U.S. military seeks muscle and brains

The Latin phrase, sit mens sana in corpore sano, is often translated as "a sound mind in a sound body."

It is a line said to have been used by an ancient Roman poet and was a favorite subject of Plato, the celebrated Greek philosopher. It’s also a popular motto for U.S. military academies and sports organizations. Throughout history, it has been an ideal description of a warrior.

In the United States, that ideal warrior is apparently becoming an endangered species.

A group of retired generals last week released a stunning report, "Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve." It indicated that about 75 percent of young adults ages 17 to 24 are ineligible for the military because they fail to graduate from high school, are physically unfit or have a disqualifying criminal record. The report is stark reminder of the nation’s increasing obesity rate and ill-functioning education system.

According to the report, 1 in 4 young adults lacks a high school diploma. Of those who do graduate, many fail the Armed Forces Qualification Test because of inadequate math and reading skills.

About 27 percent of young adults are too overweight to qualify, and the inability to demonstrate a minimum level of physical fitness pushes that proportion over one-third.

Recruiters have been working with prospects to get them in shape to pass the physical demands of basic training. For example, the Army requires an 18-year-old to do 42 push-ups in two minutes, 53 sit-ups in two minutes and run two miles in less than 16 minutes.

Another third are ineligible for other health reasons, including asthma, poor eyesight or mental problems.

The report says that about 1 in 10 young Americans has at least one felony or serious misdemeanor conviction that disqualifies him or her for service.

Ironically, the military just finished one of its best recruiting years ever. For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, the armed services met all of their recruiting goals. The Army increased its percentage of high school graduate recruits from 83 to 95 percent.

But historically the military has recruited well during economic recessions. As the economy improves, finding high-quality recruits will likely become more difficult.

The group of 89 retired military leaders urged Congress to pass the Early Learning Challenge Fund, an Obama administration proposal that would give states $1 billion annually for 10 years to pay for early childhood education and development to get preschoolers off on the right foot in life.

They cited a famous study from the 1960s in Michigan that followed a group of high-risk, low-income African-American children. Half were randomly enrolled in a preschool at ages 3 and 4 while the others were not. Participants were tracked until age 40. The preschoolers had significantly higher scores on IQ tests at age 5, and they outperformed the others on basic school achievement, high school graduation and job income.

Researchers credited preschool with allowing poor children to develop intellectually and socially, equipping them to succeed later in life.

Muscle power has always been necessary to meet the stresses of military service. The effectiveness of today’s technologically advanced weapon systems also requires brain power from the people operating them. This report is an alarming barometer of the nation’s physical hardiness and mental acuity.

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