other problems.
11:38 am on April 10th, 2011 10
JoeC #5 While my neighbors (husband and wife) were both in the military, neither of them used the GI bill after ETS.
Their decisions were marriage, and two kids. They have good jobs, but they never used the bill they paid into.
and yes, he regrets not doing so.
11:49 am on April 10th, 2011 11
I think the best thing that happened to the Army was the draw down after the first Gulf War. For the most part, the NCOs and Officers who survived it were the best and and I sensed increased professionalism among them.
12:07 pm on April 10th, 2011 12
ChipperB 11 has a very good point. Let's get out of Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea. We'll reduce the forces again, and efficient officers like GI Korea will rise to the top.
4:20 pm on April 10th, 2011 13
#11 Thanks ChipperB
#12 Glans, who is going to do the "work" or "make it happen" for the efficient officers like GI Korea?
Somebody has to put their tents up for them in the Field. Break them down later. Fix the helicopters. Plan the training exercise. Schedule the maintenance. Organize Physical Training. Conduct security inspections. Ensure the Troops are trained. Order the supplies. Maintain the Motor Hole. And so on.
While the efficient officers like GI Korea brown nose to their officers in hopes of getting a good OER.
I would have really enjoyed seeing an efficient officer while I was in.
Never Happened.
Well there was that one time in 2002 with the 2nd ID. I called the Generals Hot line, because my efficient officers couldn't find my extension paper work. Submitted FOUR months ago. Well the General decided to motivate my Battalion CO to make it happen. They recreated my paper work. They then amazed me by getting it up and back down to me in two days. So maybe they CAN be efficient—when properly motivated by the one that approves their OER.
But it took an NCO to get the ball rolling.
My efficient Company CO was a bit pissed. No PCS award for you NCO. High paid children. But I got to see efficient officers get it done at least once in my 20 years.
4:59 pm on April 10th, 2011 14
Retired GI 13 has a good point. Reducing the forces, we have to be sure to get rid of the weak NCOs. The best will stay in, and they'll have good opportunities to excel. The efficient officers will then promote them.
12:49 pm on April 11th, 2011 15
Glans #14, actually NCOs appear before a promotion board comprised of NCOs. Not Officers.
As is so often the case, Officers do nothing but sign the papers.
Example: Military vehicle drivers license used to require an "interview" by the Company CO. What actually happened, was that the Master Driver Trainer (NCO) Would collect the "interview" sheets and put them in the "In Box" for Signature by the CO attesting to the fact that he had interviewed said Driver.
4:05 pm on April 11th, 2011 16
Stop waiting for a savior, says Timothy A. Hacsi. Don’t expect miracle workers like Michelle Rhee to solve our education problems; implement programs that work. Although this dude is a historian, de doesn’t say one word about historical causes of low academic achievement, nor does he present evidence for the programs he says works. But how much ground can a guy cover in one op-ed?
4:55 pm on April 11th, 2011 17
Thanks Retired GI 16, I did not know that. I'm a proud civilian.
9:40 pm on April 11th, 2011 18
It's interesting how the Army focuses on the median education of its recruits by making dubious pitches like "99% of all recruits have finished high school," while the Marines spend less time focusing on such meaningless statistics, and more on how their ethos, their mystique and their rigorous training and espirit de corps produces superior warfighters. In the end, our enemies don't care whether our soldiers have GEDs or not. However, they ought to be afraid of a soldier who is superbly trained, dedicated and committed to his comrade in arms. You can't get that with a diploma or degree. It has to be taught by example.
11:39 pm on April 11th, 2011 19
#18 KMG365, yes it is interesting. Of all our branches of service, the Army is the most Politically Correct. Speaking as a retired army guy, I can say that the term Ghetto was heard often in the enlisted ranks. Make of that what you will. From the mid 90s till my retirement in 2005, it was well known that the more you represented a "minority" the better off you were in the Army.
Example: Major Hasan at Fort Hood. While Hasan pulled the trigger, PC allowed such a questionable person to survive (detected) in the officer ranks.
Yes. It happens with race and sex as well. I had a black female once that did not deserve the rank she held, much less deserve to go to the Promotion Board. I would not take her. I refused to do so. I explained my reasons. Not long from that, I went home for emergency leave when My Father died. While I was gone, someone else represented her and took her to the Board.
