Posted on 03/04/2005 3:17:23 PM PST by Flavius
The Army’s wartime recruiting challenge is aggravated by a sharp drop in black enlistments over the last four years, which internal Army and Defense Department polls trace to an unpopular war in Iraq and concerns among blacks with Bush administration policies.
The Army is straining to meet recruiting goals in part because the number of black volunteers has fallen 41 percent — from 23.5 percent of recruits in fiscal 2000 down steadily to 13.9 percent in the first four months of fiscal 2005.
“It’s alarming,” said Maj. Gen. Michael D. Rochelle, commanding general of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox, Ky.
No single factor explains the drop, Rochelle said, but clearly the propensity of black youth to enlist is impacted by the war and increasingly by views of parents, teachers, coaches, clergy and other “influencers.”
“The influencers of these youth are causing them to be less inclined to listen to what good the Army could do for them in the long run,” said Rochelle, one of the Army’s most senior black officers.
Officer recruiting is hit, too. Black enrollment in the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program is down 36 percent since 2001.
The Marine Corps also reports a drop in black recruits but its racial data on recruits is now suspect due to a government policy, effective Jan. 1, 2003, that allows recruits and all new federal workers to decline to identify their race. The Army has found a way to continue to track accurately its racial data, said S. Douglas Smith, spokesman for the recruiting command.
Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a Democrat whose New York City district includes Harlem, said he isn’t too surprised by the Army recruiting data.
“I have not found a black person in support of this war in my district,” he said. “The fact that every member of the Congressional Black Caucus emotionally, politically and vigorously opposes this war is an indication of what black folks think throughout this country.”
Rangel also said there was “overwhelming disappointment” among blacks after Bush, in a disputed election, became president in 2001, and the disappointment “plummeted after he declared war in Iraq.”
Results of the Defense Department’s own Youth and Influencer Polls, conducted last May, affirm that administration policies and the Iraq war have lowered the propensity of black youth to enlist, particularly in the Army and Marine Corps, the ground forces taking most of the casualties.
While the war reduced the likelihood of youth in general to join the military, says the Youth Poll report, “Black youth reported being more negatively affected … . Black youth were less supportive of U.S. troops’ presence in Iraq, less likely to feel the war was justified, more disapproving of the Bush administration’s handling of foreign affairs and more disapproving of its use of U.S. military forces than were whites or Hispanics.”
Black youth unemployment remains above 10 percent, higher than for Hispanics and double that of whites. Blacks also tend to view military pay as more attractive than do other racial groups.
In years past, such factors enticed a disproportionate number of African-American youth to see opportunity in the Army. In some years since the draft ended in 1973, the percentage of blacks among Army volunteers approached 30 percent.
In fiscal 2000, blacks still represented almost a quarter of Army recruits. That percentage fell to 22.7 in 2001, 19.9 in ’02, 16.4 in ’03, 15.9 in ’04, and now to 13.9 percent through four months of fiscal 2005. No such decline has been seen among Hispanics or white recruits. Indeed, their percentages among Army recruits grew during the first Bush administration.
Because blacks are 14 percent of all recruit-age youth, their recruiting numbers remain “acceptable,” said Rochelle, proportional to blacks in society. But the steep drop in black recruits overall does hurt plans “to grow the Army,” he conceded. Congress has ordered a 30,000 increase in the number of active-duty soldiers by October 2007.
Rangel said many blacks still are enticed into service by benefits and cash incentives, which are rising sharply.
“It has amazed me that, not withstanding the general feeling of the community, they still have enlisted and fought. When my [Guard and Reserve] outfits come home, these guys get their medals and they’re proud. But when I’m called up [to speak], they cheer and stomp their feet, knowing that I fought against the war. It’s inconsistent as hell.”
Another Army-directed poll, the U.S. Military Image Study, is posted on a Defense Contracting Command Web site, likely by mistake. Based on interviews with 3,236 youth ages 16 to 24, this study says, “Recruiting an all-volunteer Army in times of war is increasingly difficult.”
