Have you been convicted of armed robbery, arson or burglary and are having trouble making ends meet, let alone getting three square meals a day? Worry not, my fellow American, the United States Army and Marines want you.In yet another consequence of the Forever War, the Army and Marine Corps recruited significantly more felons into their ranks in 2007 than in 2006.
The number of waivers issued to active-duty Army recruits with felony convictions jumped to 511 in 2007, from 249 in 2006, while Marine recruits with felony convictions rose to 350 from 208.
The numbers represent less than 1 percent of the 115,000 new enlistments last year in the active-duty Army and Marines, but coupled with sharp increases in the number of waivers for recruits with misdemeanors, the numbers are downright shocking:From Sept. 30, 2006, to Sept. 30, 2007, the Army granted so-called conduct waivers for felonies and misdemeanors to 18 percent of its new recruits, a 3 percent increase from the previous year. So far, in just the first six months of this fiscal year, the Army has granted waivers to 13 percent of its recruits.
While it may be presumed that most criminals -- petty or otherwise -- serve honorably, that is not always the case as rapist-murderer Stephen Green proved. Besides which, The Dirty Dozen was a great idea for a movie. It should be kept that way.
Have you been convicted of armed robbery, arson or burglary and are having trouble making ends meet, let alone getting three square meals a day? Worry not, my fellow American, the United States Army and Marines want you.
Don't be so high and mighty. Most of these "felons" are probably just drug dealers. And murder and mayhem has been committed by soldiers with clean records. Don't stick yourself with a Willy Horton argument.
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