European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Higher standards army Recruiter Rickey b. Tarver says people who come with new High school diplomas Are a crushed when they done to get  military tightens enlistment standards by Peter Applebome new York times Greg Powell agrees with the ads that say the military is Quot a great place to Start Quot but for now he is washing dishes at an Atlanta hotel and hoping he will get the Opportunity to Start his career in the army. Powell a High school graduate who has twice failed the test to qualify for enlistment in the army is among thousands of Young people caught in the Middle As the military services Cut Back on personnel and raise standards for admission particularly education requirements and scores on army qualifying tests. Because of planned troop cutbacks in Europe the army this year reduced its recruiting class to 92,000 from 120,000, and the other military services Are facing cutbacks As Well. The army a increasing selectivity is bringing with it a vexing social question what does the nation lose if the military no longer serves As a Channel for upward mobility for those at the Bottom of the social ladder especially members of minority groups a a what a happening is not an army problem but a National one Quot said Lawrence Korb former assistant Secretary of defense for manpower installations and logistics in the Reagan administration. He is now with the Brookings institution a Washington based research Center. Quot throughout our history the military has furnished upward mobility. Since the Early 1970s, Blacks have really found a Home there. If that diminishes then the army does t have a problem but society  Blacks who make up 12.4 percent of the population now account for about 28 percent of the army. A hispanic soldiers account for 4 percent. With the thawing of the cold War the military is preparing for major cutbacks in troop strength. The army which employs about 758,000 of the nation s 2 million Active military personnel has proposed cutting its Active Force by 35,000 men and women each year Over the next four years. It could be years before the full extent of the cutbacks is determined. Army Secretary Michael Stone predicted recently the army could Cut As Many As 250,000 soldiers from its ranks by the mid-1990s. The severe troop cutbacks Are accelerating the trend toward greater selectivity that has dominated in military recruiting Over the past decade. The percentage of army recruits who Are High school graduates has increased to about 94 percent this year from 54 percent in 1980, according to it. Col. Alex Angelle spokesman at the . Army recruiting come Headquarters near Chicago. At most stations a High school diploma is now mandatory. In 1980, Only 25 percent of recruits scored in the top half of the army a Entrance test he said but now about 66 percent do. Now at the height of the recruiting season As High school seniors plan their futures a score in the top half of the test is almost essential for acceptance. Recruiters say the time has Long passed when the army could provide a spot to any youth in need of direction and a fresh Start. People used to see the army As the last alternative there s nothing else i can do what can you Guys do for me said staff sgt. Rickey b. Tarver a Recruiter at the . Army recruiting station in a largely Black Section of Southwest Atlanta. Quot it s not that Way anymore. We have people who take the test every six months but the trouble is the requirements keep going up so they just get further away Quot he said. What s sad is when you see the people come in with their new High school diplomas a the paint s not even dry. They re crushed when they done to get in. They just done to know How Tough the standards  one of those caught in the bind is Powell 24. Last year after spending a few years working he decided to join the army. But he twice failed to pass the Entrance exam and the standards have gone up since the last time he took it. Powell said he plans to take it until he passes. Under the rules he can do so every six months. It s not easy i did t know it would be this Tough Quot said Powell who earns $5 an hour in his Dis washing Job but Hopes to make enough Money in the army to go to College. Quot but i done to see it As a setback but As a stepping Stone Powell said. Quot after a few years of working i know now what i want to do and i know what i Don t want to  he is not alone in finding the going Tough. On a recent morning one woman called the recruiting office saying her son now in the 10th Grade did not want to go to school and did t seem to know what he wanted to do with his life. She was politely told there was nothing the army could do for him now and he would have to graduate from High school if he wanted to try to enlist. Tammy Jones and Jimmy Randolph both 22-year-old High school graduates with two years of College walked not in to see what was available. Both failed the test Given As an indicator of How Well they will do on the armed forces qualifying test that is required for admission. They were advised to study before taking the qualifying test. Jones said she had a minor theft charge pending against  described it As a first offence for taking $20 from a Cash Register. Recruiters said that would probably not disqualify her but that the army is increasingly rigorous in turning Down applicants with criminal records. Officials say the army s Job training programs and its College fund which can provide As much As $25,000 in College Money to each recruit Are the biggest inducements for enlistment. Those incentives Are Strong enough that the army has been Able to fill its recruiting needs despite seeing its advertising budget shrink to $60 million this year from $63 million in 1989. Only five years ago in 1986, the army spent $76.9-million on advertising. The rising standards apply across the Board but they seem to be having the greatest effect in poorer areas. Sgt. Reese j. Stewart commander of the recruiting station in suburban Kennesaw ga., Northwest of Atlanta said his largely Middle class recruits generally find the opportunities they Are seeking. A i have three buddies who went into the army one in the marines one in the air Force and i know two going into the naval Reserve this year Quot said Greg Moore an 18-year-old High school senior from Marietta. Quot it seems to be the Way to go because of the College and the  but sgt. Willie Jones station commander in largely Black Southwest Atlanta said he was seeing a dramatic drop in the number of potential applicants who can qualify. He said five years ago about 65 percent of the applicants he saw qualified for the army. Today he estimated Only about five of the 80 people who applied Over the past month will be accepted. Jones said the army was far More technologically demanding than it had Ever been and the military gained by having personnel with better qualifications. But he acknowledged there were social implications to the increasing selectivity. Quot i think its going to become a big Issue in the future because it s Tough now and in a looking for the scores to go even higher Quot he said. Quot you already hear the parents say a i remember during Vietnam you could go in if you scored a 16 on the test and now you need a 50?�?T i guess a lot of people forget that everything changes with time and the army is changing too. 1 Page 16 a a a the stars and stripes saturday May 26,1990