Army lifts ban on cutters, mentally ill and drug abusers to meet recruiting goals

It was literally in the news within the past week that the Marine Corps is charging a Drill Instructor because a recruit killed himself within the first week of Boot Camp. The first freaking week and that's a kid who passed all the medical and psychological screenings beforehand.

What's the excuse going to be when Johnny Cuts-a-lot realizes the disposable razor blades we're issued can be used to cut more than facial hair... especially considering how stressful boot camp tends to be.

As a former recuruiter I see this a little differently then most of you guys and girls. I can’t tell you how many supremely qualified applicants we lost because they were automatically DQ’d because their third grade teacher said they had anixiey or some stupid doctor said they had ADD. All this does it take away the automatic DQ and lets command look deeper into what’s really going on. It’s actually shameful that we stripped a lot of these great candidates rights to serve their country because of something so stupid that happens when they were little kids. Now, with that said I am not for opening the flood gates and letting anyone in. I just want to see USAREC look at each individual case on a case by case basis instead of the blacket DQ policy we’ve always had.

First thing, retain qualified senior leadership so you don’t lose numbers. Say “no” to unqualified civilians coming in because it’s a potiental liability. Maintain that high standard. The Military teaches to survive and not the opposite. Whoever is lobbying this crap needs to stop. They’re going to get service member killed.