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That graph illustrates the different educational levels affect on elistment.

I'm sorry, but that is simply not what the graph I posted shows. The graph merely shows regional variations in recruitment. It says nothing about education's putative effect on recruitment.

Also....The DoD's own analysis says, "no one factor can explain variations in enlistment rates between different sections of the country; they are more likely attributable to a wide array of economic, social, and demographic factors." I take it you disagree with them?

Besides, the same report notes that there were only "minor" regional differences in the so-called "high-quality accessions" (H.S. graduate recruits who scored better than 50% on the AFQT). There were, by contrast, significant regional differences in total accessions. For instance, the South and West region's contribution of accessions totaled 65.6% of all accessions (the South, 42.6% and the West, 23.0%). Whereas, the Northeast and North Central's accessions totaled only 34.4% of all accessions.

The only point I was trying to make in my posts on this thread is that Southerners are presently over-represented in the Armed Forces.

Enlistment is directly related to educational availability as your statement about the lack of enlistees is low in New England indicates. That is why, because levels of education are higher there. Though I would imagine that the enlistment ratios in Maine are higher than Mass. Thus, those lines on the graph are proxies for education levels in the regions.

Again I would imagine that the ratios of enlisted to non-enlisting per state would show strong correlation to educational levels in them. Not totally no doubt but high. I would have to see what was said about it in the report you reference. I doubt that any regression analysis was done to determine the influence of factors on the enlistment rates but don't doubt that you would also find stong correlations between new enlistments and fathers serving in the past as well as between new enlistments and income levels per state.

Southerners have always been a disproportionate percent of the armed forces. Its culture was strongly pro-military even around the time of the Slavers' Revolt. That was a primary reason the revolt was not put down sooner since the Union had to recruit a whole new officer corps after the Southerners left the army.

Thanks for posting those interesting graphs.