The Wall Street Journal reported recently that more than two-thirds of America’s youth would fail to qualify for military service because of physical, behavioral or educational shortcomings. The military deems many youngsters ineligible due to obesity, lack of a high-school diploma, felony convictions and prescription-drug use for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But others are now also running afoul of standards for appearance amid the growing popularity of large-scale tattoos and “ear gauges” that create large holes in earlobes.
No great crisis for the Army, which the report says each year still successfully recruits about 180,000 volunteers. But where do the rejects go next?