An Army of sound mind and body
BY John Spencer
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, February 8, 2016, 4:25 AM
Before the ominous piano music kicks in at the end of each episode of “Serial,” I am left feeling equal parts mystified, angry and unsurprised.
Mystified by how a soldier like Bowe Bergdahl could leave his post in middle of the most dangerous part of Afghanistan; angry that he would put the safety of his fellow soldiers and mission in so much jeopardy, and unsurprised because cases like Bergdahl's are probably more common than we think.
By that I mean the army, by poorly screening its recruits, has allowed into its ranks a disturbing number of soldiers who are physically and mentally unfit. And they, like Bergdahl, have been sent to the frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. Without a course correction, the next time our nation calls on our military to expand, the probability of people like Bergdahl being allowed to serve in the military will remain alarmingly high.
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Whether you are a soldier or a civilian, Bergdahl’s story rehashed on “Serial” is, on the face of it, bizarre. Imagine a uniformed police officer taking off his weapon, radio and bulletproof vest before jogging across a prison yard full of violent criminals. Only in this case we are talking about the Taliban, a militant Islamist group armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Forget standard operating procedures — as humans, we have built-in mechanisms and emotions of fear to warn us against committing irrational acts like Bergdahl’s.
I’ll admit I’ve been afraid in combat. Afraid of being killed or wounded. Afraid of failing my fellow soldiers as their leader. But my worst nightmare of all: being separated from my unit without a weapon.
The confidence that most soldiers display in combat comes from rigorous training that — hopefully — triggers instinctive responses that become part of their muscle memory. Yet it also comes from the feel of your weapon in your hands, from the radio you can use to call for other soldiers with weapons.
To give all this up is to leave the bubble that is the world of a combat soldier. It is highly abnormal. In short, it is suicidal.
We know now that Bergdahl was not a normal Army recruit. The U.S. Coast Guard dismissed him 26 days into basic training with an “uncharacterized discharge,” most likely for mental health reasons. It’s unclear whether the Army knew about this discharge when he was allowed to enlist in 2008.
But it might not have mattered anyway. Bergdahl enlisted in the Army as it was struggling to meet recruiting demands for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army lowered its standards and began issuing waivers for recruits with felony criminal records, physical health issues and minimal education requirements. According to a 2008 study, one out of every five Army recruits were given waivers.
In fact, as the law currently stands, there is no standardized mental assessment for people trying to enter the military. If it becomes law, a bill before Congress will finally direct the U.S. military to screen individuals for mental issues before they are allowed to enlist.
That’s well overdue. The problem is getting worse, not better. A Defense Department study estimates that over two-thirds of the roughly 34 million 17- to 24-year-olds in the United States are unqualified for military service based on current physical, behavioral or educational standards. Expect these numbers to balloon if the military implements a new mental health screening assessment.
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The challenge is for the Army to raise the bar while simultaneously working to replenish its ranks. By 2017, the Army will be the smallest it has been since 1940, with only 450,000 soldiers. By contrast, North Korea fields nearly 700,000 active-duty soldiers.
To meet our military goals, we need a national effort to boost the pool of young Americans qualified to volunteer and serve. Beyond the Boys and Girls Club of America, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and related organizations, we should expand funding for programs that can decisively reverse the trend of American youth obesity and other health problems.
Let’s raise standards for serving in the military, even when demand in times of need outstrips the supply of “eligible” volunteers.
We fight wars in a globally connected and increasingly complex environment where the actions of a single bad soldier can have strategic and far-reaching consequences.
Our country should not have to entrust its future security to the likes of unfit soldiers.
Spencer is a major in the U.S. Army and scholar with the Modern War Institute at the United States Military Academy in West Point. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense or the U.S. government.
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-spencer-army-sound-mind-body-article-1.2521975
