European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 17, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 9 photo by Tony Nauroth dumb7 Doest apply to this infantry Grunt by Tony Nauroth Nuernberg Bureau chief Germany you no longer have to go to jail to get into the people today Are choosing that comes from a Soldier who last year would have been All too easily stereotyped As a dumb Michael Mahoney is a dropout who gave up High school to join the on july Cadet Mahoney reports to West Point to begin his training As a army the dumb it turns int so dumb after at Mahoney drives a Bradley fighting vehicle for co 2nd 30th inf in he said he joined the army because his family was in financial i gave my father one less Mouth to he he dropped out of High then worked on his ged High school equivalency he Actu ally finished before his class but he was too Young under 19 to be awarded a through the Schweinfurt education Mahoney struck a Deal with the High school in to get his the school agreed if he passed English and history he his platoon 1st Robert said Only one member of the company is without a High school diploma or three have bachelors degrees or and 25 percent have associate and he said the unit is not Blatz tires of hearing the stereotypes that travel with the foot Young lawbreakers Arent being recruited out of courtrooms where they once were Given a bitter Choice or the Blatz insists that the Grunt he has no qualms about that half of the dumb Grunt Label is perfectly Able to handle the High technology found on the modern Battle he doubts the Grunt Ever was Blatz Drew a comparison Between today infantryman and the world War ii Soldier who used his own High tech weapon the hand that Soldier didst know or care How a hand grenade photo by Tony Nauroth Michael Mahoney he but he sure could use it Blatz said an infantryman must be smarter than the average Soldier because he has to be Able to do Mon things under greater pressure a clerk Blatz also questioned popular definitions of smartness he said the infantryman has applied which combines the foot soldiers new books Racine image with his strongly rooted common himself a West Point helped Maho Ney through the application and recommendation proce Dure to become a Mahoney gave several reasons the infantry is attract ing Bright people who often hold impressive educational Topping the list is a quest for or a change in one of the Guys in my unit is a Mahone he said he came in because he wanted to real test j Blatz said the hew soldiers coming in Are More resourceful than the average person and smarter than my asked if that presents any leadership Blatz said its More of a Challenge than a for the Good the better educated Soldier is a better for the bad the bettered rated Soldier is a Blatz the better educated Soldier wants to ask Why when Hes told to do Blatz if he never knows you lose but he also knows there Are times when there is no time to ask the smarter a Soldier the easier it is to train its not unusual for the leaders of a unit to be lost in Blatz the still must accomplish their and that Means that a like could be in its too late to ask Why As for which Branch of the officers corps is he looking at the of course