Black Americans make
up smaller
share of military
By Dave Moniz, USA
TODAY from the Web, November 4-6, 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 -- Long a
mainstay of the military, black Americans have made up a shrinking share of
enlisted troops since 2000, Pentagon statistics show.
The number of black enlisted troops has declined significantly in three military
branches from 2000 through 2004 — by 15% in the Army, 23% in the Marines and 11%
in the Air Force. The Navy's number fell only slightly. The overall
size of all four branches has stayed roughly the same.
A major reason for the trend is a sharp drop in blacks joining the military,
according to a Pentagon analysis conducted in response to questions from USA
TODAY. During the four-year period, African-American recruits in all four
services fell nearly a third, from 38,034 in 2000 to 26,170 in 2004.
Other factors include a rise in black college attendance and the fact that the
war in Iraq is more unpopular among blacks than among whites, according to
public opinion polls.
The Army has been hit hardest by the declining number of black recruits.
The Army repeatedly missed its recruiting goals this year. The service
expects more problems in 2006.
Curtis Gilroy, who oversees the Pentagon's active-duty military recruiting,
calls the drop in black recruits partly a "good-news story." It shows many
minorities now have career options outside the military.
The share of enlisted blacks in the Army fell from 29% in 2000 to 25% in 2004.
David Segal, a University of Maryland military sociologist, says the Army will
have to "reduce its dependence on African-Americans" and recruit more whites and
Hispanics.
The percentage of Hispanics in the Army who aren't officers grew from 9% in 2000
to 11% in 2004. Hispanics are the nation's largest minority group, but
they have lower high school graduation rates than other groups. That makes
it harder for them to enlist, Segal says.
Fewer than 5% of enlistees aren't high school graduates.
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