The question is not and has never been whether enlistees in the U.S. Army
are educated or not, or less intelligent or not. As a practical matter,
in the United States as in many other developed nations, it is effectively
illegal NOT to be educated, at least to the degree that renders one fit
for military service. The questions are where do these enlistees come
from; and what inferences can be drawn from any over or under
representation of identifiable groups within a nation's military?
Mr. Kerry's remarks, as I stated from the outset, reasonably may be
considered a socially coded message referring to relative socio-economic
advantage and disadvantage impacting the decision to serve. That this
observation was posited in a moralist sense implying conscious deliberate
choice simply reflects Kerry's unreflective acceptance of the validity of
meritocracy and little else. The tendency to invoke deliberate choice as
operative for all significant life decisions is a trait that Kerry
evidently shares with many of his detractors on this list.
Beyond the fact that I find it amusing that Mr. Beauchemin now finds the
New York Times Newspaper a reputable source, I fear that I find his
reference to an opinion piece written by an acknowledged ideologue
employed by a right-wing neo-conservative "think-tank" (which is of course
now not much more than a codeword for propaganda organization - and I
apply this sobriquet to both sides of the political spectrum without
reservation) less than objective or convincing. It is filled with
uncritical statements without reference to broader patterns of social
influences. Education metrics, in and of themselves, cannot tell the full
story of selection for military service. What would be interesting would
be the comparative numbers of enlistment rejects because of educational
defects vice all other reasons.
To counter this opinion piece I offer for those whose minds are still open
the following quotes drawn from articles published in reputable refereed
academic journals that span the past 40 years:
Service time represents a legitimate commitment that entails no
expectation of major career commitments or accomplishments. It is a
psychosocial moratorium relative to the age-graded career; a time to
acquire greater maturity, assertiveness, and self direction (Sharp &
Krasnesor, 1968)
Historically, enlistees tend to include a disproportionate number of men
from disadvantaged family settings (Moskos, 1970)
The disadvantage of a mediocre school record includes employment problems,
thereby increasing the appeal of a military job (Johnston & Bachman, 1972)
The appeal of military duty, however short, can be linked on the
socioeconomic level with the educational and vocational benefits of the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, the GI Bill (Olson, 1974).
On balance, however, the armed forces recruit men of approximately average
ability because those with higher ability either remain in school or find
civilian jobs, and those of the lowest ability fail to qualify (Cooper,
1978)
Military may provide a source of social mobility for disadvantaged
minorities during service because of the less discriminatory environment,
steady employment that provides numerous benefits and compensation over
civilian-equivalent jobs, and especially because of the GI Bill benefits,
which can fund postservice college education (Angrist, 1998; Bryant,
Samaranayake, and Wilhite, 1993; Mare and Winship, 1984; Moskos and
Butler, 1996; Seeborg, 1994; Binkin and Eitelberg, 1982; Butler, 1992;
Kilburn and Asch, 2003; Segal, 1989)
Voluntary military enlistment during wartime is associated [with] college
aspirations, lower socioeconomic status, and living in an area with a high
military presence. (Kleykamp, 2006)
I do not "play" with things involving life and death. War is not a "game"
to be toyed with by the uninformed and willfully ignorant. The
intellectual laziness displayed by some of the most rabidly xenophobic and
personally denigrating people present on this list is truly breathtaking
and frightening to observe.
--
James B. Byrne mailto:[log in to unmask]
Harte & Lyne Limited http://www.harte-lyne.ca
9 Brockley Drive vox: +1 905 561 1241
Hamilton, Ontario fax: +1 905 561 0757
Canada L8E 3C3
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