Who Serves in the U.S. Military? Mapping Enlisted Troops and Officers | GeoCurrents

Who Serves in the U.S. Military? Mapping Enlisted Troops and Officers | GeoCurrents: Conventional wisdom holds that military service disproportionately attracts men and women from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are members of minority groups. Many people believe that troops enlist primarily because they have few options, not because they want to serve their country. Others believe that the war in Iraq has forced the military to lower its recruiting standards. A report from Heritage Foundation published in 2008 shows this conventional wisdom is far from the truth. This study compared military volunteers to the civilian population on four demographic characteristics: household income, education level, racial and ethnic background, and regional origin. As a result, we now know who serves in the active-duty ranks of the U.S. all-volunteer military.