[TSgt]

...since most foreign skilled guest workers typically have more education, foreign language skills and professional expertise than many Americans who enlist.

They do?

[nuance4u]

So all of the Palestinian refugees Obama has told to come to the US now get to join “his” army?

[12Gauge687]

Yes, that’s true, especially within certain professions. many who come from India have engineering and medical degrees the average U.S. military enlistee does not. The military is concentrating on acquiring those in medical professions and linguists, particularly South Asian languages like Urdu and Pashtun. The Hindi language, for instance, has many similarities to Urdu, except in written form.

I’m pretty sure there are very few such linguists amongst the average group of those enlisting into the Marines based upon my conversations with MARSOC (Special Operations Command, U. S. Marine Forces) personnel. MARSOC folks have actually asked me for names of young naturalized Americans who can speak at least five of the major dialects of Chinese.

[SuziQ]

I'm thinking the foreign guest workers, those with particular skills, NOT just the migrant agricultural or construction workers, ARE likely more educated than the typical American who enlists right out of high school. That's not putting down the American recruits, it's just a fact.

There will always be more American recruits than the guest workers, anyway, and the military has been known for decades to be a way into the middle and upper class, for those with limited skills, who aspire to it.

[Quix]

How’s that myopic tunnel vision worked for you, so far?

I gather you haven’t read the refs in my tagline, either.