# are homeless people allowed to go to war? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 8, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287 "2011-07-08T09:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowching](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/1 "2011-07-08T09:11:15Z")
I mean beggars. Those people who sleeps in rags and always ask for spare change. I’ve seen a lot lately and it makes me ask a lot of questions. If a war broke, are they allowed to join the army? And if they are allowed, do they sign up? Has there been any recorded thing like this? additional: Who takes care of their bodies when they die? Thanks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/2 "2011-07-08T09:24:22Z")
If they can pass the physical and mental tests, why wouldn’t they be allowed to join? ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/3 "2011-07-08T09:25:02Z")
> [@chowching](#): > > Who takes care of their bodies when they die? Usually the medical examiner makes some attempt to track down next of kin, and if none are found (or the ones they find aren’t interested in picking up the body), they’re cremated and buried in a grave set aside for the purpose. Depending on local laws, unclaimed corpses are sometimes given to med schools for dissection/research. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/4 "2011-07-08T13:49:17Z")
> [@chowching](#): > > I mean beggars. Those people who sleeps in rags and always ask for spare change. I’ve seen a lot lately and it makes me ask a lot of questions. If a war broke, are they allowed to join the army? And if they are allowed, do they sign up? Has there been any recorded thing like this? most of them probably wouldn’t score well on AFQT. American military would need to take pretty horrendous losses to start trying to enlist such people. On the other hand, if American economy collapses sufficiently, lots of bright, normal and potentially high-scoring people may end up homeless but without serious impediments for military service in the event of mass mobilization. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/5 "2011-07-08T14:15:54Z")
The problem with homeless people is a fair number of them are crazy and/or addicts. Currently, the US military isn’t interested in giving guns to people like that. Also, it can be hard to complete anything like a rudimentary background check on someone who hasn’t had an address in 10 years. Would you hire somebody to do an important job if you had no clue what they’d been up to recently? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/6 "2011-07-08T14:51:38Z")
Many of them are additionally too old. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/7 "2011-07-08T15:14:48Z")
> [@chowching](#): > > I mean beggars. Those people who sleeps in rags and always ask for spare change. I’ve seen a lot lately and it makes me ask a lot of questions. If a war broke, are they allowed to join the army? And if they are allowed, do they sign up? Has there been any recorded thing like this? Hey Mr. Compassionate. You might want to take a second to actually look at them and think that they might already have served. [National Coalition for Homeless Veterans](http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm) > [@](#): > > Although flawless counts are impossible to come by – the transient nature of homeless populations presents a major difficulty – VA estimates that 107,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. Over the course of a year, approximately twice that many experience homelessness. Only eight percent of the general population can claim veteran status, but nearly one-fifth of the homeless population are veterans. ---
**Author:** ![Lestrade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Lestrade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lestrade)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/8 "2011-07-08T15:35:20Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Hey Mr. Compassionate. You might want to take a second to actually look at them and think that they might already have served. > > [National Coalition for Homeless Veterans](http://www.nchv.org/background.cfm) Yeah, but what have they done for us lately? \I̵ ̢͝ki͡d.́\ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/9 "2011-07-08T16:24:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Hey Mr. Compassionate. You might want to take a second to actually look at them and think that they might already have served. Yes, the question we should be asking is if people who went to war should be allowed to be homeless. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/10 "2011-07-08T16:30:09Z")
You don’t join the army; you apply for a position. You are assessed for the position like you would be in any job. The selection criteria might be different, but believe me, there’s a process. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/11 "2011-07-08T18:36:59Z")
When I saw the thread title, I wondered if he meant “against each other.” ---
**Author:** ![AntiCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@AntiCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntiCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/12 "2011-07-08T19:14:04Z")
When I was young, WAY back when, we had happy hobos and prostitutes that actually only did it for the money. Now everyone is pretty much strung out on drugs. When I was young you could get the choice of, army of jail. It would be rare to do that now-a-days. The military doesn’t want just anyone anymore, just to have bodies. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/13 "2011-07-08T19:50:52Z")
> [@AntiCoyote](#): > > When I was young you could get the choice of, army of jail. It would be rare to do that now-a-days. The military doesn’t want just anyone anymore, just to have bodies. I knew a kid (he was probably 18 at this point, a few years older than me) who was given this choice by a judge back in 1986 or '87. He chose the Army… ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/14 "2011-07-08T20:39:28Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I knew a kid (he was probably 18 at this point, a few years older than me) who was given this choice by a judge back in 1986 or '87. > > He chose the Army… Still happens from time to time as I understand it. I don’t know the particular bureaucratic dance, but it essentially gives the young offender the choice to enlist with a clean record in exchange for a deferred conviction–or to let the judge proceed with the gavel banging and the resulting sentence. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/15 "2011-07-09T00:20:00Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > Usually the medical examiner makes some attempt to track down next of kin, and if none are found (or the ones they find aren’t interested in picking up the body), they’re cremated and buried in a grave set aside for the purpose… Not every jurisdiction cremates them. In NYC unclaimed corpses (most of which are not from of the homeless) are buried intact in mass graves on [Hart Island](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_Island_(New_York)#Cemetery). The bodies are not embalmed or otherwise prepped by moticians. They’re buried in literal pine boxes by inmates from Riker’s Island. Some other authorities use the cardboard coffins normally used for cremations. Some just use bodybags. Google the phrase “potter’s field”. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/16 "2011-07-09T01:28:24Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Still happens from time to time as I understand it. I don’t know the particular bureaucratic dance, but it essentially gives the young offender the choice to enlist with a clean record in exchange for a deferred conviction–or to let the judge proceed with the gavel banging and the resulting sentence. My understanding was that the practice was outlawed. It might just be that the practice has been heavily curtailed, or that savvy recruiters and inprocessing officials realize what is going on and send the kid back to the judge. But yeah, biggest hurdle to a homeless guy joining would be health and background checks, I would imagine. You have to be able to get a security clearance to do most jobs in the military nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![CoffinMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9bd4f/32.png) [@CoffinMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoffinMan)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/17 "2011-07-09T01:54:10Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I knew a kid (he was probably 18 at this point, a few years older than me) who was given this choice by a judge back in 1986 or '87. > > He chose the Army… Sensible choice - Both paths may result in death, but one offers a job with decent benefits and a chance to make a difference. ---
**Author:** ![chowching](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/18 "2011-07-09T02:32:49Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Yes, the question we should be asking is if people who went to war should be allowed to be homeless. Of course not. They served the country and all. But what happened to them is their own doing. From the link posted above, most of them suffer from either alcohol and/or substance abuse. But at least something like the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans exists. Kudos to Lestrade for bringing that up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chowching](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@chowching](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowching)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/19 "2011-07-09T02:54:26Z")
Let’s not limit this to America. Suppose a country is under war and is in a desperate position. That country will try to get all the manpower they can and perhaps they will let some patriotic hobos who are willing to fight and of course able (given that most of them aren’t) to join the war. It’s less likely to happen now but farmers, fishermen, blacksmiths, and others who did not have formal military training were recruited in the army during past wars. I’m not sure about the military’s criteria during those times but i believe being physically able and mentally sound were included. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2011, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287/20 "2011-07-09T04:26:57Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > When I saw the thread title, I wondered if he meant “against each other.” Just so long as it’s televised. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-homeless-people-allowed-to-go-to-war/588287.md?page=2)