I have other examples, but these two should be enough.
My Broker is a former Marine. He gave me high praise a couple of weeks ago. We were bsing and he told me I should have been a Marine. He meant it as, and I took it as a complement.
2:19 am on April 12th, 2011 20
… then you read stories like this and realize there are not just problems with bad apples but with their leaders, or lack of.
6:53 am on April 12th, 2011 21
#20 JoeC, While I will be among the first to point out how little actual WORK officers do, in your article, I would not blame the Officers. I would blame the NCOs.
The NCO is the one that actually interacts normally with the Troops. Not the Officers. Officers have meetings and paperwork to attend too. At least in my Support units, that was the case.
But not all individuals that become NCOs, should be in the position. Having been to more NCO Boards and Promotion Boards than I care to recall, I can tell you, they are for the most part, meaningless.
6:59 am on April 12th, 2011 22
Can soldiers succeed without a mastery of Algebra II?
9:45 am on April 12th, 2011 23
GLANS – Wow, why am I answering a rhetorical question? Mostly, yes, the majority can suceed without a mastery of Algebra II. The army dumbs down the math. You need to be able to plug in numbers to formulae though – like calculating the maximum safe distance away from explosions, figuring out supply needs for certain tasks, etc. UAV pilots and surveyors – No.
Retired GI – I'm guessing the LT in the article didn't go out patrolling with the Soldiers in his unit regularly. Abu Gharib was DEFINITELY horrible leadership on the part of the Officers at the company/platoon level. The LT and PSG should have been spot checking at midnight but instead they were asleep so only one of the SSGs knew what was going on.
11:21 am on April 12th, 2011 24
To #21 (RETIRED GI) – You perpetuate a BS comment about supposedly how "little" work officers do – clearly the mind-set of someone who hasn't BEEN on both sides. Most NOCs and other enlisted Soldiers have NO clue what officers do daily. I know. I served on both sides of the coin in my military career. I won't continue to elaborate. Yours is a point of view of a very ignorant person.
11:59 am on April 12th, 2011 25
Knowledge of higher mathematical concepts gives a deeper appreciation and understanding of the world… much in the way a sunset can be made more beautiful when accompanied with poetry.
Math is a language that allows one's internal dialog to understand, contemplate, and express ideas which a regular language cannot.
An understanding of advanced mathematical concepts allows one to better recognize patterns, trends, and relationships… which might lead to better decisions.
The true value for most people probably can be questioned… and it really isn't good to let girls know how you think… although a quick algorithm can be formulated to let you know your chances.
Solving higher math problems is tedious and certainly not for everyone. Understanding the concepts of advanced mathematics should be a requirement… things like differentials/integrals, scalar/vector/tensor, etc. Knowing what these mean and how they relate to the real world is useful even if you never solve a single problem.
And, if you ever need to solve a real problem and you understand the concepts enough to apply them, that's what computers and MATLAB are for.
12:56 pm on April 12th, 2011 26
#24 It seems I touched a raw nerve with you. Feel the need to defend. That is understandable from an NCO that went Officer, as you imply.
I have never presented myself as anything other than enlisted, so "yeah" I was on one side. For Twenty years.
(the one that did the work)
Interesting that the First time I defend Officers, one gets pissed.
1:03 pm on April 12th, 2011 27
#23 Yeah, I agree about Abu Ghraib. There is no excuse for what happened there. Complete failure of Leadership from both the NCO and Officer Corp. My understanding is that the Female CO had no clue what was happening. Her Senior NCOs did not do their duty by her. No excuse.
3:12 pm on April 12th, 2011 28
ChickenHead 25, if you're saying the more mathematics they know, the better, I agree. But what should actually be required? Tensor analysis? Differential geometry? Harmonic analysis? Algebraic topology? Number theory?
5:08 pm on April 12th, 2011 29
Good question, Glans…
The true meaning of differentials and integrals… although the full implications are hard to grasp until you take a calculus-based physics.
Scalar and vector for sure… maybe not tensors.
Sine, cosine, and their relationships to circles and triangles… and, of course Pi needs to be understood.