While money for college remains a major motivator to enlist, the Iraq war leaves youth, particularly blacks, conflicted.
“More African-Americans identify having to fight for a cause they don’t support as a barrier to military service,” the study found.
Fear of being killed or injured was the top reason to avoid service for 26 percent of youth in 2004, almost double the 14 percent reported in 2000.
It is sad that we are losing recruits, mainly due to the misrepresentations of the leftists, who view the small number of casualties we have had as "horrendous".
This shows the damage the leftist press and the other commie wackos are doing to our war effort. We lost more people in one battle in Nam than we have this whole war.
WWII was a bloodbath of unbelieveable proportions. WWI was worse than WWII.
What will be funny is when the draft becomes necessary to fill the military and we start drafting leftists.
?......due to infiltration by American 'gangs'?
I hope that this article doesn't describe the start of a long-term trend -- that may be good for private businesses who want to hire some of the best of the black community, but it would be a loss for the country.
I've known several at workplaces that flat out said they would go to jail instead of the army if there was a draft.
That speaks volumes...
I've known several at workplaces that flat out said they would go to jail instead of the army if there was a draft.
They know they are NOT ISSUED automatic weapons and ammo in ...'jail'?
What would happen if Automatic Weapons and Ammo WERE to be 'issued' in jail-prisons?
Thank God they were not among Ernie Pyle's peers when Mark Clark virtually sacrificed two regiments in two days in a foolish attempt to cross the Rapido River. (Italy) Just like Gallipoli during WWI, the 36th ID knew it was suicidal, and they went anyway, and kept going, till higher headquarters forced Clark to call it off. . After the war, the division association succeeded in forcing Congressional hearings. Clark got a whitewash.
I haven't followed recent percentages, but when I last looked the percentage of blacks in the military was considerably higher than the percentage of blacks in the general population. There was no discrimination that I could see when I was in the service.
Obviously blacks are listening to their politicians, and their politicians have been viciously partisan against the war. Too bad, because as usual these politicians putting short-term political motives against the welfare of their own people.
Funny...I've been hearing for years that minorities were forced into the military because of rampant racism in the economy.
Lefty sez minority youts' can't get a job because of the honky domination of the means of production. Lefty sez minority youts' hardest hit in combat duty, injuries and death because lack of educational assests makes 'em too ignorant for anything but the infantry.
I guess lefty is wrong, eh?
Until recently, there was little concern for the lives of our men by several generals in each war. In Nam Westmoreland was a nut. The body count nonsense and the various administrations' inability to fight a all out war, doomed us to many casualties.
The rules for engagement for pilots sacrificed many of them. The silly idea we needed to capture jungle to win, also cost thousands. Perhaps it was the disregard for the value of draftees lives that led to this.
Personally, I think the hippy types did a lot of damage to our ability to defend ourselves, by making the military too self-conscious and public relations oriented.
But we must have generals and admirals that understand how to conduct operations without doing stupid things that waste highly trained troops.
I can tell you that a black inner city kid has more chance of getting shot there than in battle.
Unfortunately, most of the inner city black men have felony records and are disqualified from service, anyway.
That's one of the truths not to be spoken of, if you know what I mean. In addition, combat troops remain overwhelmingly white.
It's an indication of what liberal black CongressCritters think that's true, but otherwise it doesn't mean much
Historically southerners, both black and white, have been over-represented in the military. Inner city recruits, of whatever ethnicity, don't tend to stick around as long as suburban and rural ones. They also tend to be harder to train and create more discipline problems.
In a few years Charlie Rangle will be complaining about the many folks getting GI money for school and so little for the blacks.
The last thing the Army needs is bunch of stinking leftists. What we need is a bigger army, which would reduce the deployement burden on individual soldiers somewhat, and thus inrease retention. Plus it would give us more surge and backup capability in times of real crisis.
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