# Close to 75% of young Americans, ages 17 to 24, are not eligible for the military **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224 "2018-02-20T20:30:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/21 "2018-02-21T02:27:14Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT?? > [ **Fat, unhealthy Americans threaten Trump’s defense surge** > _Rising obesity numbers, drug use, criminal backgrounds and other problems mean most people at prime military recruiting age are ineligible to serve._](https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/19/pentagon-buildup-troop-recruiting-shortage-351365)Apart from the military recruiting implications, this is pretty, well… disgusting. I’d like to see context on this number - what were the equivalent numbers like in 1900, 1925, or 1950? (I seem to recall reading that during WWI, a large percentage of draftees weren’t fit for service) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/22 "2018-02-21T02:41:57Z")
Forget about the military. That’s not the point. The point is that a big chunk of this age group is obese, hasn’t graduated from high school, and has some kind of a criminal record. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/23 "2018-02-21T02:56:53Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I’d like to see context on this number - what were the equivalent numbers like in 1900, 1925, or 1950? (I seem to recall reading that during WWI, a large percentage of draftees weren’t fit for service) Found something [Welcome alternatewars.com - Hostmonster.com](http://www.alternatewars.com/BBOW/Stats/US_WW2_Draft_Stats.htm) : in 1943, 36% of draftees were rejected for criminal records, illiteracy, and various health reasons. I don’t know how the criteria in 1943 compare with today’s criteria - we’re better at finding problems with people’s health, but some things that were untreatable in 1943 are treatable now. On the whole, I suspect that during an actual war, the criteria for acceptance are going to be lower than the hypothetical criteria being used for this study, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/24 "2018-02-21T03:12:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Forget about the military. That’s not the point. It’s exactly the point. It’s right there in the thread title. > [@](#): > > The point is that a big chunk of this age group is obese, hasn’t graduated from high school, and has some kind of a criminal record. No. Pay attention. A a big chunk of this age group is obese, hasn’t graduated from high school **OR** has some kind of a criminal record… or has something else that disqualifies them like some sort of chronic health condition that isn’t their fault. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/25 "2018-02-21T03:16:26Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It’s exactly the point. It’s right there in the thread title. It’s my thread, so I get to say what the point is. > [@](#): > > No. Pay attention. A a big chunk of this age group is obese, hasn’t graduated from high school **OR** has some kind of a criminal record… or has something else that disqualifies them like some sort of chronic health condition that isn’t their fault. Yes. And I find that alarming. Not because they don’t qualify for the military (because I don’t really care about that), but because their inability to qualify is what uncovered this statistic. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/26 "2018-02-21T03:19:30Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > It’s my thread, so I get to say what the point is. You’re absolutely right. I didn’t realize that you were the OP. > [@](#): > > Yes. And I find that alarming. Not because they don’t qualify for the military (because I don’t really care about that), but because their inability to qualify is what uncovered this statistic. Yes and it looks like this has been somewhat consistent throughout history. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2018, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/27 "2018-02-21T03:23:36Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Imagine how popular Golden Corral will become if the draft is were to be reinstated. > > Instead of sit-ins to protest war, we can have eat-ins. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where conscription was reinstated, but the military kept exactly the same standards they have now. It’s a given that if the draft were reinstated standards would be adjusted to make the majority of relevant age cohort eligible for service. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/28 "2018-02-21T03:27:43Z")
If warfare gets automated enough, being fat may not keep one out of service. It doesn’t take a fit body to sit in a chair and fly a drone from a control room. Of course, if the military got that automated, it wouldn’t need that much manpower to instate a draft, either. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/29 "2018-02-21T15:02:58Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If warfare gets automated enough, being fat may not keep one out of service. It doesn’t take a fit body to sit in a chair and fly a drone from a control room. > > Of course, if the military got that automated, it wouldn’t need that much manpower to instate a draft, either. I’m seeing an army of fat 35 year old mom’s-basement dwelling bachelors chowing down on Doritos and Code Red, paying a monthly subscription fee to access the hardware link. No more uniforms or medals, soldiers will be recognized by their achievement awards and KDR. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/30 "2018-02-21T16:48:07Z")
Part of this is the larger problem of labor shortages … seems like all the big stores in my area have “help wanted” signs in their front windows … so for anyone qualified why bother with the headaches of military service when the local businesses will hire you for the same pay? … and then _not_ worry about people trying to kill you … ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/31 "2018-02-21T17:32:46Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The military has a one-size fits all policy. There are plenty of posts in the military that do not require full fitness. It was not always like that. I had a one-eyed uncle who was drafted in WW II. He was an auto mechanic and they put him to repairing tanks. I sure they could find jobs for people with bone spurs if they tried. You’re not wrong, and some folks with “disqualifying” traits are able to negotiate the system and serve anyway. Several years ago, I asked in conversation what “flat feet” were - I’d never really gotten the concept. One of the men in the group removed his shoes to show me - yep, those suckers were flat. He was a Major in the US Army; by the time anyone noticed, he was able to convince them that it wasn’t a problem. The problem mentioned by the OP (in terms of sheer numbers, anyway) isn’t new. This same Major, who had served as a recruiter for a while, told me that about 7/8 of people who tried to sign up were disqualified one way or another. This was about 20 years ago. A lot of people who are otherwise able-bodied would be liabilities in conventional military roles, including a large proportion of elite athletes. Joe Namath could have never served in Vietnam with his knees, for example. If Namath’s knee went out in a Jets game, the coach would curse a bit and call in a backup. If the same thing happened in a combat zone, the folks tending to the injured soldier would make for inviting targets. If Joe Willie had _really_ wanted to serve, they _might_ have found a place for him, but as a rule it was better to draft or recruit a guy without the issue than try to work around it. