Many Are Unfit to Fight
November 22, 2009
What follows is a well-placed dire warning, written by Rick Montgomery of the Kansas City Star.
“Chalk up another national-security threat - this one looming with each excess pound, failing grade and drug bust affecting young adults.
An alarming 75 percent of Americans ages 17 to 24 would not qualify for military service today because they are physically unfit, failed to finish high school or have criminal records. So says a new report from Mission: Readiness, an organization of education and military leaders calling for immediate action on the education front.
The report, entitled, “Ready, Willing and Unale to Serve” was endorsed by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and former NATO commander General Wesley Clark and other top retired admirals and generals.
Rear Admiral, James Barnett said, “Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent on what’s going on in kindergarten today.”
Military recruiters in Kansas city report turning away prospective recruits “in every office, every hour, every day for reasons including girths too large and credit rating too low. Increasingly, applicants are disqualified for having asthma or taking pills for depression or attention disorders. Nearly one-third of all young adults have health issues other than weight that could keep them from serving, says the report.”
