http://www.heritage.org/Research/Nation ... a06-09.cfm
...Education
Educational achievement is the characteristic most commonly cited as evidence of lower military standards driven by the Iraq War. While some meaÂsures, such as the higher percentage of Category IV recruits in the Army, are cited, other measures, such as the higher percentage of Category I recruits, are ignored. In general, the higher quality of recruits compared to equivalent civilian populaÂtion has held steady during the war years.
The previous study noted the significant differÂence between the national recruit high school gradÂuation rate of 98 percent and the national youth graduation rate of 75 percent. This strong distincÂtion continues among the 2004 and 2005 recruits when compared to the national educational attainÂment levels reported by the Census 2004 American Community Survey (ACS).[4]
Given the nature of the military rank structure, most enlisted recruits do not have a college eduÂcation or degree. Members of the armed forces with higher education are more often commisÂsioned officers (lieutenant and above). In 2004, 92.1 percent of active-duty officer accessions held baccalaureate degrees or higher.[5] From 2000 to 2005, between 10 percent and 17 percent of active-duty officer accessions held advanced degrees, and between 35 percent and 45 percent of the active-duty officer corps held advanced degrees.[6] This indicates that officers continued their educaÂtion during the course of their miliÂtary service.
Many enlisted personnel are drawn to the benefits offered by the armed forces that allow them to obtain funding for college. In recent years, incentives to join the military have increased, providing more of the enlisted recruits with additional resources to finance their education. Although only about 7 percent of recruits for 2003–2005 entered the military with some college experiÂence, over 11 percent of the 2004 active component enlisted force had some college experience.[7]
Additionally, in the most recent edition of Population Representation in the Military Services, the Department of Defense reported that the mean reading level of 2004 recruits is a full grade level higher than that of the comparable youth population.[8] Fewer than 2 percent of wartime recruits have no high school credenÂtials. Table 2 shows the breakdown for the educational attainment of the warÂtime recruit cohorts. The national high school graduation rate taken from the Census 2004 ACS is 79.8 percent.
In previous years, the Department of Defense adhered to a policy of accepting no more than 2 percent of recruits scoring in Category IV on the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT), the stanÂdardized test administered to all recruits to deterÂmine eligibility. Category IV indicates that the individual scored between the 21st and 30th percenÂtiles. Congress accepted a revised policy of up to 4 percent to allow for flexibility in the current recruitÂing market. Despite three of the four branches accepting limited numbers of Category IV recruits, in November 2005, the media criticized the Army for accepting a high number of recruits from CateÂgory IV.[9]
In fiscal year 2005, 4.4 percent of Army recruits scored in Category IV, and the Army is optimistic that it will remain within policy guidelines with its recruits for fiscal year 2006. For the first three quarters of fiscal year 2006 (October 2005–June 2006), 3.4 percent of Army recruits scored in CatÂegory IV. While the Army has been criticized for its AFQT score policy, only 1.2 percent of Marine Corps recruits for the first three quarters of fiscal year 2006 scored in Category IV, and the Air Force and the Navy have no such recruits for this period. In 2005, only 2.2 percent of the recruits from all four branches in fiscal year 2005 scored in CateÂgory IV. By comparison, because the Army does not accept any recruits below the 21st percentile, the nature of AFQT scoring indicates that 20 percent of the comparable civilian population would score below Category IV.
The policy regarding high school graduation status (or the equivalent) remains stringent across all four branches of the military. At least 90 perÂcent of recruits must be high school diploma graduates (which does not include equivalency). Recruit accessions from the first three quarters of fiscal year 2006 are above this guideline in all branches except the Army. As of May 2006, 83.1 percent of accepted Army recruits met this requirement, which is still a greater percentage than the national graduation rate including equivÂalency. Additionally, for fiscal year 2006, the Army is in step with the other three branches in meeting the overall DOD guideline that more than 60 perÂcent of enlistees should score above the 50th perÂcentile on the AFQT.
The military defines a “high quality†recruit as one who has scored above the 50th percentile on the AFQT and has a high school diploma. The percentage of high-quality recruits has increased from 57 percent in 2001 to 64 percent in 2005 (67 percent in 2004),[10] indicating not only that the military is accepting intelligent and well-educated recruits, but also that the representaÂtion of these recruits has increased strongly since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
While the military has changed its policies to allow flexibility in recruiting standards, it has cerÂtainly not abandoned them. The current guidelines allow each force the flexibility to accept recruits who satisfy only one criterion: either a high school diploma or an above-average score on the AFQT, which is a standard equal to or exceeding the genÂeral youth population.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Nation ... wm1244.cfm
The Facts About Today’s Soldiers[5]
The average reading level of new soldiers is roughly a full grade level higher than their civilian peers’.
Enlistees’ high school graduation rate was 97 percent in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The civilian graduation rate is seventeen percentage points lower.
The wealthiest 40 percent of neighborhoods in America are the home of 45.6 percent of 2005 enlistees. For every two U.S. recruits from the poorest neighborhoods, three come from the richest.
There is no statistical evidence to support the claim that minorities are being targeted or exploited for military service. The 100 zip codes with the highest proportions of African-Americans were actually under-represented among military enlistees in 2005.
Every U.S. military recruit of the last 33 years has been a volunteer.
Antiwar criticism has morphed into a patronizing attitude toward GIs, by way of questioning the quality of the men and women who volunteer to serve. Perhaps it is easier for the antiwar Left to believe that soldiers are unintelligent than to believe that they are taking risks willingly because they actually believe in the war’s purpose.
The good news is that many Democrats were quick to condemn Kerry’s statement and call for an apology. But righting this wrong requires more than an apology for a one-time slip. At issue is a core belief that sorely needs to be corrected because it is intertwined with weighty policy issues.
The fundamental irony is that so many elites who are eager to cut and run from Iraq stand in clear contrast to the tens of thousands of young adults who are joining the fight, understand the stakes, and want to win.
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