One-third of U.S. youth unfit for military

...teenage boys knocking up teenage girls.

Ain't teenagers so much as the older recruits. With the economy in the crapper there's a lot more recruits pushing the 35 year-old cutoff age of enlistment. Bootcamp isn't a bunch of pimply-faced boys anymore. There's quite a bit of graying hair and wrinkles mixed in as well these days.

Bar I hang out at has alot of kids(20’s and 30’s).
I’m a bit passed the half century mark myself.

Practically to a man, the young guys I see coming in this place look like the Pilsbury Dough boy. Maybe not grossly overweight, but almost rounder than they are tall.

A good proportion of the gals are the same.

I think it's the Ritalin, not the ADD, that's the problem. IIRC, long term use of Ritalin prevents individuals from joining the military. It seems to cause permanent, physical changes in the brain, especially if taken during the formative years.

Not exactly. It seems if a kid is off his meds and is able to function without them for over a year, keep a job or in school, and pass the tests then they can be considered for enlistment (Source: http://www.dbpeds.org/section/fall98/adhd_military.html ). But I think your correct about how the meds (and Ritalin is only on of many prescribed at this point) messes with their heads. I known few people who didn't have some issues due not learning coping mechanism to deal with ADHD and permanent changes to the brain (I cannot prove the second one, it's just experience with many friends who did come off).

Either way, there are pro and cons to someone with actual ADHD being used in the military. There is theory I've read about that people with ADHD are natural hunters because there is a lack of ability to choose to take in, so they take in everything at once and are considered more aware (therefore unable to focus. There are also two other states, hyperfocus and brainfog, which float intermediately between if someone is truely ADHD). However, there is the down side where your confronted with someone screaming in your face and you can't even hear them cause you can't concentrate on them cause your ability to hear has been shot at that point due to all the directions you've been trying to pay attention to. Point being if ADHD kid is trained right, they'll do well, they may just be sent back in WOT a bit, which probably is good.

Yeah, you kind of wonder what kind of parents would stand idly by and watch their kids get obese. In my house, we don’t allow anything with too much corn fructose or chips. Saves $$ and is healthier. When my son was in Boy Scouts, there was this one kid who was already fat and his Dad would feed him tons of smores at camp outs. Had to restrain myself from commenting on that one.

- 35 percent ineligible for medical/physical problems.

— 18 percent ineligible for illegal drug use.

— 9 percent ineligible for mental problems.

— 18 percent have too many dependents.

— 5 percent have a criminal record.

King obuma’s “army.”

Why is it that reporters cannot think mathematically???

“The report, drawing on Pentagon data, says 75 percent of the nation’s 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for service for a variety of reasons, including:

— 35 percent ineligible for medical/physical problems.

— 18 percent ineligible for illegal drug use.

— 9 percent ineligible for mental problems.

— 18 percent have too many dependents.

— 5 percent have a criminal record.

____

It does not occur to the reporters that many with medical/physical problems ALSO may have mental problems, obesity (hell-o-o), too many dependents, etc. Instead they straight-line add up the categories and come up with 75%. Morons, morons in our press corps (Or “corpse”, as Obama pronounces it).

".,..war with the Soviet Union got really bad, all officers in the Basic Training Companies, regardless of branch will become 11B’s (ie infantry..."

I love to hear contingency plans like that. Do you know of more?

Kinda like when TSHTF, the cooks will be formed into the "cannon fodder" brigade.

Maybe that has something to do with it but I think a bigger problem is parents being afraid to let their kids outside to run loose. Instead they’re kept indoors playing video games and chatting with friends on the computer where parents feel they’re safe.

Predators are not dealt harshly enough with and too many are released into society to continue to prey on the most vulnerable.

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