Army: No More Felons and Druggies (Until Economy Gets Better)
What goes around, comes around: “The Army last month stopped accepting felons and recent drug abusers into its ranks as the nation’s economic downturn helped its recruiting, allowing it to reverse a decline in recruiting standards that had alarmed some officers.” Thus begins an Ann Scott Tyson piece reporting that “rising unemployment, security gains in Iraq and other factors have helped make military service more attractive and have allowed recruiters to be more choosy.”
And so things have gone since 1973, when we abandoned the draft for an all-volunteer force. As with any other line of work, it’s easier to fill billets with quality candidates when demand for their services is low.
Hmmm. Marijuana use is probably considered drug abuse, but I never found anything abusive about it. BTW, I’m reading Joker One, about a Marine platoon in Iraq. In the book, one of the author’s men runs afoul of what the author says is the Marine’s zero tolerance policy for alcohol use. Needless to say, I was thunderstruck by this. Sure ain’t the Corps I was in. Chesty must be spinning in his grave as he famously said that the Corps should take the milk machines out of the chowhalls and put in beer machines. Autre temps, autre goddamned chose, I guess. But, Jesus.
Sometimes we peace-time vets feel gulty that we never saw combat but then we get back to reality.