[2banana]

and I would gladly hold a contest pitting any 10 American Army soldiers, randomly selected, against any 10 public school teachers on a standardized test.

Including the infantry?

[LS]

Sure. Have you seen the entrance test?

[fr_freak]

and I would gladly hold a contest pitting any 10 American Army soldiers, randomly selected, against any 10 public school teachers on a standardized test.

Including the infantry?

Having been a grunt, myself, I would say yes. You do get a significant amount of non-academically inclined individuals in the infantry, but the majority probably represent the average level of intelligence that you find in the general population, and there are plenty who are above average. There are a lot of reasons that guys join up (adventure, serve the country, college money, all of the above). The stereotype of the average grunt being poor and uneducated with few other opportunities is a relic from the draft days.

Oh, also, there are a lot of really, really, stupid public school teachers (as well as some really bright ones). From what I've seen of the certification program, it's more about indoctrination than learning any real material.

[Terabitten]

Including the infantry?

As a former infantry officer, let me tell you, absolutely YES. You can't be a 'dumb grunt' anymore - those days are long gone. If you're stupid in today's Army, you don't last long.