Reply #7: Yep, not the smartest kids

[sleipnir]

Most of the military is made up of kids who barely got out of high school and decided not to go to college because it's too expensive in America or they didn't have the grades. They haven't had the opportunity to experience other cultures or people and the armed forces certainly isn't going to supply that training any time soon. Basically, we've sent some of the lowest intellectually capable Americans to fight. I'm not ragging on the armed forces, but High School senior "Jim Smith" with a SAT of 1420 isn't going to sign up to join the Marines. It's usually the kid who hasn't managed to flunk out or didn't have rich parents to buy his way into college. Simply put, most of the Americans over there are not the cream of the crop. Don't get me wrong, I respect them for the decisions and their desire to honestly help serve our country, but if you're intellectually gifted, you're probably not on the ground fighting in Iraq.