Rich mans war, Poor mans battle Myth

According to a comprehensive study of all enlistees for the years 1998-99 and 2003 that The Heritage Foundation just released, the typical recruit in the all-volunteer force is wealthier, more educated and more rural than the average 18- to 24-year-old citizen is.

Indeed, for every two recruits coming from the poorest neighborhoods, there are three recruits coming from the richest neighborhoods. 98% joined with high-school diplomas or better. By comparison, 75% of the general population meets that standard.

Among all three-digit ZIP code areas in the USA in 2003 (one can study larger areas by isolating just the first three digits of ZIP codes), not one had a higher graduation rate among civilians than among its recruits. In fact, since the 9/11 attacks, more volunteers have emerged from the middle and upper classes and fewer from the lowest-income groups. In 1999, both the highest fifth of the nation in income and the lowest fifth were slightly underrepresented among military volunteers.

Since 2001, enlistments have increased in the top two-fifths of income levels but have decreased among the lowest fifth. Allegations that recruiters are disproportionately targeting blacks also don’t hold water. First, whites make up 77.4% of the nation’s population and 75.8% of its military volunteers, according to our analysis of Department of Defense data.

Second, we explored the 100 three-digit ZIP code areas with the highest concentration of blacks, which range from 24.1% black up to 68.6%. These areas, which account for 14.6% of the adult population, produced 16.6% of recruits in 1999 and only 14.1% in 2003. If you are refering strictly to the war in Iraq, this article goes more in depth into addressing that tared old talking point.

Is Iraq a Poor man's War?

Myth of Blacks dying in disproportionate numbers:

Quote:

"We all heard the claims in the months running up to the Iraq war that African Americans, the poor, and those who hail from America’s urban centers would be fighting and dying in disproportionately higher numbers than wealthier white Americans from the middle and upper classes.

In some circles, that myth continues to be perpetuated, when in fact, according to Who is Volunteering for Today's Military, “Urban areas are actually underrepresented among new recruits. Suburban and rural areas are overrepresented.” Moreover, jobs volunteered for in the military often determine which ethnic and racial groups (as a whole) will bear the brunt of the fighting, and consequently which groups will suffer the greatest number of losses percentage-wise.

African American military personnel, representing approximately 17 percent of the overall force, have suffered 11 percent of those killed in Iraq (through last November).

White Americans, comprising 67 percent of the overall force, have suffered 74 percent of all deaths. And Hispanic Americans, comprising nine percent of the overall force, have suffered 11 percent of all deaths. The high percentages of white and Hispanic casualties stems from the fact that both groups, for whatever reasons, overwhelmingly join frontline combat infantry and special operations forces.

Statistical breakdown here at icasualties.org

White: Total = 1836 Percent = 73.79%

Black : Total = 249 Percent = 10.01%