Numbers show dramatic drop in black recruits

Above: The Commander of 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, congratulates soldiers after a reenlistment ceremony at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Baqubah in February.

The number of blacks joining the military has plunged by more than one-third since the Afghanistan and Iraq wars began, as other job prospects soar and relatives of potential recruits increasingly discourage them from signing up.

According to data obtained by The Associated Press, the decline covers all four military services for active duty recruits, and the drop is even more dramatic when National Guard and Reserve recruiting is included...

According to Pentagon data, there were nearly 51,500 new black recruits for active duty and reserves in 2001. That number fell to less than 32,000 in 2006, a 38 percent decline.

When only active duty troops are counted, the number of black recruits went from more than 31,000 in 2002 to about 23,600 in 2006, almost one-quarter fewer. The decline is particularly stark for the Army.

Read the rest at Army Times

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