Report: Obesity to thin ranks from S.C.

Criminal records, graduation rates also could block 380K from service

By Schuyler Kropf - The (Charleston) Post and Courier

CHARLESTON -- South Carolina's growing rate of obese teenagers isn't just a health hazard: It now is a factor cited for weakening America's national defense.

But heavy children aren't the only problem predicted to plague U.S. military ranks of the future. So are the state's high numbers of young adults with criminal records and its lowly graduation rate.

A report issued by a team of ranking military and education leaders says that as many as 75 percent of young Americans will be unable to serve in the military because of these three major trends, all of which have shown little sign of improving in recent times.

“It is a devastating statistic,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Pat Foote, who tracks research for the group, dubbed “Mission: Readiness, Military Leaders for Kids. “We are eroding the national security of America.”

The nonprofit group says its aim is to ensure continued American security and prosperity by calling for investment in youths.

In South Carolina, a state that historically has sent a high representation of recruits into the Armed Forces, the numbers mean that as many as 380,000 young people ages 17 to 24 would be ineligible for military service because of their physical, schooling or criminal status, the group said.

The trend is particularly troubling, Foote said, because beyond the nation's military needs, it also means the sciences, medicine, research and engineering likewise will be affected by the loss of young people who can't keep up.

“It is time to bring this out in the open and keep it in the open until we as a nation get ahold of this problem,” Foote said. “I think it is an early warning.”

The group has the backing of several ranking officers and officials, including Education Secretary Arne Duncan, former NATO commander Wesley Clark and two former chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — Gen. Hugh Shelton and Gen. John Shalikashvili.

In their report, issued this month, researchers cited South Carolina's percentage of overweight youths (34 percent versus 32 percent nationally) as a standout statistic.

Also noted was the number of South Carolina young people who do not receive on-time high school degrees (41 percent versus 26 percent nationally).

Unless changes are implemented now, the group said, the future of U.S. security and readiness could be in jeopardy given the mix of skills needed to meet the military's growing high-tech emphasis, or in simply having enough men and women to manage a battlefield.

While the report said the need for reform is great, not all sectors of the military say the factors raised by the group are causing immediate stress or concerns about filling out the ranks.

A spokesman for the S.C. National Guard said recruiters met 120 percent of their quota last year and that the Guard has repeatedly exceeded its goals for several years running.