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/32 "2018-02-21T17:50:24Z")
I think we have all heard anecdotes about businesses who are hiring folks who don’t need college degrees, but have trouble finding decent candidates. There was a story on NPR not too long ago where a shop manager was talking about the opioid crisis and not wanting to hire a strung-out person to drive a forklift. It seems to be obvious that there are are lot of ways we could improve the lot of a lot of Americans: better schools, universal health care, addressing crime and violence with something more helpful than long prison terms, etc. This is a problem for our country and our military. If it helps to shine a light on this by viewing it through the lens of national security, then fantastic. Whatever it takes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/33 "2018-02-21T17:51:48Z")
Instead of making these situations “disqualifying”, why not emphasize them? Imagine a whole battalion of obese infantry. “The 4077 Fighting Fatties”. Create a whole backstory lore about them capturing the enemy _then eating them_. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/34 "2018-02-21T18:24:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Instead of making these situations “disqualifying”, why not emphasize them? > > Imagine a whole battalion of obese infantry. “The 4077 Fighting Fatties”. Create a whole backstory lore about them capturing the enemy _then eating them_. They could wear extra long jean shorts, metal band t shirts and juggalo face paint. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/35 "2018-02-21T18:35:49Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > They could wear extra long jean shorts, metal band t shirts and juggalo face paint. I see the enemy running like little girls back to Pyongyang. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/36 "2018-02-21T18:39:23Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Part of this is the larger problem of labor shortages … seems like all the big stores in my area have “help wanted” signs in their front windows … so for anyone qualified why bother with the headaches of military service when the local businesses will hire you for the same pay? … and then _not_ worry about people trying to kill you … Woah. The military only pays $8 an hour too?? ---
**Author:** ![Pabitel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbce88/32.png) [@Pabitel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pabitel)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/37 "2018-02-21T19:06:02Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Woah. The military only pays $8 an hour too?? You beat me to it. If you see a “Help Wanted” sign up anywhere for more than 24 hours it’s because they want to hire someone with no fixed schedule at 30 hours/week max, no benefits and pay chump change. There is no labor shortage. There is a decent job shortage. Employers have had almost 20 years of dictating employment terms, no full time, no bennies, crap pay. And now that they can’t get people to work for peanuts anymore they blame the perspective employees instead of fixing their employment policies. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/38 "2018-02-21T19:09:52Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Forget about the military. That’s not the point. The point is that a big chunk of this age group is obese, hasn’t graduated from high school, and has some kind of a criminal record. The obesity issue, nobody really knows how to solve. I know people say ‘diet and exercise’, but on a society wide level that is about as effective as saying ‘abstinence only’ as a cure for STDs and pregnancy. To my knowledge, pretty much every nation with a modicum of wealth is experiencing an obesity epidemic and none are winning against it. But in a true world war situation, the military would probably change their standards. Seeing how about 80% of military jobs are non-combat, it isn’t like you need to be thin and athletic to fix HumVees or work on a computer. I know lots of fat people who do equivalent jobs in the private sector. On your other points, high school graduation rates are much higher than in the past. I think in the 1930s only about 25% of people graduated high school. Still, the US fought WW1 and WW2 with such low high school graduation rates. As far as criminal records, a big part of that is that in America we’ve criminalized everything. Actual rates of most crime (at least serious crime) are going down, but rates of arrests keep going up. We’ve criminalized mental illness, stupidity, addiction, homelessness, etc. and as a result there are lots more arrests compared to the past. It doesn’t make people more criminal, it just means more people are being arrested and incarcerated. Our incarceration rates now are much higher than they were 30 years ago when violent crime rates were 3-4x higher. I’m not worried. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/39 "2018-02-21T19:46:35Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Instead of making these situations “disqualifying”, why not emphasize them? > > Imagine a whole battalion of obese infantry. “The 4077 Fighting Fatties”. Create a whole backstory lore about them capturing the enemy _then eating them_. [Strike hard! Strike fast! Eat up!](https://2static.fjcdn.com/large/pictures/74/41/7441e4_6057683.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224/40 "2018-02-21T22:21:23Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > …I’m not worried. Well, I, for one, feel better [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/close-to-75-of-young-americans-ages-17-to-24-are-not-eligible-for-the-military/809224.md?page=3)