Should a soldier's upbringing or previous lifestyle be analyzed before recruitment?

2014-01-25T19:26:04-05:00

For the sake of ensuring those who do enlist in this army ARE or CAN be the professional, high caliber soldier the Army is searching for. Simple as that.

Response by SPC Christopher Smith made Jan 25 at 2014 8:17 PM

2014-01-25T20:17:14-05:00

Let me get this right, we are going to stop recruiting anywhere with a deep accent, and stop taking anyone who walks not to the recruiters liking? Or are we targeting a more specific group of people? Either way, we would not be doing a service to our military or our country. A good amount of SM do not come from the best upbringing, they are trying to get ahead by getting away from a struggle. These people also take care of families in need, and many times get themselves off the government pocket by now earning for themselves. These people might have some issues but it usually comes from not understanding how to adjust to just having to trust people. I've been in for two years, and still won't just trust you because of your rank and uniform. These people usually have great talents and skills when utilized and engaged properly. If more leaders took the time to develop their juniors, and find out how to engage them many of your concerns would be addressed, SGT.

Response by 1SG Jeremy Parkin made Jan 25 at 2014 8:45 PM

2014-01-25T20:45:56-05:00

The best thing about our army is that it's a melting pot!  All races, religions, and beleifes I have learned so much from the thousands of Soldiers I have meet.   There will always be bad eggs no matter where we recruit from.  There will always be people who truly want to change their lives.  I know many Soldiers that want to change they may not do it immediately but what did you do about it?  Soldiers will follow the strongest influence how do we win that battle?  I would bet some of our greatest leaders came from some of the hardest backgrounds.  Everyone deserves a chance!  

Response by SFC Stephen P. made Jan 28 at 2014 3:09 PM

2014-01-28T15:09:23-05:00

Do you mean something along the lines of investigating criminal history? I was pretty sure we already did that.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Jan 28 at 2014 3:20 PM

2014-01-28T15:20:05-05:00

I would think that they already are, at least unofficially. If you were a recruiter, and someone walked in looking like the love child of Lil Wayne and Flava Flav, talking about their prison record, or how they're trying to escape their "baby momma" (feel free to insert any other stereotype you can think of if you think it works better for the situation) , would you, in good conscience, recruit them? If someone was just so "over the top", why would you even put pen to paper?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 28 at 2014 8:14 PM

2014-01-28T20:14:23-05:00

I am a high school drop out and was raised by a woman who had questionable values and a notable lack of morals. I am now a Staff Sergeant in the US Army leading a medical section for the FINEST Air Cavalry unit. I have no problem allowing my Soldiers to know where I came from and that obstacles can be overcame if you want to.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 22 at 2014 10:11 AM

2014-02-22T10:11:26-05:00

Currently I am a Recruiter, we look at a bunch of things when we are recruiting. Up bringing isn't really one of them. Like most have said we are a melting pot in the Army, everyone comes from different parts of the US and from different families. I also know from my experiences as a Leader that not all Soldiers can be treated the same, some one from the city or streets may need different discipline than the one that grew up in a broken family in the country. Recruiters have a screening process that we have to put all Future Soldiers through if we put more things like up bring on then we wont have many Soldiers to train and lead.

Response by SFC Stephen Carden made Jun 18 at 2014 10:32 AM

2014-06-18T10:32:58-04:00

A persons past is in the past. A man or woman is not defined by the mistakes they have made, but by how they correct those mistakes. You would be surprised at how different people become when you remove them from their familiar environment. Sometimes, people revert to previous behaviors, and if that is the case, we have mechanisms in place to discipline them or remove them from service. Most of the people you refer to join the military as a way to escape their upbringing or current lifestyle, assimilate to the military culture, and are successful. I am proud that the military gives them the chance to do that and to make something of themselves and contribute to society.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 18 at 2014 10:52 AM

2014-06-18T10:52:14-04:00

To a certain degree i believe so. I come from a very poor hispanic family. I grew up picking cotton, pecans, aluminum cans, yard work with my entire family from the age of 10 y/o just to get extra money. I was one of the first and few to actually graduate from high school out of my entire extended family. I knew i was destined and wanted more out of life than what i grew up with. I had my first child when i was 19 y/o she was born with a medical issue with her left leg which i had to borrow money from little finance companies here and there to get here seen by specialists thank God it wasnt anything serious she is fine now. But because i put myself in a financial situation still years after i couldnt get out of i just let it all go. Some how it got overlooked when i enlisted and have been denied my security clearance just recently 1year after my enlistment. I even got a tattoo surgically cut out of my chest because it was considered gang related when it wasn't just enlist (if that isn't determination /motivation dont know what is). Long story short my upbringing and my prior bad decisions have no effect on how i conduct myself now and perform my duties as a combat medic. Ive been told im very good at what i do even better than some medics during their time in the military. For some the military is a way out of a life style of which they dont want a part of but z

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made Jun 18 at 2014 11:14 AM

2014-06-18T11:14:49-04:00

To be clear, you do not have to be squeaky clean to serve. That being said, we have to be careful at where we draw the line for eligibility. For example, living a "tough life" and/or not having a HS diploma should not at face value eliminate someone. However, that being said, the "individual" needs to be evaluated and demonstrate potential. Our military is a direct cross-section of our society and that society covers all races/ethnicities/sexes/upbringings.

Criminal activity needs to be evaluated. It is one thing to make a bad choice one time. I can absolutely believe that a mistake is recoverable. If however, one chose to belong to a gang and led a life of crime, I am thinking not so much.

As a career law enforcement officer, I am fully aware that street gangs and criminal organizations are trying, successfully I might add, to USE the military to obtain quality training for members. They are also USING the military to afford them globalization. If you do not believe that, you are mistaken. Those folks need to be weeded out prior to admission to the Service. We cannot prevent everything, but we can try to do better. I would love to say that I had the answer, but sadly do not.