The Army has slashed the rate at which young soldiers wash out, allowing it to keep more of the recruits it has struggled to find.
That's due largely to changes in how the Army treats enlistees. Gone are the days when trainees run 'til they drop. Soldiers who need counseling get extra attention, not a screaming drill sergeant.
The attrition rate within the soldier's first six months plummeted from 18.1% in May 2005 to today's rate of 7.6%. Last year the Army, which supplies most of the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, missed its recruiting goal of 80,000 soldiers; it's on track to meet this year's goal, also 80,000.
It made sense to change basic training, because the Army relies more on technology skills than brute strength, said Michael O'Hanlon, a military analyst at the Brookings Institution. "If you're losing good people with those skills because of lack of physical prowess, that's not a good thing."
I'm sure the soldiers stuck in the field with people who would have previously washed out makes them feel better with that guy watching their back.
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What is our country turning into? It's sad to see us lowering our standards just to get keep the quota. I'm disappointed to hear that the Army has allowed this to happen. If the recruit can't handle the training standard physically or mentally, he or she has no business there. Giving that recruit the second opportunity only endangers the integrity of the Army as a whole. I've been there and done that.
