Due in large part to the need to fill the ranks with men willing to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan, no easy task in a time of widespread disinterest in military service, the number of recruits requiring "conduct waivers" has risen for both the Army and Marines.
While this will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows and cause many great discomfort, it should be noted that this is an American tradition. While some might question, and understandably so, the inherent wisdom of this practice, citing such controversies as Haditha[a massacre in the city of Haditha in Western Iraq], it is important to note that none of the Marines involved in the alleged attack will face murder charges and in fact, four Marines have had all charges against them dropped.
Also, and while this might sound contradictory given that there is and should be a moral criteria for serving in the military, the rise in the number of recruits requiring criminal waivers is not necessarily a bad thing.
First, the number of recruits requiring waivers for such conduct make up less than one percent of all Army and Marine recruits in 2007. Second, while the military will overlook marijuana use, the use of any hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, PCP, LSD, etc will not be excused. Third, the men being granted these waivers are not necessarily violent criminals. The majority of offenses committed were when the individual was a juvenile and tended to be more along the lines of carjacking, burglary, or armed robbery. To be fair, as Alan Lee reported in The Washington Post "but a handful involved sexual assault and terrorist threats, and there were three cases of involuntary manslaughter." However, it should be noted that these cases are the exception, not the rule, and that for even these recruits to be granted enlistment into the military, they would have to pass repeated and stringent review conducted by senior NCOs and officers, even up to two-star generals.
Additionally, there have been those with violent backgrounds who have gone into the military and done exceedingly well, such as Sgt. Marco Martinez, a former New Mexico gang member turned Marine war hero. (Read his book Hard Corps.) This leads me to my next point about the benefits of enlisting men with experience in the more violent portions of society. Given the predominantly urban and close-quarters type warfare that the Army and Marines have been conducting in Iraq, former gang members and felons would do exceedingly well at close-in fighting in such areas as courtyards, houses, alleys, staircases, rooftops, and hallways. Practically every skill and tactic learned on the streets could help them succeed in the desert hell of Iraq.
Having survived ambushes by rival gang members, they'd probably know better than other green troops the warning signs of such an attack, and whenever a fight did come, being raised on the streets would give them an undisputed edge in urban shootouts.
Perhaps the best way to sum up this argument and support for this practice comes from a scene in "The Patriot." Unhappy with the quality of the men his father has enlisted, Gabriel tells his Dad, "these aren't the men we need." To which his Dad replies, "son, they've fought this type of war before. They are exactly the men we need."
300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 | 410-778-2800 | 800-422-1782