US military sees sharp fall in Black recruits
/For years, black Americans have formed the backbone of the
all-volunteer US army, filling a quarter of its ranks, though blacks
account for only 13 per cent of the population. Blacks are more likely
to treat the army as a lifelong career; a third of senior sergeants and
non-commissioned officers are black. Suddenly, that is changing. Apart
from a sudden fall in the past two months in recruiting for the
part-time National Guard, army recruitment as a whole has held more or
less steady this year, with the help of increased enlistment bonuses
and an early call-up for some youths originally due to enter basic
training next year. But the proportion of black recruits into the army
was only 15.6 per cent, down from 22.3 per cent in the fiscal year
2001. In the part-time army reserve, the drop is sharper. Army
officials decline to speculate about the collapse in black recruiting,
instead noting what they call a positive development, that army numbers
will now reflect the make-up of society better. the invasion of
Iraq, which was opposed by a large majority of black Americans, amid
suspicion over the reasons given for toppling Saddam Hussein and anger
at billions of dollars spent overseas, rather than at home. Mrs Allen
pointed to the rain-lashed streets of Washington, a large, poor, mainly
black city that also happens to be the nation's capital. "You've got so
many homeless people here, they were in the military, half of them. You
look at that, people ask, 'Why should I go fight the white man's war
when there's nothing for us here?' " she said. Mr Golladay said blacks
tended to join the military for stable employment, college scholarships
and the chance to learn valuable skills.[more ] and [more]
