Tuesday, March 2, 2010
U.S. Marine Corps: Not so exclusive after all
The Marine Corps has a relatively new ad campaign called "America's Few" (read about it here). Television spots currently airing claim that many Americans will hear the call to serve, but few will become Marines. That's not exactly true. Figures from past years (I found various sources from the 1980s through 2000, though only anecdotal sources for more recent years) suggest that 85 to 90 percent of recruits do in fact make it through training and become Marines. The vast majority of those who don't are rejected for medical reasons. Now, this may be a testament to the effectiveness of military training or the selectiveness of military recruiting. Indeed, you wouldn't want the Marine Corps's training program to waste a lot of money on recruits who couldn't make the cut. Exclusive, however, it is not.
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Daniel Altman is a Harvard-trained economist who has been an economics columnist for The Economist, The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune. He is the author of three books and teaches a course on the future of the global economy at New York University's Stern School of Business.
as a former service member i can tell you that there is nothing at all exclusive about joining any of americas armed forces. there are waivers to fill out to get around virtually any disqualifying issues that come up during recruitment. also, all five armed forces are now accepting felons, with a waiver explaining away the felony in question, of course. it is not hard to get through boot camp. if you fail a test or physical fitness exam you are ridiculed and worked as hard as your instructors can work you until you pass. or, ifv you are really stupid or weak you can be reverted, which means to be dropped to a class that started after yours in order to finish with them. so yes, the add was a flat out lie. the majority of service members today tell themselves they are doing something special or something no one else could do. the truth of the matter is that most service members couldn't make it in the real world and stay in the service because they cannot handle life without big brother watching out for them. on the other hand, would you want people too stupid to support themselves out here where being good at your job matters?
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