[Homestead] Demographics of military enlistees
Gene GeRue
genegerue at ruralize.com
Fri May 2 20:53:02 EDT 2008
This article speaks for itself.
Rural areas losing more soldiers in Iraq
By Douglas Fischer
STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 03/17/2008 03:02:25 AM PDT
The full article from the California newspaper, Contra Costa Times, is
at:
http://origin1.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_8601083
Nearly 4,000 service members have died in the war since fighting began
March 19, 2003. Almost 2,400 of the dead hailed from cities and towns
with a population of 80,000 or less. Meanwhile, 537 have died from
cities larger than 300,000.
Put another way: For every 100,000 people living in a large city in
this country, one service member has died in Iraq. For every 100,000
people living in this country's smallest cities and towns, two troops
have perished.
These disparities leave demographers puzzled. The war is splitting the
nation. At a time when all Americans are expected to sacrifice, the
roughly 64 million people living in the country's largest cities
appear to be turning their backs on military service.
Oakland and Tracy - with 2006 populations of 397,000 and 80,000,
respectively - offer a stark contrast.
In 2001, the last recruiting year before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks
changed the American psyche, 135 recruits came from Oakland while 64
came from Tracy. But, by 2006, with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars
raging, Oakland had 89 recruits, while 91 from Tracy signed on.
The reasons anyone goes off to war are complex and often impossible to
explain. On one side: pride of country, desire to serve, family
tradition. On another: lack of options, need for cash, yearning for a
better future.
Whatever the reasons, the military's recruiting message has always
resonated better in rural areas.
Military moms almost without exception cite patriotism and upbringing
as reasons for this. But sense of duty alone doesn't explain why more
rural residents are entering the military, said Tim Marema, vice
president of Whitesburg, Ky.-based Center for Rural Strategies, who
has studied enlistment data and similarly concluded rural soldiers
account for a disproportionately high share of casualties.
"When you look at the economic and death statistics, you just can't
ignore that there's a huge economic opportunity factor. We've set up a
system for our nation where our young people have to leave rural areas
to participate in the economy."
For some rural residents, military service is a sure way out, Marema
said. And that's unfair.
"For young people who want to choose the military, good for them. Our
nation needs them," Marema said.
"But it shouldn't be a choice made under duress. It should be a
choice, and, in the sense of fairness, we would hope all our young
people would have the same opportunities as they look at how they want
their lives to unfold."
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