The Army Responds To John Kerry

[Jack Cook]

Of topic but funny!
Yesterday John Kerry told a group of college students that if they didn't
study hard they'd end up in Iraq. Today Army troopers in Iraq made their response.

[Robbie Stuart]

I put something up really MEAN on my response to Mr Kerry's comments, but I didn't want to lower myself to his level so I used the old edit button. Shame on him!
Robbie

[Former Member]

Great picture Jack...I got quite a laugh out of it. I'll admit that I'm no fan of John Kerry and I believe he stuck his foot in his mouth BIG TIME! Having said that, if people think our current CIC is pro-military...I'd beg to differ. He's big on campaign rallies and photo ops in front of the troops...but his (and the majority party in both houses) repeatedly fail to deliver when it comes to VA funding, equipment upgrading, military pay raises, etc.

Like I've said before...I'll let my vote do the talking on November 7th.

John

[oscardeuce]

I love our troops!

Last edited by oscardeuce on Wed Nov 01, 2006 5:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Manonthefence]

Being from across the pond I have to admin I didnt pay much attention to yet another Bush - Kerry bitch fest. That was until I watched CNN this evening.

I just cant believe a Politician who wants votes could be such a dumbass. Its just a basic rule of political thumb, when your troops are in harms way, for whatever reason, dont insult them! And if you do, dont try and make out it was a joke.

Nice photo by the way.

[slinky]

Thanks so much for posting this....I received a really small version at work earlier and was hoping to get a better example. I laughed my butt off!!!!!! God Bless ALL our Troops!

[Bill Greenwood]

Even though I admire politicans who actually fought in a war, but prefer peace like Sen. McGovern or Kerry; I thought the hand lettered banner from the army guys was pretty funny and in good taste. Kerry's statement if taken as if meant for troops is likely pretty accurate. News channel reports while 99% of enlisted men have a high school diploma, only 4% have colege degrees.

[planenutti]

Well the former Navy LT really stepped in it this time. A lot of the troops are out there doing what it takes to protect this country and to earn the money to go back home and go to college. When the average age of the troops is less then 20, when were they suppose to have gotten more then a high school diaploma. Having been one of the troops I know what it takes to do your duty, to get more then an Associate's degree and raise a family.
Now a different issue for the good Sentaor from MA, those troops might not have the Ivy League schooling that he was privy to but I bet that with the schooling they do have that they have a better chance of completing their combat tour then Kerry's record shows.

[Bill Greenwood]

Did you know that the Aggies wanted to make a banner for the upcoming football game? They ran into a snag when they realized that spelling of four sylllable words was saved for grad school at A& M.

[bdk]

Kerry's statement if taken as if meant for troops is likely pretty accurate. News channel reports while 99% of enlisted men have a high school diploma, only 4% have colege degrees.

Maybe not as accurate as one might expect?

Official Debunks Myths About Military Recruits
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 – Recruits entering the military are head and shoulders above their contemporaries, and myths that imply otherwise reflect the Vietnam era, not today, a top Pentagon official told the American Forces Press Service.

"They are so clearly a cut above America," Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, said of today's recruits.

Carr bristles when he hears unfounded charges that the men and women entering the military are less educated, less affluent or less likely than other 18- to 24-year-olds to have alternatives to military service. Rather, a combination of volunteerism and commitment to service is prompting young people to enlist, Carr said, noting that a measure of shrewdness plays into their decision. "They are planning their future and considering what part we can play in it," he said.

Carr likes to think of himself as a "myth buster," helping break stereotypes he said are flat-out wrong and cheat servicemembers out of the pride they've earned and deserve. He rattled off examples of those myths and set the record straight for each one.

Myth 1: Military recruits are less educated and have fewer work alternatives than other young Americans.

In fact, military recruits are far better educated than the general youth population, Carr said. More than 90 percent of recruits have a high school diploma, compared to about 75 percent of the U.S. youth population.
That's an important issue to the military, Carr said, because a traditional high school diploma is the single best indicator of a recruit's stick-to-it-ness and likelihood of successfully adjusting to military service. Recruits with a high school diploma have a 70 percent probability of completing a three-year enlistment versus a 50 percent chance for nongraduates.
The military has exceeded the 90-percent benchmark for recruits with high school diplomas every year since 1983, Carr noted.

Myth 2: The military tends to attract people with lower aptitudes.

Recruits actually have much higher average aptitudes than the general youth population, Carr said. In fiscal 2005, 67 percent of recruits scored above the 60th percentile on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The test is designed so that the average young person will score 50 percent, he explained.

But high achievement on the test isn't new, Carr said. Sixty percent of new enlistees have scored at or above the 50 percentile -- the military's benchmark for recruits -- every year since 1985.

Myth 3: The military attracts a disproportionate number of poor or underprivileged youth.

In reality, military recruits mirror the U.S. population and are solidly middle class, Carr said. He cited a recent Heritage Foundation report that shows most recruits come from middle-class families, rather than poorer or wealthier ones. Patterns in recent years reinforce this trend, showing a slight dip in recruits from lower socioeconomic groups and a slight increase from upper-class groups, Carr said.

Myth 4: A disproportionate number of recruits come from urban areas.

Inner cities are actually the most underrepresented area among new recruits, Carr said. Both suburban and rural areas are overrepresented, he said.

Myth 5: The military isn't geographically representative of America.

The southern part of the United States generates the most recruits, 41 percent, but also has the biggest youth population to draw from, 36 percent, Carr said. Twenty-four percent of recruits come from north-central regions, which have 23 percent of the youth population. The west, with 24 percent of the nation's youth, contributes 21 percent of the new enlistees. And the northeast, with 18 percent of the youth population, provides 14 percent of new recruits.

Clearing up misconceptions about military recruits paints a truer picture of the young men and women joining the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and the capabilities they bring to their respective services, Carr said. It also reinforces what Carr said military leaders have recognized all along: "There's enormous talent in their midst," he said.

[Mudge]

Did you know that the Aggies wanted to make a banner for the upcoming football game? They ran into a snag when they realized that spelling of four sylllable words was saved for grad school at A& M.

_________________
That's pretty good, Bill. Now...which one of your highly paid employees are you gonna' send out to start your car.

Mudge the suspicious

[oscardeuce]

News channel reports while 99% of enlisted men have a high school diploma, only 4% have colege degrees.


The whole country on 75% have a high school diploma, so that puts the most "uneducated" troop above the average.

[mjanovec]

The whole country on 75% have a high school diploma, so that puts the most "uneducated" troop above the average.

I'm curious if that statistic is for people over 18...or does it include everyone (including those younger than the average age of high school graduation).

[warbirdguy]

In my graduating class we had 5 graduates of a total of 42 join the armed services.

[Shay]

The U.S. Navy is moving towards the position of the more education you have the farther you'll get. If the "E" man wants to get promoted beyond E-6 then they're going to to require them to have a 4 year degree.


With regards to Kerry's comment. Only a image of Forrest Gump saying "Stupid is, as Stupid does" comes to mind.

Shay
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Semper Fortis