For Flag and Country
Sarah has a great post up about debunking the myth that our current military is mostly made up of underprivileged soldiers, including this interesting tidbit:
In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups. In 1999, both the highest fifth of the nation in income and the lowest fifth were slightly underrepresented among military volunteers. Since 2001, enlistments have increased in the top two-fifths of income levels but have decreased among the lowest fifth.
In addition, the educational level of recruits increased slightly after 9/11:
After September 11, 2001, the educational quality of recruits rose slightly. Comparing 1999 enlisted recruits to 2003 recruits showed an increase in collegiate experience. In 2003, a higher proportion of recruits had college experience and diplomas, and a lower percentage had only a high school diploma— a shift of about 3 percentage points.
The proof is in the pudding: more soldiers are signing up out of conviction, and not because they have no choice.
In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups. In 1999, both the highest fifth of the nation in income and the lowest fifth were slightly underrepresented among military volunteers. Since 2001, enlistments have increased in the top two-fifths of income levels but have decreased among the lowest fifth.
In addition, the educational level of recruits increased slightly after 9/11:
After September 11, 2001, the educational quality of recruits rose slightly. Comparing 1999 enlisted recruits to 2003 recruits showed an increase in collegiate experience. In 2003, a higher proportion of recruits had college experience and diplomas, and a lower percentage had only a high school diploma— a shift of about 3 percentage points.
The proof is in the pudding: more soldiers are signing up out of conviction, and not because they have no choice.
posted by CaliValleyGirl at 5:06 PM
2 Comments:
don't you love it when people refer to how military troops are "torn from their families" as if someone came in, put a hood over their heads, and dragged them out the front door never to be heard from again?
I'm glad you linked this - it's nice to be able to point to something concrete to say that isn't the case.
Just one name:
Pat Tillman
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