I read this story three times, and unless I'm missing something, the numbers just don't add up to the alarmist tone taken. In the mid- to late-'70s, we are told, half of the members of the U.S. Army had no high school diploma, and one-third were "Category 4" (the real dummies, not to put too fine a point on it). By 2003 (latest figures available), the Army had been professionalized to the point that only 6 percent lacked a high school diploma or GED, and only 1 percent were Category 4. Now, because of a problem meeting recruitment goals, the standards are being lowered so that the diploma-lackers can go from 6 percent to 10 percent, and the Category-4 dummies from 1 percent to 4. Compared to half and a third. And this is supposed to be proof that the war in Iraq is destroying the Army? Please.
