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Who Are the Recruits? The Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Military Enlistment, 2003–2005
The Heritage Foundation ^ | October 27, 2006 | Tim Kane, Ph.D

Posted on 10/31/2006 3:56:48 PM PST by TomGuy

Center for Data Analysis Report #06-09

The current findings show that the demo­graphic characteristics of volunteers have contin­ued to show signs of higher, not lower, quality.

{snip}

Given the nature of the military rank structure, most enlisted recruits do not have a college edu­cation or degree. Members of the armed forces with higher education are more often commis­sioned 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 educa­tion during the course of their mili­tary 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 experi­ence, 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 creden­tials. Table 2 shows the breakdown for the educational attainment of the war­time recruit cohorts. The national high school graduation rate taken from the Census 2004 ACS is 79.8 percent.


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: demographic; enlistment; kerry; kerrydumbiraqgaffe; recruits
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1 posted on 10/31/2006 3:56:50 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: TomGuy

Mine has an associates degree in criminalogy.....not a dumb schmuck as Kerry portrays him.


2 posted on 10/31/2006 3:58:19 PM PST by mystery-ak (My Son, My Soldier, My Hero........God Speed Jonathan......)
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To: TomGuy

More data at the article link.

FYI

http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/cda06-09.cfm


3 posted on 10/31/2006 3:58:29 PM PST by TomGuy
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To: TomGuy

Thank you Heritage!


4 posted on 10/31/2006 3:58:42 PM PST by Pyro7480 ("Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world." - Pope Blessed Pius IX)
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To: mystery-ak
Mine has an associates degree in criminalogy.....not a dumb schmuck as Kerry portrays him

I'd not be at all surprised to read that he or she is going on to pursue a bachelor's degree.

5 posted on 10/31/2006 4:07:10 PM PST by El Gato
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To: TomGuy

John Kerry’s statement that only losers join the military aligns precisely with his uncorroborated testimony before Congress about how I, and others of TF116, committed unspeakable atrocities against the South Vietnamese. In my little corner of the war our boats and ships were ordered not to return fire from the village of Nam Can as they transited to and from Seafloat. We were expected to gut it out through the kill zone, because the village was designated by us as a sanctuary from the war for civilians.



Now he regards my son who joined the Marine Corps infantry out of high school as intellectually failed, and never considers the possibility that he may have deferred college to serve his nation. My son had the aptitude scores and security clearance to serve a tour with Marine Presidential Security Forces, before joining Third Battalion Fourth Marines security.



Life has come full circle.


6 posted on 10/31/2006 4:07:27 PM PST by Retain Mike
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To: TomGuy

I guess Kerry didn't read this before he decided to make more disgusting remarks about our military.

I hope he rots in hell.


7 posted on 10/31/2006 4:09:32 PM PST by Peach (The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they captured or killed.)
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To: TomGuy

The great men and women in our forces are using some pretty slick high-tech stuff too.


8 posted on 10/31/2006 4:10:35 PM PST by SF Republican
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To: SF Republican

My son Graduated from The Naval Academy, tell him he is dumb!


9 posted on 10/31/2006 4:13:31 PM PST by DocJ69
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To: DocJ69

I know one dumb vet who is now a senator.


10 posted on 10/31/2006 4:17:56 PM PST by Dave Burns
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To: mystery-ak

The question now on the table is - will Kerry have the courage to take a principled resignation before the election on Tuesday? Or will he stay on as a sparring punching bag to doom his party before Big Tuesday '08?

Don't forget BOXER/Hilary in 08!


11 posted on 10/31/2006 4:20:02 PM PST by Republicus2001
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To: El Gato

He better...he dropped out to serve under OP Noble Eagle and in Iraq


12 posted on 10/31/2006 4:22:05 PM PST by mystery-ak (My Son, My Soldier, My Hero........God Speed Jonathan......)
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To: Retain Mike

Exactly. He never recanted and he continues to trash our best citizens.


13 posted on 10/31/2006 4:22:23 PM PST by dervish (Rachel weeps for her children, she refuses to be consoled. Shalit, Goldwasser, Regev)
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To: mystery-ak

I had 2 masters degrees + 15 hours.

And I wasn't an oddity.

I'm betting there are only 20% or so of NCOs who have zero college and that most now have earned or are earning an associate's degree.


14 posted on 10/31/2006 4:23:48 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it! Supporting our troops means praying for them to WIN!)
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To: DocJ69
You must be very proud and keep up the great work you are doing. You are obviously blessed.
15 posted on 10/31/2006 4:23:59 PM PST by SF Republican
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To: TomGuy
Looks like Kerry was reading this year-old article from the Austin American Mis-Statesman.....

Sadly, many now think the military is for losers

"But there is something ominously wrong with a democratic nation that protects its affluent youth from harm, and from service, while putting disadvantaged young people into a meat grinder overseas. There is something disturbing about a nation that beats the drum of patriotism but lets its most privileged young people believe that military service is for losers." - Gary Chapman, REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR Monday, November 07, 2005

Don't tell us that the left hasn't been immersed in this thinking for YEARS.

Yes. I'm cross-posting this all over the place...but there ya go.

16 posted on 10/31/2006 4:32:55 PM PST by sam_paine (X .................................)
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To: mystery-ak
Mine has an associates degree in criminalogy.....not a dumb schmuck as Kerry portrays him.

Although I have been retired for a bit ('95), higher education was a huge issue. A goal that all supervisors pushed.

I am hard pressed to think of another company that stresses education more than the DoD.

A truly great benefit for those in service.

17 posted on 10/31/2006 4:41:06 PM PST by LasVegasMac (Islam........not fit for human consumption.)
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To: DocJ69
My son Graduated from The Naval Academy, tell him he is dumb!

He is dumb.

The Navy is dumb.

not that I retired from the USAF or anything.

J/K. :)

18 posted on 10/31/2006 4:45:46 PM PST by LasVegasMac (Islam........not fit for human consumption.)
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To: Dave Burns
I know one dumb vet who is now a senator.

10 bonus points awarded to House Burns.

good one.

19 posted on 10/31/2006 4:47:49 PM PST by LasVegasMac (Islam........not fit for human consumption.)
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To: Peach

I figured out where Kerry's rage is coming from; remember he tried to get out of serving by asking for a fifth deferrment; he didn't get it.

I am thinking he's STILL furious about having to serve, period.


20 posted on 10/31/2006 4:53:00 PM PST by Howlin (Why Won't Nancy Pelosi Let Louis Freeh Investigate the Page Scandal?)
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