Posted on 02/08/2024 11:50:55 AM PST by Retain Mike
Faced with a shortfall of more than 7,000 sailors, the head of Navy personnel is tapping into a new population of potential recruits: those who haven’t finished high school.
Since 2000, the Navy has not permitted anyone who did not have a high school or GED diploma to enlist in the sea service. But on Jan. 26, the service opened bootcamp to these Americans with some caveats, the Navy announced.
Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman is aiming to enlist at least 500 people who did not finish high school or earn a GED diploma, he told USNI News this week. As of 2021, there were 2 million Americans ages 16-24 who fit that category, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Any American between 18 and 41 can now enlist in the Navy, as long as they score at least a 50 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test and meet other requirements outside of education, according to the Navy’s policy released.
There is already interest, Cheeseman said. Last year, 2,442 people without high school diplomas walked into recruiting offices.
“Thousands of folks have walked in the door and we had to turn them away, and I’m certain there’s untapped talent in that group of people, and I’m looking to capitalize on that,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.usni.org ...
I’m guessing the guys that served in the Union Army didn’t have a lot of degrees amongst them.
If your father is still around, tell him Semper Fi from a fellow Marine. If not, know that he is appreciated.
I’m reminded that 43% of the residents of Detroit and New Orleans (and, probaly many others) cannot even read or write.
👍👍
They are probably right since around half of high school graduates cannot read or write at grade level.
donozark reminded me of McNamara’s Morons that were 100,000 guys who did not meet the standards to be drafted or recruited to the Armed Forces during my Vietnam time. We had one of these guys on our ship. He was a nice guy and the ship held on to him for all of his four years. He served in deck force and had assignments at which he could be successful. I hate to think of what happened to those the Army put into the infantry.
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