As A Vietnam Vet I Can Say It Is A Waste To Risk Your Life In The Military For A GOP Run Govt.

[haele]

21. Sometimes it's the only job with benefits in their area.

After the initial 9-11 rah-rah (which really only lasted about two years) that drove most of the applicants to the military over the last decade, a majority of the enlistees did so because of the lack of openings in what would normally be entry jobs in the private sector for young people.
When young people can't afford graduate school level training and middle aged workers are increasingly being laid off to "cut labor costs" (their jobs going overseas or going automated as still is the case now) - and government isn't hiring for infrastructure improvement - the military is still one of the few options open to those young potential workers. They don't have to compete with the increasing number of experianced, dependable (because they've got overwhelming bills to pay and families to support) and qualified (or overqualified) 50-year olds when they enlist.

It used to be called the poverty draft. Now, it's not just the poor youth that have few options.

Haele