Now not only Green Card holders but also students studying at US universities, holders of work visas, and refugees will be able to enlist in the American army
Have you thought about the future, son?
Requirements for those wishing to enlist in the American army are decreasing year by year, and the military, faced with a constant shortage of manpower to send to Iraq or Afghanistan, are increasingly forced to turn a blind eye to some unseemly facts in the biographies of recruits. As Lenta.ru notes, if before the path to the American army was closed to potential recruits who had run-ins with the law, lately they have had to come to terms with this as well. And what can you do if there is a catastrophic shortage of people, and for such a specific contingent, military service is very attractive?
Military service seems no less tempting to many potential or already established immigrants. According to official data, about 29,000 foreigners currently serve in the US Army. In addition, the Pentagon recruits more than 8,000 recruits annually who do not have US citizenship but hold a residence permit in the United States. Fortunately, the requirements for conscripts are quite low, and finding a good job in the US with poor English and an unverified diploma is not always easy.
One of the numerous recruitment sites, Army.com, lists the following requirements for those wishing to serve in the ground forces. The future soldier's age must be between 17 and 34, he must be a US citizen or have a so-called Green Card, be unmarried or married but with no more than two children. Educational requirements are minimal - equivalent to a regular high school.
In addition, the recruit must pass a medical exam and a physical fitness test, scoring at least 50 points on each of the three tests, depending on the age category. For example, if you are between 27 and 31, you will have to do at least 30 push-ups, 36 sit-ups, and run two miles (just over 3 km) in 17 minutes 54 seconds (for women - 20 minutes 30 seconds). For a reasonably physically fit and healthy person, this will not be difficult.
The salary offered to recruits by the US ground forces is relatively low. A private who has served less than two years will receive about $16,000 per year, not counting additional allowances. A corporal or specialist with four years of service - about $25,000, and a sergeant who has devoted six years or more to service - about $31,000. But, as recruiters assure, on average, including allowances, a service member earns more than a civilian specialist or police officer with similar experience and merits. For example, if a patrol police officer earns about $37,000 per year including benefits and deductions, a military police sergeant earns $47,000.
Still, despite widespread propaganda and numerous bonuses, native Americans for the most part do not have a great desire to serve. Especially if they have an education and a head on their shoulders, allowing them to find a normal civilian job. Immigrants and even foreigners are much more drawn to the American army, seeing it as a loophole to eventually obtain US citizenship.
All means are good
American recruiters, to give them credit, have surpassed everyone in their art of recruitment. Another recent statement made by a representative of the ground forces caused considerable surprise among the internet community. One general announced plans to create a military base in the virtual space of the game Second Life. It will consist of two separate islands. One will house a center for recruits, where real information about military service and contacts of recruiting stations can be obtained, and the second - a training center. There, for example, one can learn the basics of handling weapons and learn to parachute.
At the same time, the general hastened to assure that the recruitment plans for 2008 are being fulfilled in full, and the troops do not intend to abandon standard methods either. But he probably lied a little, since the facts indicate a different state of affairs, and the activity of recruiters is constantly growing.
For example, the Pentagon's already announced plans to attract up to a thousand students, refugees, and people in the US on work visas are also very promising and quite realistic. It's no secret that for "guest workers" working legally in America, the chances of getting a Green Card through official channels are not always great. If we believe the organizers of the DV lottery, they are no greater than those who live outside the US. But military service for immigrants is a real chance to obtain citizenship. The situation is similar for foreign students, who now, if they wish, after two years of study will be able to enlist in the armed forces and become real Americans.
Interestingly, today the Pentagon is interested in recruits who speak very specific foreign languages - Albanian, Korean, Punjabi, Somali, Turkish, Chinese, Czech, Malay, and Swahili. In some countries where these languages are native, the US has already deployed its troops and even fought. In others, there is no American contingent yet. Well, or at least not yet.
American military personnel are paid extra for language skills, and quite handsomely. For one language, they promise up to $400 per month, and for several, you can get an allowance of up to a thousand. Currently, according to official statistics, about 14,000 such specialists serve in the US Army, including reservists.
A similar situation has arisen with medical workers, whom, according to the announced program, are also planned to be recruited into the American army. In the United States, as in some other Western countries, there has long been a program under which students of medical schools and faculties can receive not only a bonus in the form of full tuition payment, but also a stipend of about $1,900 per month. Naturally, in exchange for a documented promise to serve after graduation for the benefit of America. In exchange for each paid year of study, the army will require the corresponding time to be spent in uniform. At the same time, a necessary minimum is set for army scholarship recipients, depending on the specialty. For example, dentists, psychologists, and optometrists will have to serve no less than three years, other medical workers - at least two years.
All these measures probably help, but not completely. Currently, according to official statistics, the army is short of about a thousand medical personnel. And it can be assumed that it is difficult for the army to compete with ordinary civilian clinics - doctors in the United States earn well anyway.
There will surely be many willing to take advantage of the new loophole. Most likely, even more than expected. And although the initially announced program is designed for only one year, and they plan to recruit only a thousand 'temporary residents', it has further prospects. Hunters to obtain residency in the United States, even despite the prospect of subsequently 'dying as Americans' somewhere in Iraq or Afghanistan, will always be found.