Military Recruitment and Readiness
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The Wall Street Journal today contains another headline about the military’s ongoing recruiting crisis (here). The U.S. Army expects to miss its enlistment target by 15,000 recruits this year.
People have all sorts of reasons to explain the shortfall, but I rarely hear about the one that I’ve personally experienced the most. The military has far too many unnecessary medical requirements that disqualify thousands of motivated young men and women each year from serving their country.
About half of the young men and women I’ve referred for military service recently have been medically disqualified before they even took the oath, including wrestlers, cross country runners and state-caliber athletes. They weren’t rejected for obvious and serious health problems. They were rejected for minor medical issues like nut allergies, eczema, ADHD, and mild cases of asthma.
There is no reason why people with manageable medical conditions cannot serve honorably in the military. If they can’t be infantry soldiers in the field, let them be cyber warriors in an office. You think China cares if their military hackers are allergic to almonds? Neither should we.
I’d be happy to have any patriotic and motivated young man or women in my unit. Let them serve!
When I get to Congress, I’ll work to remove unnecessary medical barriers that prevent our young people from serving and improve our military readiness.
Keep America Free!
Thank you,
***
Kevin Dellicker, from Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County, is a Republican running for United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 7th District. He owns a technology company and is a 28-year veteran of the United States Armed Forces. To learn more about his campaign visit www.dellickerforcongress.com.
Military information, opinions, and photos of Kevin in uniform do not imply endorsement by the Department of Defense, Air Force, Army, or National Guard.
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