Most Americans Cannot Join the Military

by Nathan S

Published: October 19th, 2015

According to Business Insider, most Americans, who would typically be in the serving age, are not likely eligible for military service. The Army estimates that less than 27% would qualify according to standard enlistment criteria.

The U.S. Army’s major enlistment requirements include:

Ages between 17 and 34 years old
Must be U.S. citizen or legal foreign national
Must have high school diploma or equivalent
Minimum 33 score on Armed Forces Qualification Test
No tattoos on fingers, neck or face
No ear gauges
No ADHD medication win the past 12 months
No felony convictions
No persistent illegal drug use
No insulin-dependent diabetes
Meet height & weight requirements

The major reason? Young people are overweight and others are subject to mental-related restrictions.

As quoted from Business Insider:

The biggest single reason for failing to meet the requirements is obesity. Maj, Gen. Allen Batschelet, commander of the U.S. Army Recruiting Command, says obesity is becoming a national security issue.
“The obesity issue is the most troubling because the trend is going in the wrong direction,” he said. “We think by 2020 it could be as high as 50%, which mean only 2 in 10 would qualify to join the Army.” He paused. “It’s a sad testament to who we are as a society right now.”

Yikes! Time to hit the gym.

#Military #Service #Weight #Eligibility

Nathan S

One of TFB's resident Jarheads, Nathan now works within the firearms industry. A consecutive Marine rifle and pistol expert, he enjoys local 3-gun, NFA, gunsmithing, MSR's, & high-speed gear. Nathan has traveled to over 30 countries working with US DoD & foreign MoDs.The above post is my opinion and does not reflect the views of any company or organization.

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7 of 297 comments

MichaelZWilliamson on Oct 20, 2015

And most Americans will continue to sneer down at veterans from their level of failure as human beings.

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- Tothe on Oct 21, 2015
  
  @MichaelZWilliamson Because disagreement with the military indicates a moral failing somehow?
  
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- MichaelZWilliamson on Oct 21, 2015
  
  @Tothe I said "Veterans," not "the military."
  How many of those standards above do you meet? We've already determined you're marginal on thought processes.
  FYI, the Army has the lowest entry requirements across the board.
  
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- Tothe on Oct 21, 2015
  
  @MichaelZWilliamson That's called an "ad hominem" argument.
  How is it virtuous to serve the government? How is past service to the government worthy of honor or praise?
  
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- MichaelZWilliamson on Oct 21, 2015
  
  @Tothe No, that is not ad hominem. So, apparently you really can't even meet the 35 level on the ASVAB.
  Let me break it down for you:
  To QUALIFY for the military, you must be literate, a graduate, in good health and fitness, of a generally clean background, mentally sound, and a citizen or legal resident. (I was a legal resident when I first enlisted, and became a citizen later.)
  Which, really, is not that high a standard. However, most of the population cannot meet that baseline.
  And yet, people like you conflate the individual with the collective (said collective being ultimately managed by you, the voter), speak derogatorily to people who are your better in one or more categories, without establishing any credibility for doing so, and imply that those who meet those baseline standards are somehow inferior because you don't like the government.
  Guess what? I don't like the government that much, either. But it's a lot easier to make a difference by participation than by apathetic disdain. I even involve myself in improving firearm law in my home state.
  Let me guess, you were expecting me to say something like "fuck off, faggot"?
  Well, you get that, too, as a freebie. :-*
  Shall we next discuss your penis size?
  
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- STFUTWIT on Oct 24, 2015
  
  @Tothe So that's what you think it's about.....LMMFAO!!!!! And STILL you continue to whine about things you know nothing about.....good gawd!!!
  
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MichaelZWilliamson on Oct 20, 2015

Also, how did a former Marine let them use a USMC uniform in a picture above Army standards?

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