Hmmmm… as I wrote this, this list just got a lot longer in my head.
Let me rephrase the whole concept.
Too much math education has… well… too much math in it. And most people just don't require the tedious solving of advanced math problems in daily life…
…but that doesn't mean they shouldn't understand mathematical concepts… as it allows them to better understand and scrutinize everything from government statistics to pop science.
I propose a "mathless" math education for much above algebra for those who will not be science majors… much like science majors must study art appreciation or philosophy to complete their education.
This class will spend time teaching mathematical concepts, how they relate to other concepts, and how they relate to other sciences and the real world. There will be little-to-no actual math but there will be general explanations about what will happen when different variables in the systems/equations go up and down.
I wish I had a class like this prior to taking algebra… as math and science are so compartmentalized that it is hard to grasp how they relate until much "meaningless" study to pass math tests without full comprehension has been done.
I am a TERRIBLE mathematician. I have to look up every formula and procedure… and I seldom get a correct answer because there is some bullshyt mistake buried 30 steps back… even on simple algebra and geometry problems these days.
But I understand the concepts, I know what can be done and basically how to get there, and I know how to use a computer.
I do a lot of complex calculations these days and I get correct answers based on my knowledge of theory rather than long-forgotten tedious procedures that were true torture to learn in the first place.
So…
I think the average education level could be increased and math resentment/frustration could be decreased if the future math and physics majors took number-based math and the future art majors took theory-based math which would allow them to solve problems with a computer.
Sonagi? Where are you?
12:09 am on April 13th, 2011 30
Psychology is a great tool… but most people don't know which end to pick up.
And a small amount of psychology is dangerous… as all those hot-but-crazy-and-trying-to-help-thyself girls who populate psychology classes suddenly think they are experts and start looking at the world through a Psychology 101 lens.
Irritating.
18 to 20 year-old American girls who wish to major in psychology are much better funks than the most willing PI 3-hole hunting girl… even if they are thinking of grandpa or their favorite sneaky uncle the whole time.
I have more great stories about these girls than I do about ladyboys and juicies put together.
And it really twists your thinking about what is "right" and "wrong"… as a "victim" who happily feels loved, satisfied, and empowered, may not be a "victim" regardless of what society says.
12:47 am on April 13th, 2011 31
#31 ChickenHead—wise words. (i AM the favorite sneaky uncle)
"And it really twists your thinking about what is "right" and "wrong"—as a "victim" who happily feels loved, satisfied, and empowered, may not be a "victim" regardless of what society says." Spot on CH. Spot on.
3:10 am on April 13th, 2011 32
Y'all can't even keep one woman happy…
5:46 am on April 13th, 2011 33
#33 Setnaffa, You assume it is a good thing to keep ONE woman happy….:)
5:50 am on April 13th, 2011 34
Perhaps Psychology would be of greater use than Mathematics. I would suggest Social Psychology, Cross-Cultural Psychology and Abnormal Psychology to be of great importance prior to any NCO ranks. At least mandatory for any promotion boards. Rather than the current system of, does he/she have a General College Degree.
6:17 am on April 13th, 2011 35
Tell me what you find out when you get here…
7:28 am on April 13th, 2011 36
No time soon Satnaffa.
Fingers crossed!
8:36 am on April 13th, 2011 37
Prior to Y2K, we (computer systems people) in the military and probably most of industry were tasked to go out and survey most of the departments o their installations to find out what their ability was to perform their primary tasks without any of their computers or computer based systems or equipment. It was disappointing but not unexpected to come back and report that many of them said they would be at a complete shut down. Especially when you knew that 15 years earlier those offices didn't have those computers or system.
With the (over-hyped) talk of cyber warfare, it might be a good idea to require all mission critical people to learn the essential manual process fundamentals of there jobs without the gadgets.
I know that it is impossible to expect that modern aircraft or even vehicle engines be services without electronic computer diagnostic equipment, but, can the people who need to still work out accurate bombing and artillery coordinates with paper maps, pencils and rulers and no calculators?
10:01 am on April 13th, 2011 38
Everything is electronics oriented. You can't even do a monthly counseling without a computer program. (no blank forms)