It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the Army is having a difficult time meeting their recruitment quotas. That happens when there is an enemy out there trying to do us harm. In order to meet the need for new recruits, the Army is granting more waivers to young men and women who have criminal records. In 2003 and 2004, only four to five percent had waivers. Now the number has climbed to over 11%.
This has some of the media hollering that the sky is falling. They have trotted out experts who have said that people with criminal records are more likely to get in trouble in the Army, than people with no criminal records. Duh! How do I get a job as an expert? I could make profound statements like that.
Ordinarily, the “do-gooder” media would be supporting the proposition of giving a person a second chance. But that is not the case if the opposite view will put the military in a bad light. Well folks, don’t worry about the military. Our military services are in the best position to take a troubled youth and square him or her away. We have a lot of practice. Since before we were born, judges in large and small communities have been telling young people in trouble, “either join the Army or go to jail.” The Army unknowingly accepts these youths and in many cases, the Army is the best thing that ever happened to them. They just need a lot of supervision and discipline, which is not in short supply in the U. S. Army.
A friend I went to law school with had just such an experience and at the request of a local judge, spent three years in the Marine Corps. He gave the Marine Corps credit for turning his life around. After he got out, he finished undergraduate school and law school and became a well-respected lawyer and community leader in Springfield, Missouri.
Accepting as soldiers these individuals who committed crimes when they were young and immature is, for the Army, a piece of cake. We were really challenged back in the 1960’s. Secretary McNamara came up with the idea of Project 100,000. These were recruits who were mentally challenged. To enlist in the Army, you need a minimum score of 31 out of 100 on the Armed Forces Qualification Test. Some of McNamara’s 100,000 had scores as low at ten. Now these characters were a challenge. Of course, the Vietnam War was in full tilt and these unfortunate individuals helped fill the ranks. All of the Project 100,000 soldiers had special service numbers, so it was easy to identify them.
I was in Germany from 1966 to 1969. For part of that period, I was a 4th Armored Division defense counsel. I got to know some of Secretary McNamara’s boys. One, whose name was Jake, got in trouble about every other week. He should have kept me on a retainer. I kept getting him out of trouble, but I wasn’t sure that was to his benefit. A separation from the Army would have been better. First, Jake got drunk and started a fight in a local gasthaus. It was a tough place and there was plenty of blame to spread around. Later, Jake beat up a German taxi driver. Jake claimed the driver pulled a weapon on him (probably because Jake refused to pay for the ride). I won’t elaborate on the many times he missed formations and was disrespectful to officers and NCO’s.
The last time I saw Jake was when he came by to thank me and tell me he was on orders to Vietnam. His arm was in a sling. I had to ask. He said, “Oh that, it happened when I flipped the jeep. I stopped right there.
I read that one of McNamara’s 100,000 (in reality, there were over 300,000) was awarded three Silver Stars for heroism in Vietnam. He didn’t want the third one because it was the same color as the other two. He said he would rather have the Army Commendation Medal, because it had a green ribbon. The Army Commendation Medal, known as the “Green Weenie,” was no where near as much of an honor as the Silver Star.
So, Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public, don’t worry about the Army. We will do just fine with those soldiers with prior criminal records. In fact, the Army will send them back to their local towns and cities much better citizens than when they got them.