Free Republic

What follows is the lede from a Baltimore Sun article today (Sunday) about Army recruitment as reprinted in The Day in New London, Connecticut. It demonstrates, again, the truth of Mark Twain’s dictum, “There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” "Washington — The Army met its recruiting goal for November by again accepting a high percentage of recruits who scored in the lowest category on the military's aptitude tests, Pentagon officials said Thursday, raising renewed concerns that the quality of the all-volunteer force will suffer. "The Army exceeded its 5,600 recruit goal by 256 for November, while the Army Reserve...

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Monday, August 22, 2005 10:40 AM CDT Region taking lead in military recruiting BY CHRISTINE KRALY Times Washington Bureau WASHINGTON | Last month, 19-year-old Nichole Weber did something military officials say hasn't been done often enough this year. The Hobart native decided to become one of the Army's newest "future soldiers," as recruiters call them. "I needed to do something to better myself and better my future, and to do something for my country," Weber said. She is one of roughly 1,500 Hoosiers who have signed on in what's become a dismal year of...

Facing an extremely difficult recruiting environment, the U.S. Army has begun to offer a shortened 15-month active duty enlistment option. The move by the Army comes at a time when the number of new enlistments has fallen well short of recruiting goals and while we are faced with the ongoing Global War on Terrorism. Previously, the shortest enlistment offered was for two years. As with most things, the Devil is in the details. The option is only available for 59 of the 150 military occupational specialties (MOS) offered by the Army. Basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) do not...