Requirements To Join The Army

Better Then? | Better Now?

Better Then?
For as long as I’ve been alive (over 65 years), there have been requirements to join the Army or any branch of the military. During the military draft era/ selective service years, minimum requirements were pretty low. Actually, failing the physical was considered a win if you didn’t want to be drafted. Some would fake injuries and others inflicted injuries on themselves in an attempt to fail. In general, if you were breathing, you passed the physical. The bar was so low, you practically had to cheat to fail. The standards are much higher now.

Some guys enrolled in college, faked mental illness, left the country to hide in Canada and others elected to go to jail. Very few were trying to meet any of those requirements to join our Army during the draft days. So what were the results and unintended consequences?

The unintended consequences resulted in having a military that consisted of too many people unqualified to serve. Not everyone has the mentality to be a warrior, protector, soldier or a fighter. We had a bunch of guys that didn’t want to be in the military and didn’t do their jobs well. We had the weak of mind and others with weak bodies. There were criminals that couldn’t be trusted to backup their fellow soldiers. Some were suspected of killing other Americans in their own squad. That became common enough to be given the name “Fragging.”

Better Now?
Regardless of how you feel about America, the need to protect our borders or freedom, successful teams consist of a few basic elements. The most basic part requires having team players who want to be on the team. The military is no different in that regard from any other team. The new Army is all volunteer to start with and for the most part consist of more highly qualified soldiers. The percentage of women joining the military is greater now than any time in history.

In 1993 President Bill Clinton implemented the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy. Before that policy changed things, gay and lesbian soldiers were discharged from the Army and all other branches. The LGBTQ community is now accepted in the military. I don’t know about you but I’d rather have 1 gay soldier who willingly joined, than 2 straight soldiers who were forced. I’d rather have 1 tough, fighting woman watching my six, than 2 peace activist or pacifist men too scared and unwilling to fight.

Unfortunately, not everything has gotten better. Gangs in the military have gotten worse according to the FBI and that is very disturbing. In the old days, people like this were either dishonorably discharged, jailed in the brig/ prison or both. Overall though, our fighting force is much better now in my humble opinion than ever before.