Carter wrote:

I thought "decent recruits" were fading fast -- the military is now
accepting way lower test scores and those with criminal records. How can
they go any lower when they are already scraping the bottom of the barrel?

Don't be so quick to judge.

Are you familiar with the ASVAB tests? This isn't the quick hosedown
for recruitment that was prevalent during Vietnam. Maybe they are
lowering standards on the testing scores but "scraping the bottom of the
barrel" is a stretch.

I can say that because I have a 21-y/o here at home who wants to join
but quite frankly wasn't the best student in our mediocre educational
system and the ASVAB is quite the challenge for him. He's studying the
test like we studied SATs to get into college.

If we don't fix the basic educational system, fat chance we have of
getting decent recruits. Its not cannon-fodder they are looking for
like it used to be as recently as VietNam.

It takes some digging to find sample ASVAB tests online. I found one
and ran thru it myself and scored very well. I can't imagine my kid
being able to even make a credible score unless he is a lot more savvy
than the local school board has revealed.

I wish they would bring up the national educational standard to this
level rather than vice-versa. I didn't see a single question about how
to place condoms on a banana or how faggots are normal people which
seems to be a big deal for public schools.

As for vets and VA facilities....I'm not a vet but many of my cronies
are. They have the normal complaints about efficiency and service but
there are few horror stories coming out of San Juan. For clients here
in Vieques (an offshore island) they even pay RT airfare for attending
the appointments and often pay the airfare for the person accompanying
the patient if it is justified.

Just as a civilian observation, I think a lot of the 'care' issues are
related to health maintenance. My cronies here are over at the VA once
every few weeks dealing with some matter or other...that stuff becomes a
way of life from your fifties onward, veteran or not. Its all
scheduled, no refusals, no waiting 6 weeks. Guy in charge of 'your'
case is accessible by cellfone 24 hrs a day. Maybe, for once,
facilities in Puerto Rico are better than the mainland? We have a
National Health Card scheme that makes many people wish they were
veterans entitled to the VA services !

I know Michael has a threatening medical emergency about once every few
months and he is the same age as me but not as lucky in health. I think
a regular regimen of sitting in the VA Hospital lobby to do health
maintenance might work out better in the long run for Mike.

Good luck to ya, Michael A.


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